Food Plots Layering rye into fescue cattle pastures?

[megalomaniac]

So my farmer was a little aggressive with his pasture management and killed all the volunteer beggar lice, cocklebur, and even clover in my cattle patures this summer...

Normally I dictate the cattle must be rotated to other pastures we dont hunt 1m prior to hunting to allow those forbs to regrow and serve as an attractant during season... but there is nothing for deer to eat there.

Im thinking I could layer in some rye into those fescue pastures and kill does off that in late December (cattle wont get rotated back onto them until after season closes).

Anyone ever tried this? The fescue is dormant, but still 4 to 5 in tall... think the rye could pop by December to be attractive?

Sure its late, but we have some 70d days upcoming and I think it could pop before the next freeze...

Wish I would have thought about this a month ago... just didnt realize how clean they were until I came up to hunt last weekend.

 

[nwsg76]

Cereal rye- yes.

 

[TNTreeman]

It should be fine. CR germinates quickly.

 

[megalomaniac]

sorry, yes, wintergrazer cereal rye, NOT annual ryegrass.

 

[deerhunter10]

We do this every year. It's not to late. Just drilled our last pasture ran out of rye so put wheat in anyways. You're good to go especially with the weather we have coming.

 

[backyardtndeer]

sorry, yes, wintergrazer cereal rye, NOT annual ryegrass.

Wintergrazer is a great plot product. Think it will do well, even this late.

 

[Ski]

I start sprinkling a bag or two of rye in October and do it a few times ending around Christmas. It never comes in super thick over winter but always has little fresh sprouts of green popping up even when everything else is brown. Then come March/April it explodes.

I don't do it so much for deer food as much as I do it for fawning & turkey brood cover. Deer do eat it but I've never seen them trip over anything else to get to it. But does with fawns love it when it's chest high.

 

[megalomaniac]

My concern is the rye seeds wont get much sunlight after falling to soil level under the fescue blades...

Doubtful it will provide any fawning cover next spring, as the cattle will mow it down once they rotate back into those pastures in January.

 

[TRHC]

My concern is the rye seeds wont get much sunlight after falling to soil level under the fescue blades...

Could you mow the fescue extra short to give the rye some sunlight? It would then be a race with the fescue, but I'd imagine some rye would make it. Cereal rye will supposedly germinate in soil temps way down into the 30s, so you have plenty of time in that regard.

 

[deerhunter10]

My concern is the rye seeds wont get much sunlight after falling to soil level under the fescue blades...

Doubtful it will provide any fawning cover next spring, as the cattle will mow it down once they rotate back into those pastures in January.

We have drilled it into stuff 12 to 18 inch tall and still haven't had an issue we have noticed.

 

[megalomaniac]

Could you mow the fescue extra short to give the rye some sunlight? It would then be a race with the fescue, but I'd imagine some rye would make it. Cereal rye will supposedly germinate in soil temps way down into the 30s, so you have plenty of time in that regard.

Not an option...

The fescue has been stockpiled in essence for the cattle...

so I force him to rotate cattle off these pastures, let them regrow before November... that means he has to start feeding hay earlier in the year as the other pastures get grazed down. But in January after hunting season, he rotates the cattle back on the stockpiled pastures, reducing his hay requirement for that month. So it ends up being a net wash. Even though he has to start feeding hay earlier, his net usage of hay through the winter is unchanged.

 

[Popcorn]

Within these constraints the only way I see to improve these areas would be to heavily salt in crimson clover as soon as the week before the cattle come off.

 

[govols]

I've had great luck with cereal rye and wheat, seems to germinate anywhere you put it. I use a five way blend of those two, red clover, Balansa clover and tillage radish for cover crop. You have to watch it in the spring or it'll get out of hand quick! I just got the last of mine out last week, it'll germinate in two weeks with daytime temps above 50 degrees is what I've seen.