Food Plots Trying a new biomass seed blend

tellico4x4

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Have a few new plots that we made last year from loading decks. Hit with ag lime as soon as they were cleaned up. Text my seed guy about doing me a mix & said he was in process of mixing of a big batch for another customer. It's got buckwheat, cow peas, forage beans, millet & BMR sorghum (cow conditioner). Had to Google the BMR and it's a hybrid from forage sorghum & Sudangrass . Sounded good to me so gonna give it a try.
 

bigtex

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That sounds like a good mix.
I was planning on sowing Buckwheat and Cow peas in my Summer plots but I may add to the mix now.
 

wildlifefarmer

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This past year drought got my 6 acres of clover fire breaks. Waited to see if anything grows and not much did. Will spray and plant s beans, cowpeas, buckwheat and sunflowers. I'm fall will sow mix clover n wheat.
 

tellico4x4

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Here's what the final product looks like. Ditched the soybeans & added sun hemp. $35/acre
 

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JCDEERMAN

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Here's what the final product looks like. Ditched the soybeans & added sun hemp. $35/acre
I really wish that place was closer. Probably wouldn't be too bad of a drive for me, but still. We drilled in a mix last weekend 5/13 of mostly soybeans, with a mix of buckwheat, sorghum and sunn hemp. Crimped it all Friday 5/19. We shall see
 

JCDEERMAN

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Hey!
For the best crimp mat you can get add some hairy vetch to your fall seed blend!
That stuff will take the rye to the ground and mat like a good rug, plus it's a legume
Looking good by the way!
I've heard that was really good to add to a blend. Do you know what the preference level for deer/turkeys/or wildlife in general is?
 

Popcorn

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I never see much evidence of browse on vetch. I have used it for its legume value for years always as a part of a blend but when we first started crimping crops I saw a patch of it had spread out in the rye and the was very pleased to see it mat so well even in the rye, it stayed matted very well. I just consider it a soil builder and keep its participation at a low rate like 5 to 8 lb per acre. I also like that it is a cool season species and does not have to be sprayed to control it in my summer planted crops
 

BSK

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I never see much evidence of browse on vetch. I have used it for its legume value for years always as a part of a blend but when we first started crimping crops I saw a patch of it had spread out in the rye and the was very pleased to see it mat so well even in the rye, it stayed matted very well. I just consider it a soil builder and keep its participation at a low rate like 5 to 8 lb per acre. I also like that it is a cool season species and does not have to be sprayed to control it in my summer planted crops
This. I have planted Hairy Vetch a couple of times and saw no indication deer were eating it. But it can grow to be a big bushy plant! Lots of biomass to add to the soil.
 

BSK

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Kind of like Sunn Hemp. I have video of deer eating the tops out of the plants when they are 2-3 feet tall, but the browse pressure was not significant. However, Sunn Hemp produces a massive amount of biomass for the soil. Just DON'T plan on tilling that plot for a couple of years! I would bushhog it or crimp it and then plant with a drill, and I would make sure I knocked down the Sunn Hemp in the exact same direction I planned on running the drill. The Sunn Hemp stalks are so stiff I'm not sure they would let a drill get into the ground if you tried to run the drill perpendicular to how the plants are lying.
 

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