Food Plots Trying a new biomass seed blend

[tellico4x4]

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.

 

[megalomaniac]

Sounds real good! How much per acre? I suppose the forage beans and cowpeas are the high$$$ components

 

[tellico4x4]

$50

 

[bigtex]

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.

 

[Popcorn]

Nice blend. You will like that Sudan-sorghum.

 

[wildlifefarmer]

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.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Sounds like a great blend. I wish that seed company was closer to me.

 

[tellico4x4]

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.

Whacked 80% of my clover as well. Gonna be a busy fall re-doing them

 

[wildlifefarmer]

Whacked 80% of my clover as well. Gonna be a busy fall re-doing them

No kidding busy!! Thank goodness I just this winter picked up a cabbed tractor. This old fart was tired of getting diaper rash planting in hot/humid August/September.

 

[tellico4x4]

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

 

[JCDEERMAN]

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

 

[tellico4x4]

Be glad to help you with them anytime, friends for 30+ years. Take you out to lunch,beer or both if you come down.Lots of nursery guys from Warren Co do business with them.

 

[tellico4x4]

Crimped it all Friday 5/19. We shall see

Did you get crimper from Savannah?

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Did you get crimper from Savannah?

We did! Got the text the crimper was ready thursday and he delivered it Friday morning at 7am.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Be glad to help you with them anytime, friends for 30+ years. Take you out to lunch,beer or both if you come down.Lots of nursery guys from Warren Co do business with them.

Thank you, sir!

 

[Popcorn]

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!

 

[JCDEERMAN]

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]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Popcorn]

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.

I like to drill into blends containing sun hemp late august while it's in bloom and still growing. Our no till parts the stalks and plants right thru it breaking a lot over as I go. Plot looks pretty ragged afterwords but it works well.

 

[Popcorn]

Both sun hemp and hairy vetch are pollinator magnets as well!

 

[BSK]

I like to drill into blends containing sun hemp late august while it's in bloom and still growing. Our no till parts the stalks and plants right thru it breaking a lot over as I go. Plot looks pretty ragged afterwords but it works well.

That would be the way to do it.