(716) 895-7333 www.preferredseed.com

Food Plot Agronomy 101

Installation and Management

Garrett Coleman, CCA

Forage Agronomist

The Goal

• Grow bigger bucks and keep them in your hunting area– Feed Quality– Feed Throughout the year

• Create a nutritious, DESIREABLE food Source

What we will Discuss

• What species

• Soil Testing

• Tilling, Fertilizing, and Planting

• What you need to plant a plot

• Management

Forage Production

Species Selection• Spring Seeding Perennial (April and May)

– Clover, Alfalfa, Chicory, Cool Season Grasses, Oats

• Summer Seeding (July to August 15th)– Brassicas, Clover, Alfalfa, Chicory, Cool

Season Grasses, Buckwheat

• Fall Seeding (August 15 – October 10th)– Winter Rye and Winter Wheat

Mixes work best

• Diversity mixes improve performance across area– However mix compatible species– Example:

• Brassicas with slow growing perennials don’t mix.

• Consider weed control– Grasses in a broadleaf mix and vise-versa

Location, Location, Location

• Clear Cut areas

• Old Hay Fields

• Logging Roads

• Pond banks

• Don’t be afraid to try something

Remember Sun, Sun, Sun

Agronomic Considerations

Soil Type and Texture

• Web Soil Survey– http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/Home

Page.htm

• Soil Testing

Soils

Soils

Soil Sampling

• Sample to your tillage depth (go to 6 inches) if you don’t know.

• Minimum of 30 cores per sample submitted or 10 cores/acre

• Mix cores in a bucket• Air dry them and send

into the lab

Soil Sample Results

• Soil pH– Lime Recommendation

• Fertilizer Recommendation– N-P-K– N = Protein

• Feeding the soil will feed the deer

Sample Kits available

In the field testing

• Cornell Soil pH test Kit

– Available at your local extension office $12.50 each

– Will quickly give you a liming recommendation

• No fertilizer recommendation

Soil pH is the most important

• High precipitation leaches Ca and Mg leaving Acidic soils in NY– Some exceptions of high pH soils in NY

• Low pH ties up nutrients, particularly Phosphorus and Micro Nutrients

• Want to maintain our plot pH at 6.5 to 7.0

• Requires consistent liming in to maintain

• Legumes require high pH for N fixation

Liming

• Virgin soil will require more lime than you can apply in one season– Apply a maximum of 2 tons/acre per application– Patience, will require multiple years of

application

• Recommendations based on 100 ENV– Equivalent Neutralizing Value

Application Rate

• Soil Test Recommends 2 tons/acre of 100% ENV lime

• The feed mill has 83% ENV lime available

• Divide 100 / available lime ENV– 100/83 = 1.2

• Multiply 1.2 X 2 tons/ac = 2.4 tons/acre

Apply 2.4 tons/acre of the 83% ENV lime

Lime Types

• Ag Lime traditional, has to have an ENV number– ENV takes into account Fineness (affects

reaction time) and Purity

• Pelletized lime – finer ground reacts more quickly, (not more potent)– Easier to spread with small equipment– More Expensive

Understanding Fertilizer

• Nitrogen – Phosphate – Potash– Triple 19 19-19-19– % in mix, so if you put 100 lbs/acre of Triple

19 you put down 19 lbs of Nitrogen, 19 lbs of Phosphate, and 19 lbs of Potash

– Most situations on virgin ground apply 200 to 500 lbs per acre of balanced fertilizer

• Don’t worry about being off a few lbs of one nutrient or the other

Understanding Fertilizer

• Avoid putting N on Legumes– Stimulates weeds

• Spread fertilizer and weeds at a half rate in two directions for even coverage

Planting Prep

• Weed Control – Start early– Will require multiple

applications– Spring Apply Early May then

again in June– Ready for Summer Annual

planting– Wait 3 days after spraying

before tilling

Weed Control

• Perennial weeds are easiest to kill in the fall when sinking root reserves– Spray mid September

with a mix of Glyphosate and 2,4 – D

• 2,4-D can’t plant broadleaf crops into it for at least 8 weeks so don’t use in the spring

– Spring will require two apps.

Soil Prep

• Seed to Soil Contact• Not rocket science

– Use what you have– Old disc or drags, tow with your truck or

garden tractor– Spin Spreader– Roller– Micro Plots use hand tools

• Rake up debris loosen the top soil

Soil Prep

• Goal– Smooth level seed bed

• Consider working in two directions– 45º angles

• Add leveling boards or chains last pass

Soil Prep

• Firm your seed bed

• Burying seed to deep is the biggest reason for failure

Micro Plots

• Done with hand tools– Sprayer– Hand Rake– Spreader– Chain Saw

• Make Sure you have sunlight– Brassicas don’t like shade– Oats, Rye, and some clover or chicory can

handle slight shade

Planting Seed

• Be careful using “Till and Plant Equipment”– Often bury seed

• Broadcasting can work well

• Drills can work well but understand how to set them up

Seeding Depths and Rates

• Check our chart

• The smaller the seed the shallower it should be planted

• Alfalfa, Clover, Chicory, Grass Seed ¼” deep

• Small Grains Rye, Wheat, Oats, Peas ¾”

• Brassicas ¼” – ½” deep

Big Buck Clover Mix

• 45% Jumbo Ladino Clover

• 25% Duration EXTRA Red Clover

• 20% Ivory 2 White Clover

• 10% Oasis Forage Chicory

Palatable perennial mix, keep the pH up and top dress with 0-10-40 or similar

Summer, Fall, & Winter Forage Feast

• 40% Dwarf Essex Forage Rape• 15% Hobson Forage Rape• 15% Bonar Forage Rape• 12% Improved Forage Kale• 9% Appin Turnip• 9% Pasja Hybrid Brassica

Excellent for a kill plot, annual seed mid to late summer most popular mix, graze tops dig bottoms

Wildlife Meadow Mix

• 30% Jumbo Ladino Clover• 30% Medium Red Clover• 15% Alsike Clover• 10% Creeping Red Fescue• 10% Duo Festulolium• 5% Crown Royale Orchardgrass

• Good for poorer soils and cover as well as feed. Can handle partial shade.