Food plots

[roddyo]

One Other Thing

Thats good for you steve, and whenever I have a question about landscaping, I will know who to ask.

If anyone has any questions about the correct way to farm just ask me.

What most people overlook is the root system of a plant. This can rival the organic matter of the part of the plant that we see. When you factor in the roots and ash we may lose less than 50% of the organic matter by burning.

If you are on the cutting edge you need to grid sample your food plots using GPS and apply your Lime/Fertilize with a varible rate buggy.:notworthy

 

[stumpjumper83]

You know what causes compaction... Bambi, the very animal you are creating the plot for. A 200lb. whitetail has about 1sq. foot of contact area if they are standing on all four feet. That makes for 16.67 psi, and 33.34 if they are walking with only two feet on the ground at once. If a 1200 pound cow had a 4x6" hoof, they still wouldn't equal a deer. Thats because the deer has a smaller foot compared to a cow.

The same thing aplies to heavy equipment. If sheer weight did it, there would be no need to run a roller in a fill area, if there was a d-8 doing the pushing.

I don't think compaction was the issue with your field problems. It could have added to your low yeilds, but were not the sole source. A better chance is that when they replaced the stripped topsoil, some subsoil or deep topsoil found its way to the surface which didnt have the proper ph or nutrients. The only way to can fairly blame it on compaction is if you have both soil and compaction reports both before an after.

As for dozers in in field, it wasnt too long ago that they were the main tool for pulling tillage tools. Tracks slip less and 4x4 was not ultra common so you hitch the plows or disk to a crawler and did it that way. Probably 50% of the tillage was done by track machines up until the 80's when 4x4 became a standard issue.

As for burning in farming it is and was a means of contolling weeds. Some organic farmers do it today becase they cant use roundup and other chemicals. The reason the rest of us stopped burning is becasue of liability, and because roundup is cheap.

Were are not saying your wrong for what you are doing deere, we are simply explaining why we do what we do.

 

[bigblueox]

i like the hay buster no-till drill

 

[KMB83]

9670, maybe i can get a peep out of you... I'm a farmer in illinois. why does that tractor in your picture have tracks? its a recent developement in farming (last 10years or so), tracked equipment. big deal for those who don't do deep tillage (strip or no-till) because they cant break the ground up in the fall. so the equipment companies came up with reducing ground pressure by moving to tracks. where are you at in illinois anyway and what college you going too? i'm from around springfield, went to u of i. go ask one of the ag mech prof what they think. bring an open mind.

 

[KMB83]

roddyo - about this fertilization topic. i'm thinking corn/soybeans because that is what i know. the Natural Resource & Conservation Service has a really handy website http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm that if you can find your location (think google earth) will give you the details of your soil. without a soil test.

now, onto burning. you wont burn up limestone. you wont drastically alter the nutrient level of your soil. the stuff on top burning does provide humus, but the plants from 10,000 years ago are broken down and bonded to the soil, same for N,P,K. Deere is right on some of the burning issue, if this is slopped ground and you burn the ground cover it will erode, thats bad. yes N can denitrify either by bacteria, leaching, or plant uptake. 50degrees is the rule of thumb for when the bacteria start to convert the N into forms that disappear. as far as am concerned you shouldn't need to fertilize, even corn, corn without nitrogen, or any other nutrient can make 50-75bu/ac in mediocre soils, your feeding animals, not trying to win the national corn growers contest.

I work at a seed corn facility, the DNR picks up "burn seed corn" that is basically poor quality/old. that is what they plant, they plant 1,000's of acres of food plots, don't get carried away spending $$ on fancy frills.

my 2 cents

 

[roddyo]

Farmers and Fire

9670, maybe i can get a peep out of you... I'm a farmer in illinois. why does that tractor in your picture have tracks? its a recent developement in farming (last 10years or so), tracked equipment. big deal for those who don't do deep tillage (strip or no-till) because they cant break the ground up in the fall. so the equipment companies came up with reducing ground pressure by moving to tracks. where are you at in illinois anyway and what college you going too? i'm from around springfield, went to u of i. go ask one of the ag mech prof what they think. bring an open mind.

I was down in the bottoms yesterday on a friend of mine where I park my equipment when working down there. I was about half way through a field when I realized it had been burned. I had to laugh.:bash I will get some pictures up in a few days.:cool2

 

[roddyo]

Burning on Sloped Soils

roddyo - about this fertilization topic. i'm thinking corn/soybeans because that is what i know. the Natural Resource & Conservation Service has a really handy website http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm that if you can find your location (think google earth) will give you the details of your soil. without a soil test.

now, onto burning. you wont burn up limestone. you wont drastically alter the nutrient level of your soil. the stuff on top burning does provide humus, but the plants from 10,000 years ago are broken down and bonded to the soil, same for N,P,K. Deere is right on some of the burning issue, if this is slopped ground and you burn the ground cover it will erode, thats bad. yes N can denitrify either by bacteria, leaching, or plant uptake. 50degrees is the rule of thumb for when the bacteria start to convert the N into forms that disappear. as far as am concerned you shouldn't need to fertilize, even corn, corn without nitrogen, or any other nutrient can make 50-75bu/ac in mediocre soils, your feeding animals, not trying to win the national corn growers contest.

I work at a seed corn facility, the DNR picks up "burn seed corn" that is basically poor quality/old. that is what they plant, they plant 1,000's of acres of food plots, don't get carried away spending $$ on fancy frills.

my 2 cents

If you are not able to no till the idea of burning on steeper slopes is to Keep What little topsoil that's there. If you get a stand in a week you have the new plant to hold the ground together. The idea of burning, sowing on top of the ground and dragging with a good harrow is almost a fool proof way to get a stand of Wheat, Clover or Turnips. And if you get a big rain you only have 1/4 inch or so of disturbed soil VS. 4 or 5 inches if you had worked it up with a disc and tried to save all the fowlness.


You are right about trying to make 300 Bu. Corn in a food plot. I have said over and over to forget about farming in these food plots. The bigger the plant gets the tougher the stalk is. That's why I had rather have 6 inch wheat that is Tender than deer standing in 12 inch wheat trying to nibble the end of the leaves.



Funny you said that about the soil survey, I've got one for Reeves County Texas on my book case. My partner and I were going to buy some land down there. The first thing I done when I walked out of the ASCS Office was go next door to the Soil Conservation Office and pick one up. Top Notch Advice.:notworthy

 

[KMB83]

the soil survey is a pretty powerful tool. that and buying good dirt fixes a LOT of issues.

pretty amazing to me that 100+years ago folks with survey chains and soil taxonomy charts made soil maps, and laid out the ground. that was some undertaking, especially when you think that the ground wasnt cleared/settled on. and how accurate they are.

also fascinating to me that in these parts if there are trees standing on it, even if it looks flat and uniform, there is a reason. you clear those trees off and it is either: too low (i live in a river bottom), or the ground is sandy enough that you cant grow anything.

its all good

 

[Bu1cko]

What is the reasoning for plowing in the fall and not plowing in the spring or if i want to plant cool season stuff in August

 

[Turbo21835]

Plowing in fall is done around here for a primary reason. It helps catch water, and get it into the subsoil region. Also, being most of the farm land around here is on a heavy clay soil, they plow in the fall. The freeze thaw cycle we experience over the winter helps break those big clumps of soil into fine soil. This means less tillage passes in the spring to make a good seed bed. Combined with rolling your organic materials into the soil, allowing them to decompose, and add to your topsoil

 

[iron kid]

food plots should be in a X patern so the buck has to check four corner for a hot doe. keeps him on your land longer wich gives u a better chance at him just a thought

 

[souliog]

You can convert sandy soils into good soil over time. Grow buckwheat and tilling in after it reaches 12" and repeat. A manure spreader will speed up the process too. Don't forget to get your Ph over 6.0!

 

[roddyo]

Welcome to the Forum souliog!!!!

You can convert sandy soils into good soil over time. Grow buckwheat and tilling in after it reaches 12" and repeat. A manure spreader will speed up the process too. Don't forget to get your Ph over 6.0!

Welcome to the Forum souliog!!!!

If you let the Buckwheat Mature it will also grind up for a nice bread.

Or so I'm Told.

 

[souliog]

I've gotten hooked on clearing more land for food plots and that is how I found this site. Great knowledge so far.

 

[stumpjumper83]

Souliog, how are you clearing the land?

 

[souliog]

stumpjumper-right now I do it the hard way. I have no equipment besides a quad. I am looking at buying small track loader. I'm very close to buying a Case 350 that needs a little tlc for $3000. Any suggestions??

 

[stumpjumper83]

well soul, we have simular plans. I purchased a deere 450c for simular purposes. Does the one your looking at have a 4n1, thats one thing i wish i had.

 

[souliog]

no, but you can find a used Drott 4 in 1 bucket for a good price. I saw one for sale for $500 with cylinders and plumbing.http://www.pdmechanical.com/details.asp?key=15691

 

[Dane]

at zep farms we just disc and drag until late july, then broadcast seed by hand. we are planting turips, rutabagies, rape, sunflowers, corn, soy beans. our turips and rutabagies are doing so well we have more then the deer can eat, so we are marketing to local restruants and farmers markets. it is surprizing how many people around here have never herd of turnips, or how to cook them.

 

[roddyo]

Food Plot Pics

Here's some food plot pics from one of my customers hunting ground.

This place is part of my yearly food plot circuit.

Both of these deer was killed from the same stand on opening morning. The one in the Picture BTW.

These are pretty good Randolph County Hill deer. The one on the left is a normal "good" deer. The one on the right is pretty wide for this area. Closer to the row crop ground is where the monsters are around here. The area where these deer were killed is just pretty well "holding the world together".