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I wear First Lite furnace base layers(bottoms next to skin, some type of light baselayer underneath furnace top). If you sweat easily, wear a synthetic top under furnace. Next layer is fanatic hoody (could substitute First Lite origin jacket) nice to have built in face mask and hood that doesn't...

I would start with the removal of cool season grasses and invasives., maybe run a fire through it if you can. If you have the desired oak species nearby, they will start popping up everywhere. Introduce the species you want through seedlings or even mass plantings of acorn (I prefer the latter)...

I would recommend having an attorney draft a lease. As an attorney myself, that may seem like somewhat self-interested advice, but there are many provisions/restrictions/clauses that need to be considered. By having an attorney draft your lease you are also getting the added benefit of the...

I wholeheartedly agree with the notion that traditional QDM practices pushes doe harvest way too broadly, at least on highly productive midwest farms. On my farm in west central Illinois at least half the does are without fawn and those with a fawn typically have only one fawn. I can only assume...

My vote is not to mix clover with alfalfa, certainly can, but clover likes to out-compete alfalfa over time, at least white clover. I fall seeded my alfalfa without a nurse crop but did blend with chicory. Very happy with results. Alfalfa has its own allelopathic properties so I wouldn't be...

I prioritize my trees as follows (My property is in west central Illinois and timber value really isn't a consideration for me.) High value to Low value: White Oak, Swamp White Oak, Bur Oak, Persimmon, Pin Oak, Mulberry, Red Oak, Black Oak, Cherry, Shingle Oak, Hedge, Sycamore, Elm, Hickory...

Underrated tree IMO when you factor in browse preference, growth rate, and the fact that they also produce fruit. I dislike that most of what we typically get is the non-native version, but on my farm they are heavily browsed. Their fruit is incredibly attractive to turkey and other species as...

Bottom right appears to be a bur oak, but could be a swamp white. Sometimes the lower leaves look a lot different than mature upper leaves, but the deep lobes scream "bur." Other two are either red or black imo.

My tenant farmer plants me one acre of either soybeans or corn each year which I leave "standing" for the hunting season. I like to overseed this area with all my leftover seed that won't have a detrimental effect on the following year's crop. I tend to avoid cereal rye going into beans that...

I planted my brassicas the last weekend of August in 2021 and they turned out great, will do so again this year. My blend consists mostly of varieties that have 60 day maturity dates. Plants like pasja hybrid and t-raptor grow extremely fast. However, deer on my place seem to favor radish (which...

You are on the right track. Have to you use herbicide with black locust. Be careful with translocation to nearby "good" trees if using something like Tordon. I have used the Craig Harper cocktail with good results and no translocation. Right now is actually a great time to foliar spray your...

My Experience with Alfalfa (Comprehensive) I think I'm in a position to answer my own question at this point (I don't mind talking to myself as it is). I planted equal parts multi-leaf and grazer varieties of alfalfa from Welters, per Welters recommendation for food plot purposes, on August 28...

With fall food plotting on the horizon I thought it might be a nice time for an update and some quick takeaways. Stand Work and Strategic Placement I try to hang stands in the off season but never seem to get around to it. I have a couple stands that are in such ideal locations that I don't...

Always a difficult decision on when to plant. I'm in the Bassattackr camp. Plant by date and hope for rain and good weather. Sometimes the worst scenario is an immediate rain on previously dry soil that allows the seed to germinate followed by hot and dry conditions. I typically follow the...

I frost seeded a blend of Renovation, Stamina, Aberlasting, Jumbo Ladino, and Alice White this spring. I'm very happy thus far.

I bought a 25 gallon from sprayer specialties, still going strong and I am hard on it. I highly recommend them. I think I bought mine for less than $500.00 a few years back but that was without shipping, I believe they have locations in Illinois and Iowa and possibly Kansas. I have a three...

Mowing Wondering when you alfalfa growers mow your alfalfa plots? I was hoping to let mine flower for pollinator purposes but maybe I shouldn't let it get that tall since I'm using a "regular type" of mower. The weevils seem to be doing quite a bit of the mowing for me currently.

I like to spray my perennial plots this time of year for grasses. I hit them with clethodim, 8-16 ounces per acre with non-ionic surfactant and AMS. There is some information out there that suggests AMS and regular crop oil might be hard on clover, so I use about 60% rate on AMS, probably not...

Need some details on that 150' bridge. I have a 60 foot span I would love to cross on foot. The creek it spans often jumps its banks and would destroy anything to close to surface.

Herbicides and Spraying I spent an entire day spraying fescue and reed canary grass. Besides a flat tire and a surprise raccoon in a trap I didn't "unset," the day went well, here is my set up and strategy: I use a 250 gallon water tank and a 25 gallon ATV sprayer (my 80 gallon sprayer came in...