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best food plot crop for southern Iowa

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My uncle is looking into doing 3-4 food plots next year as we have 390 acres of timber at the cabin with most of it timber with perfect open areas for a food plot near river bottoms. what would be the best food plot to plant that isn't a ton of maintenance and good for bow season?
 
Clover, but it does need to be mowed a couple times per year. Doubletrees fall mixes can't be beat. Variety is always best:way:
 
Remember clover will need mowed as needed. I'm a big fan of Doubletree's rotation below!!!


Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice, Kopu II, Durana (or comparable) white clover 10% of plot, sow at 6#'s per acre with the rye combination in the fall or in the spring with oats and berseem clover. Correct Ph and P&K with soil tests

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 2.5#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2.5#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Follow the dead brassicas with oats and berseem or crimson clover in mid spring at 50#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover an/or same of crimson clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)
Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...I use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all plant in half of each feeding area

I use 50#'s each of the following:

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 50-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Frostmaster Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre

Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28 but for best results soil test and add only what is necessary.

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year"
 
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Our deer walk right through our clover and feed in our buck forage oats and triticale every night we don't know if we'll worry about planting as much clover anymore.
 
chipterp said:
Our deer walk right through our clover and feed in our buck forage oats and triticale every night we don't know if we'll worry about planting as much clover anymore.
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Clover seems to be very good spring/summer and late season food for them. In the fall they seem to prefer food sources that weren't available all year like clover was.
 
Depends on the season, I still think brassica is as good as anything and great during Nov and Dec
 
Used to plant Tecomate Max Attract 50/50 and my deer used to burn it up. I had deer eating it from the time it sprouted into the next spring. Good stuff!
 
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