Cereal Grains and cover crops

[dbltree]

May 24th, 2012

I love no-tilling into standing winter rye and have no-tilled plenty of corn and soybeans into rye...perfect setup all the way around! Rye feeds deer all winter and builds up organic matter, scavenges nitrogen, pulls up sub soil nutrients and then....easily killed in the spring and just plant right into it!

I no longer plant either soybeans or corn finding the clover/brassica/cereal grain crops to be more effective and less costly so I no-tilled oats and annual clovers into standing rye that I had overseeded into soybeans in early September last year.

The Great Plains/Land Pride drill easily sliced thru the rye (previously killed with gly)

and despite not a crop of rain since planting, both oats and the berseem/crimson clovers are coming up nicely!

I ran a field cultivator thru one strip to have a comparison

but planting into the killed rye leaves an outstanding mulch of straw that conserves soil moisture

Tiny seedlings...

germinate and are protected from the heat and drying winds

The killed rye is still standing but sunlight can reach the oats and clover

wherever and whenever it is not necessary to add nitrogen in the form of urea (which must be incorporated via tillage or rain) no-tilling is a far better option for our soils

The oats an annual clovers are just temporary cover crops that will provide a summer food source and help build organic matter and nitrogen for the next crops which in this case will be 1/2 the plot in brassicas in mid July and 1/2 in the rye combination in late August....with no rain in sight, we'll see how they do?

 

[goatman]

Looking good Paul!

 

[dbltree]

May 27th, 2012

Earlier in May I shared pics of winter rye and clover that I clipped the rye off but that was before the 15th...a few days later I saw a doe with a fawn which is a reminder NOT to be mowing rye in late may and early June. I have made the mistake of mowing this time of year and killed fawns doing so which soon cured me of late may mowing of any kind of tall grass or rye.

Winter rye grows almost twice the height of wheat making it outstanding cover and bedding and from a cover crop stand point, is very easy to no-till into.

I clipped only some access lanes to check cams and these lanes can become outstanding funnels to locate cams on as well

and beds were everywhere in the rye

The tall thick cover is difficult for predators like coyotes and dogs to hunt as they prefer cover they can see over but the tiny fawns will not move even for a roaring tractor...so after the 15th I either spray or just leave the rye mature and fall on it's own.

Question asked...

if rye is overseeded as a cover crop in corn or soybeans...do I need to mow it the following spring or spray before it gets super tall

The answer is neither... simply no-till the next crop into the standing rye and spray with gly as you normally would, you do not have to kill the rye at a certain height or time. Many people are intimidated by the height of the rye but compare it to the bristles on a broom...a short bristled broom the bristles are stiff and unmoving while long bristles are soft and can be easily bent over....same with rye, it is easily crushed and many organic farmers simply roll it flat and plant into it. Corn and soybeans can be easily no-tilled into 6' tall rye and sprayed at the appropriate time...easy as pie!

I used a clethodim/gly mix on some rye/clover and clethodim only on other areas where I frost seed additional clover and the seedlings would not have been mature enough to handle gly. This pic shows the cleth/gly mix on the left and cleth only on the right...note the rye was 5-6' tall when sprayed

Now...gly kills much faster then clethodim alone so at first look one might think the clethodim did not have an effect on the rye but closer inspection reveals the rye is dying...

and in both cases the clovers are growing happily underneath the towering rye

I use 10-12 ounces of clethodim, 6-8 ounces of 53% glyphosate (use slightly more 41%) and 1 quart crop oil on rye/clover plantings and that combo is deadly to the rye and any other weeds/grasses but safe to the clovers.

If the rye was not planted to thick, no spraying or mowing either one is necessary...

but at higher rates (more then 50#'s per acre) I like to kill the rye to allow the clovers to flourish

Shouldn't we till under the rye while still green if following with a spring ag crop?

The winter rye root systems are the unseen gold mine here so no tillage is needed nor is tillage beneficial to the soil. The upper part of the rye plant will provide a surface mulch to help conserve moisture and stymie erosion and add more OM to the soil surface...so most wise soil stewards will rarely if ever till under rye.

There are times when I use tillage simply because I need to incorporate urea (nitrogen) that is being applied for the next crop but where anhydrous ammonia can be knifed in or ammonium nitrate applied rather then urea, tillage is often not necessary.

Sprayed rye on left...unsprayed on right...

Sprayed with cleth and gly at back and with Panoramic/Plateau (for NWSG) in foreground

Clovers are an integral part of the winter rye mix for whitetails and for the most part I use red clovers for this purpose. Crimson clovers can work but are annuals and go to seed very early and at that point stop fixing nitrogen.

I prefer one cut mammoth red clovers that do not flower til the end of summer...perfect!

The Austrian Winter peas, despite being grazed to the dirt last fall, survived the mild winter and have grown happily right up the rye stems and deer have been enjoying them!

Many are now flowering and will set pods soon...rye and peas are a great combination along with the clover as peas are legumes and also fix nitrogen that can be utilized by the next crop

Planting multiple crops sources within your feeding areas is easily done and in every area we have young oats and annual clovers

growing alongside the winter rye that provides cover and the clover that provides a high protein food source growing under it.

In mid July the rye/red clover will be tilled under and planted to brassicas (tilled so I can incorporate nitrogen) and in late August the oat/annual clover mix will be planted to the rye combination mix to once again continue our perpetual combination of year around food sources and fantastic soil building cover crops...as noted in the following information...

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 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
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 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian Winter 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

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[MBBobby]

I was planning on topping up my winter rye planting late summer with some field peas but can't seem to find small quantities locally (Canada). I did stumble upon a couple free bags of soybeans though, will I get the same affect?

 

[dbltree]

I was planning on topping up my winter rye planting late summer with some field peas but can't seem to find small quantities locally (Canada). I did stumble upon a couple free bags of soybeans though, will I get the same affect?

the only problem with soybeans is that they will freeze off very early otherwise deer will lap them up until then. Field peas are commonly grown in your area so I would keep checking for those as well...

June 2nd, 2012

Many people still struggle with the concept of planting multiple food sources within one field...they are programmed it seems to planting crop A in this field and crop B and that field and then are troubled when they can't plant this or that crop because they need to rotate. ANY sized field can be divided...I have divided a 20X50' waterway into 3 strips allowing for easy rotation AND providing YEAR AROUND FOOD SOURCES at the same time....deer don't leave my place nor any of the landowners for whose habitat I am responsible using this tactic.

This is a small plot surrounded by red cedars yet it has it all! The rye/oats/peas/radish/red clover nix was planted on the left and the brassica mix on the right (now oats and annual clovers)...in July the rye/red clover will be brassicas and in late August the oats and crimson/berseem clovers will be planted to the rye mix again...note also the fruit trees planted down the middle, frosting on the cake!

The Jerry oats are a big hit right now and attract deer now just like they did last fall!

In this field I shredded the rye a few weeks back and the red clover is doing great!

Organic matter (OM) is a huge factor in successfully growing attractive crops that will hold whitetails and soils with 3-5% OM would be outstanding! Many soils however may have 1% and will do poorly especially in dry years, it can take 20 years to add 1% but the alternative is to keep losing what little you do have and continually degrade your soils. This leads to crop failures and if there is no feed in your feeding area...well...that deer won't be there is a no brainer.

The OM produced by the winter rye/red clover mix is incredible!!

The massive rye root systems pulled up sub soil nutrients and both roots and straw create organic matter, red clover can produce up to 2 1/2 tons of biomass per acre and on top of this...up to 130#'s of nitrogen as well...all of this will be tilled under for brassicas in my July...

"Tilled under" is a term I use loosely but because I add urea (46-0-0 nitrogen) to feed the nitrogen hungry brassicas I need to incorporate it by discing or tilling it in. If you have access to ammonium nitrate or urea with urease inhibitors so you can no-till and just broadcast the nitrogen on top...that would be even better!

Depending on the amount of OM already in your soils you may be able to use the clovers alone as a source of nitrogen and one way to check is to leave a test strip where no synthetic nitrogen is added and see how the brassicas do compared to the fertilized portion. In time you may improve your soils to where little or no synthetic fertilizers will be necessary...assuming you use a crop rotation like the following which is chock full of soil building crops that deer absolutely love!

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 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
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 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian 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

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[SWBUCKHNTR]

A true testament to this mix. I planted the rye mix last september and had 0 rain on it until november. I thought it was a waste of time and money. This is what it looked like in sept.

With the mild winter in dec I was back and just had to take a look. Sure enough there were a few sprouts of rye coming up.

I was amazed how it turned out this spring. The rye was coming up great and so was the clover. My wife ended up killing her first turkey out of the plot.

About a month later I headed back to hang some cameras and it was insane how much the rye had grown. The lush green underneath is all clover too!!!:way: Thanks Paul you have another satisfied follower.

And yes I will till up and replace that mineral site before fall.I forgot to mention the berseem and oats are doing great in the new plot too.

 

[6x6]

Dang Matt, that came up great this spring! The same thing happened to my aug. rye mix, as dry as it got here also. Good rain untill the first week of august then barely nothing untill the end of october. The july brassicas and radishes did great though, with enough rain to get started.

 

[dbltree]

Dang Matt, that came up great this spring!

Turned out great! :way:

 

[iowathumper]

Paul can you give us a description on how you plant your winter rye mix, there is a lot of seed there. For the person who has only a broadcast seeder, and tiller?
You also mention that over time with these mixs you will not need as much or any fertilizer down the road. So my question is do you go through the expense of doing soil samples, or just drop your fertilizer levels down after a few years?

 

[dbltree]

Paul can you give us a description on how you plant your winter rye mix, there is a lot of seed there. For the person who has only a broadcast seeder, and tiller?
You also mention that over time with these mixes you will not need as much or any fertilizer down the road. So my question is do you go through the expense of doing soil samples, or just drop your fertilizer levels down after a few years?

I till in fertilizers and lime, broadcast large seeds (with either bag seeder or 3 pt spreader), cultipack, spread small seeds (radish and clover seeds) and re-pack. I build up P&K levels and then soil test to see if I am maintaining them but nitrogen does not stay in the soil and must be replenished yearly either with synthetic nitrogen or thru legume cover crops. How much you clovers (N) produce is highly variable depending on the amount of organic matter and overall health of your soils. Best bet is to do some test strips where no added nitrogen is applied and compare to the rest of the area where urea is added and see how they do. It takes time to build most soils to a point where little or no fertilizers may be needed but I know many organic farmers who are doing just that with very similar crop rotations.

June 9th, 2012

Building an maintaining organic matter is something most landowners either no little about or ignore as they focus solely on planting what they think will be the most attractive to whitetails. Too often this comes back to haunt them when they have a weather related crop failure and/or they cannot produce enough yield to deed the whitetails on their property.

Regardless if the soils are sand or clay, either without reasonable levels of OM will often be very unproductive and most farms purchased for the purpose of managing for whitetails often have fields with very poor soils. In most cases the best soils are being farmed, leaving some some "clay knob" or "sand pit" to be used for a feeding area, but even soils of fair quality can be quickly degraded without the use of cover crops and crop rotations that at the very least maintain OM and if done correctly can build it over a period of years.

Here is an example of woodland soils with very low OM, where the ground was abused by poor farming and grazing practices for decades before the landowner purchased it. Now, we are challenged with trying to establish clover there but as you can see, thanks to extremely dry weather...we can barely get oats to grow there!

Surprisingly, berseem clover has done the best under these difficult conditions

with far less crimson and almost no white clover surviving

This fall we will re-plant the winter rye combination and hope for fall rains but if like last fall..rye will be the only survivor. In contrast however, fields with even a little OM (1.5 %) where the same oats and annual clovers were planted are doing very well despite only .200 of rain since the first of May.

The berseem and crimson clovers are doing well

and will provide a source of OM and nitrogen when tilled under in late August for a rotation to the rye combination mix.

The oats are heading out and we will mow/shred those ahead of planting the rye to give us some free oat seed for our mix.

Urea prices have jump about $5 a bag here, making it even more cost effective to "grow" our own nitrogen with legumes like the annual berseem and crimson clovers, the fact that they also add a great deal of biomass to the soils is just frosting on the cake.

Remember, that the oat and annual clovers in the last pics were brassicas last year, which we tilled under this spring...the oat/clover mix is a temporary food source and cover crop to both feed deer and build soils this summer, after which we will till it under and rotate to the rye mix listed below....keep your soils working double duty by sticking with crops that feed deer and your soil at the same time... :way:

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 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
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 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian 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

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[MR56]

no till brassicas?

Dbltree Quote:"Tilled under" is a term I use loosely but because I add urea (46-0-0 nitrogen) to feed the nitrogen hungry brassicas I need to incorporate it by discing or tilling it in. If you have access to ammonium nitrate or urea with urease inhibitors so you can no-till and just broadcast the nitrogen on top...that would be even better!

So is 'no-tilling' brassicas anything more than broadcasting the small seed into gly killed berseem? We could run the cultipacker over it?

The gly application should not affect the seed at all? Even if I spray and plant in the same day?

Should we be concerned about the broadcast nitrogen 'burning' the broadcast brassica seed on the soil surface?

And then getting back to Iowathumpers question about how you plant the rye mix that is indeed allot of seed, will that volume of large seeds go thru the average grain drill in one pass?

I do like your rotations, Dbltree, thanks for sharing.

 

[corygnc]

Anyone bush-hog/disk rye in late August to reseed plot?

I have a couple hidden food plots that I like to leave in Paul's rye/oats/pea blend for a few years and this year I was thinking of bush hogging the rye and lightly disking the seeds in to keep it simple and not have to drag my drill to the plots.

The plots looks thick and clean and great now but will probably have a few weeds in them in the middle of August.

Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts on this?

What gave me the idea was the farmer that I have in Kansas had a bad hail storm a few years ago and he combined and then disked his field in late August and then had a ton of rain and never did plant his wheat back but had such a good stand that he let it go and it was awesome wheat.

Thanks for any ideas.
Cory

 

[dbltree]

So is 'no-tilling' brassicas anything more than broadcasting the small seed into gly killed berseem? We could run the cultipacker over it?

The gly application should not affect the seed at all? Even if I spray and plant in the same day?

Should we be concerned about the broadcast nitrogen 'burning' the broadcast brassica seed on the soil surface?

And then getting back to Iowathumpers question about how you plant the rye mix that is indeed allot of seed, will that volume of large seeds go thru the average grain drill in one pass?

Broadcasting brassica seed on an untilled surface can work only if you get plenty of rain to germinate the seed, then continued rain to allow it to take root. This is far riskier then using a no-till drill that actually cuts thru the trash and deposits the seed into the soil and then covers it.

So while it can work just fine, you understand it may not work at all without plenty of rain. Glyphosate must be applied to the leaves of growing, live plants so it has zero effect on seeds or dormant plants.

Urea must be incorporated within 24 hours by a minimum of a 1/2" of rain or by tillage so you see there are a LOT of things going against you right from the get go...and for that reason I conventionally till in urea and then plant/cover the seed.

I was thinking of bush hogging the rye and lightly disking the seeds in to keep it simple and not have to drag my drill to the plots.

Your idea can work Cory but there is one significant point you are not seeing, wheat matures much later then rye as does oats...so here is what usually happens.

The rye will mature very soon, the straw/stalks will fall to the ground, rains will fall and the seed will germinate and...die...long long before late August.

Now...if the seed gets zero rainfall and it does not germinate then your plan would work perfectly so if I were you I would check the condition of the seed in mid August, see if the seed is dry and intact in the hulls on the straw...or if they have germinated?

if intact, I would mow/shred the straw to break up the seed heads and scatter the seed before discing and then it should re-sprout and you'll have a new crop without using your drill. Like the brassica scenario above there are lots of variables that can cause failure so I always use fresh seed and start from scratch, plus I always rotate crops to do everything I can to lower the odds of failure but keep us posted on how this works out for you....:way:

 

[dbltree]

June 13th, 2012

I happened to be up on a hill with the tractor recently and wished I had a better camera with me because a 3 acre patch of standing winter rye came alive with deer that were bedding in it as I approached. I planted and left standing, this rye to help control a severe erosion problem so it is not a feeding area but adjacent to it I no-tilled oats into killed rye and they are happily feeding on the oats and bedding in the rye.

In all other area the rye and clover provide both cover and feed in one package

They are feeding heavily on the clovers that are doing well despite a drought that is reaching the critical stage

There is nothing easier! Plant the clovers with the rye/oats/peas package in the fall and feed deer from then until it's tilled under for brassicas the next summer!

of course the white clover edges and areas will remain as such and help insure that our feeding areas are never, ever without a food source!

Change is sometimes hard...I know, been there done that, but changing to the following crop rotation/combination and providing year around food sources has been one of the most rewarding and successful changes I have ever made in my habitat program.... :way:

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 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
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 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian 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

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[jmm46]

dbltree<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_476031", true); </SCRIPT> ,
after I broadcasted oats, I ran the tiller over it slightly to cover seed, then I broadcasted clover and chicory. The clover and Chicory are sprouting all over the place, however I don't see any oats coming up. Is it possible I covered the oats too much?? I planted 4 days ago...so maybe it just hasn't sproated yet...just curious since the clover and chicory are already up.

 

[dbltree]

dbltree<script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("postmenu_476031", true); </script> ,
after I broadcasted oats, I ran the tiller over it slightly to cover seed, then I broadcasted clover and chicory. The clover and Chicory are sprouting all over the place, however I don't see any oats coming up. Is it possible I covered the oats too much?? I planted 4 days ago...so maybe it just hasn't sprouted yet...just curious since the clover and chicory are already up.

Germination time is about the same for both but the oats have a lot farther to go to reach the surface! Oats should be in the one inch depth range and clovers in the 1/4" range but even if the oats are a couple inches deep they should still come up just fine. Give them 7-10 days (assuming they got rain) and see what happens...

 

[jmm46]

they got plenty of rain...it's been good up here is SE MN foodplot wise

 

[dbltree]

June 20th 2012

Notill oats and clovers...pic taken before rain....

The dry weather was tough on the little clovers...there but small but deer have been hammering the Jerry oats!

In another field..conventional till/plant

Same oats...different deer...same outcome!

Crimson and berseem clovers did better here

and deer are grazing them heavily

on yet another farm where the three way rotation is already under way

oat and annual clover mix on slightly better soils doing fantastic

berseem and crimson growing well

Crimson flower

Berseem flower

I recommend 50#'s of oats for the oat/clover mix to follow the dead brassicas in which case the clovers should flourish

but why not plant heavier? This is a comparison where I purposely doubled the rate of oats to show why 50#'s works better...heavier oats on the right

The oats planted at the higher rate are so thick they suffocate the clovers

but at 50#'s they provide an early food source, cover for the young clover seedlings but not overpowering or suffocating

Use caution then not to sow oats to heavily in the spring, in the fall they will freeze out so it's not a concern but in spring plantings keep the rate to around 50#'s per acre

Clovers of all kinds abound in our feeding areas and red clover planted with winter rye last fall will be tilled under in a dew weeks to plant brassicas...what a great soil building combo, rye and red clover! Tons of biomass and between the two food sources they fed deer from September until we till them under in July!

White clover is the perennial element...it feeds deer from early April until well after the new year, the gift that keeps on giving!

Our feeding areas are never "dirt plots"...deer have feed every single day of the year and ALL of our crops are planted in each feeding area which soon adapts deer to always coming to that one place. The use of clovers significantly lowers the need for expensive nitrogen and crops like rye and radish pull up subsoil nutrients making the following crop combination/rotation a win win for whitetail managers across the country....

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 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
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 60#'s oats and 12-15#'s berseem clover and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian 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

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year

 

[vrod]

When I plant the cereal grain combo into my oat/berseem tilled field,do I still plant the same recommended oats as per your guide? Or will the extra oat seed just be a bonus?

 

[hornhntr]

Dbltree

I sometimes rotate between brassica and soybeans in some of my fields instead of the rye/clover mix, you see any problem with this? I always have some white clover somewhere nearby but I really like fields of brassica and soybeans side by side during the rut and then in shotgun season. I has been a killer combo for me.