Cereal Grains and cover crops

[dbltree]

July 2nd, 2013

The winter rye has done it's job both as a cover crop and for fawning habitat and sprayed with clethodim and a small dose of gly in early June, it is dry and easily shredded with almost any mower. In our case a batwing Frontier makes short work of it but even a Swisher type will work once killed and dried down.



The shredded straw adds to the surface biomass but it is the 400 miles of rye root systems that help increase soil organic matter as well as hold moisture and subsoil nutrients



Having been sprayed with clethodim and glyphosate, the clovers (planted with the rye last fall) are thriving



In this case both white and red clovers are keeping deer fed and fixing nitrogen for the ensuing crop of brassicas



For those that prefer not to spray, keep in mind that once rye reaches full height, it's easily and permanently flattened by simply running a cultipacker or lawn roller over it.

Once fertility levels are brought up, it is possible...using the rye/brassica rotation shown below...to avoid using synthetic fertilizers and herbicides and still grow beautiful, lush crops that will be full of whitetails. The following are cover crop videos that show how farmers are using the same cover crops we use to feed deer...to increase yields, build soil organic matter, avoid drought losses and lower fertilizer inputs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG6ChTWFGJ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggIWqmj8Jw4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7t7sPY4QNA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3loMymwL8TE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWXCLVCJWTU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoWlONmJNPc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBTWny9k05A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QqegC9L24E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1_dTqIV3lA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc1o7r_7GGQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blxe7S41q9s

The following is what we plant and in a perpetual rotation that insures we have food in each plot year around. Fertilizer needs will vary depending on soil tests and seeding rates may vary depending on soils and deer densities so our list is merely a starting point to work with....

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 crimson and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...we use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all planted in half of each feeding area

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

 

[dbltree]

Strip plots for whitetails

The words from a Rod Stewart song come to mind..." every picture tells a story don't it?" in the following photo essay from a trail positioned in rye and brassica strip plots. Pictures help reveal the "method to my madness" and why cover crops can do so much more then just draw deer in the fall...that dates are wrong but start June 1st to July 2nd....

In late May and early June the winter rye is still green and preparing to set seed and at the same time does are having fawns and frequently choose the dense, tall rye to have and hide fawns. The brassica half has been notill planted to oats and annual clovers but do to wet weather we were unable to spray it.



Jesse sprayed the winter rye and red clover with a clethodim/glyphosate/crop oil mix that allowed us to kill the rye yet leave it standing to protect young fawns





By mid June, tiny fawns start to accompany does to food sources yet are always only feet from escape cover. Neither bobcats, coyotes nor dogs like to hunt in the thick rye leaving fawns safe and unmolested



Of course fawns aren't the only ones that find refuge in the rye



By now the oats and annual clovers are greening up and providing a safe, high quality source of food for lactating does and fawns of course are growing rapidly



Note the killed rye is dying and now drying down



Whitetails with a dependable source of food and dense cover don't travel and develop predictable patterns



The oats, crimson and berseem clovers provide an irresistible source of food with crude protein running in the 20-25% range, well beyond the 15% required by lactating does and bucks developing antlers



Often forgotten however is the fact that the clovers are also fixing nitrogen for the rye/oats/peas/radish mix to be planted in late August



By early July the fawns are big enough to get up and run when Jess mows the rye and they do indeed run out like rabbits when he mows/shreds the rye. At this point the rye could also be rolled with a cultipacker or also simply be left standing if a notill drill will be used.



The surrounding timber is extremely thick cover having had TSI and hinge cutting done so even though the rye cover is gone, deer are nonplussed and return within hours to feed.



In the next week or so, the rye/red clover strips will be tilled in along with urea and P&K requirements but spraying and no-tilling is a preferred option if the red clover is healthy and has the potential to provide enough N for the brassica crop.

The following is the crop rotation we use and quite frankly in large part our livelihood depends on it successfully meeting the needs of the landowners we work for...if it fails, we fail and we would let down people who not only depend on us but are...our friends as well. Failure then is not an option and for that reason we avoid corn and beans like the plague....

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 crimson and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...we use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all planted in half of each feeding area

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

 

[dbltree]

Terry from Nova Scotia sent me a pic of his combination plots just as he was beginning to mow the rye. Terry also noted that the 6' tall rye and 2' tall red clover made outstanding fawning habitat not to mention and outstanding food source and incredible soil building/nitrogen fixing crops!

The rye/red clover mix on right will be tilled under for brassicas now and the oat/annual clover mix on left (which was brassicas last year) will be planted to the rye mix in late August...perfect!



The oat clover mix is also feeding deer, providing nesting habitat for other wildlife, fixing nitrogen for the rye mix to follow along with copious amounts of biomass to build soils to boot!

The following mix works over much of the U.S and Canada...

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 crimson and/or 50#'s of chickling vetch)

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...we use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all planted in half of each feeding area

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

 

[psw2168]

Question for everyone. What would be the biggest draw back to planting the dbltree mix in mid to late July in mid MO. I want to experiment with a .25 acre plot in the middle of the woods that I have trouble growing the mix in. Looking at getting a jump start on growth because I think it is too small for the deer density and I am hoping to get some decent growth before they start to work on it. Would anything in the mix not germinate this early and would the rye be just to unpalatable come hunting season?

 

[stevep]

July 2nd, 2013


For those that prefer not to spray, keep in mind that once rye reaches full height, it's easily and permanently flattened by simply running a cultipacker or lawn roller over it.

Dbltree,

So if spraying or mowing the Winter Rye wasn't an option, I can simply run the culipacker over it and that will basically kill it? Will that hurt the clover? Is about now the time to do that?

Thanks.

Steve

 

[Daver]

Dbltree,

So if spraying or mowing the Winter Rye wasn't an option, I can simply run the culipacker over it and that will basically kill it? Will that hurt the clover? Is about now the time to do that?

Thanks.

Steve

Steve - as an FYI, I had some 5' tall rye, with red clover beneath it, that was thick enough 3 weeks ago that I couldn't mow it. The mower was choking out no matter how slow I went. The thick clover underneath combined with the tall, windy rye was too much volume for my mower.

So...alternate plan B was implemented! I used a drag behind my ATV, a cultipacker would have worked too, and went over it. You could easily hear the rye stems "cracking" as I did this. Once flattened, it did not pop back up, but was still laying there the next week when I came back and then fairly easily mowed what I couldn't just the week before.

No harm to clover at all, it looks really good after all that. You can also run a grain drill over the downed rye with success too.

 

[stevep]

Steve - as an FYI, I had some 5' tall rye, with red clover beneath it, that was thick enough 3 weeks ago that I couldn't mow it. The mower was choking out no matter how slow I went. The thick clover underneath combined with the tall, windy rye was too much volume for my mower.

So...alternate plan B was implemented! I used a drag behind my ATV, a cultipacker would have worked too, and went over it. You could easily hear the rye stems "cracking" as I did this. Once flattened, it did not pop back up, but was still laying there the next week when I came back and then fairly easily mowed what I couldn't just the week before.

No harm to clover at all, it looks really good after all that. You can also run a grain drill over the downed rye with success too.

Thanks! Just ordered my WR, and looking forward to getting it in the ground next month.

Steve

 

[arrrgh11]

If you let it go without spraying it will the seed heads germinate once tilled under?

You certainly could mow it in July, but by then it will start dying off on it's own, so you may not have to even mow it.

FWIW, I left about a 4 acre spot of rye alone last spring and let it "grow itself out". The rye grew like crazy during this timeframe last year and got probably 5'-6' tall and was excellent cover for birds, deer, etc. I suspect it was a key part in helping me boost my pheasant numbers on my place as it provided great nesting cover and brooding cover.

I then just drilled over it in early September, actually Paul did , but it worked out fine AND after getting my soil tests back a week or so ago that area where I left the rye alone last year now has a higher organic content(OC) reading than anywhere else on my farm. I suspect that the rye that I just let go last year was a big part of the OC spike.

 

[Daver]

If you let it go without spraying it will the seed heads germinate once tilled under?

I don't know for sure, because where I have had some leftover rye I also drilled over that with fresh rye. So which one was growing, well certainly the new stuff was, but I have no idea how much, if any at all, of the leftover rye was also growing.

One thing though that I have found about leftover rye standing that cannot be stressed enough is how good it does at preserving soil mositure, suppressing new growth weeds and building organic matter in the soil. I have heavy clay soils and I know of nothing better than last years rye crop decaying on the soil surface to improve the soil quality for the future.

 

[dbltree]

<hr style="color:#333333; background-color:#333333" size="1"> If you let it go without spraying it will the seed heads germinate once tilled under?

Yes...and that creates a huge problem if following with brassicas, otherwise no big deal. If using the suggested rye/brassica rotation, either mow/roll early or spray by late May/early June.

You can also spray brassicas with clethodim to kill grasses and rye if need be.

 

[Sligh1]

If u guys have fully mature rye with seed heads- I personally wouldn't battle trying to make into brassicas this yr- I'd just do the rye mix again at this point and don't let it mature like that next yr. I tried fighting the seed before & learned my lesson to kill or mow way before now so I don't have all this seed there if I'm trying to put in turnips & radish now.

 

[HorseDoctor]

If u guys have fully mature rye with seed heads- I personally wouldn't battle trying to make into brassicas this yr- I'd just do the rye mix again at this point and don't let it mature like that next yr. I tried fighting the seed before & learned my lesson to kill or mow way before now so I don't have all this seed there if I'm trying to put in turnips & radish now.

I would mow it now & shoot doves over it Sept. 1 and then replant the rye mix again. :way::way:

 

[arrrgh11]

Well crappers... Already planted my brassicas into it and the other day I thought it looked like the rye was growing back.
I guess I will be spraying with clethodim. The brassicas are up about 1/2" already in the first week after planting. Should I wait a little while before spraying.

Yes...and that creates a huge problem if following with brassicas, otherwise no big deal. If using the suggested rye/brassica rotation, either mow/roll early or spray by late May/early June.

You can also spray brassicas with clethodim to kill grasses and rye if need be.

 

[dbltree]

Let the rye get 3-4" high and then spray with 12 ounce clethodim and 1 qt crop oil per acre.

 

[Sligh1]

Ya- you'll be fine with Clethodim & crop oil. I'm going to guess you may need to come back 2 weeks later & spray again as well.

 

[jmm46]

clogged tiller

so I did the oats berseem clover this following brassica mix, I went in and tiller up 1 of the 2 plots and the oats got all wrapped up in tiller...so with the second plot I just took bucket on tractor and "rolled" it down...oats went to seed and have dried out...it took me 2 hours to get tiller unplugged so I don't want to go that route again...what can I do with the plot that I rolled oats down?? Can I broadcast winter rye and clover and drag it in?? Or will mowing it do anything after it's been flattened? I don't feel comfortable burning it...suggestions??

 

[HorseDoctor]

I would think that after the oat straw has dried, it should till up pretty well without balling up. Another option would be to run a disc over it a time or two to cut it up. If you have that much oat straw, I'm not sure what dragging would do but make a mess.

 

[medicsnoke]

I'm sorry but I guess I'm a little slower than most, so can you explain this in a little more detail? I only have about 1 1/2 acres to plant and would hate to buy the amounts suggested. Also, at what # per acre do you seed the grain mix?

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...we use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all planted in half of each feeding area

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

 

[dbltree]

so I did the oats berseem clover this following brassica mix, I went in and tiller up 1 of the 2 plots and the oats got all wrapped up in tiller...so with the second plot I just took bucket on tractor and "rolled" it down...oats went to seed and have dried out...it took me 2 hours to get tiller unplugged so I don't want to go that route again...what can I do with the plot that I rolled oats down?? Can I broadcast winter rye and clover and drag it in?? Or will mowing it do anything after it's been flattened? I don't feel comfortable burning it...suggestions??

I assume the tiller teeth are worn out or tiller is not set right? I've went thru 3 tillers of different makes and sizes and never had that problem?

Next year clip the oats off while still green but heading out, leave 8-12" stubble and it will till up much easier. Discing would be a better option at this point , a drag would just plug up with straw.

I'm sorry but I guess I'm a little slower than most, so can you explain this in a little more detail? I only have about 1 1/2 acres to plant and would hate to buy the amounts suggested. Also, at what # per acre do you seed the grain mix?

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot...we use 50# each rye, oats and peas along with radish and clover seed all planted in half of each feeding area

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

All seeding rates are always per acre and no worries, many find this confusing, so let me see if I can help you make sense of it.

1) There is no one size fit's all seeding rate, soil type, annual rainfall and deer densities all play a part in deciding what rate to use. I can't answer those questions so each landowner must use common sense.

2) I share varying rates but in most cases here in SE Iowa and NE MO we keep it simple and plant:

50# winter rye per acre $17
50# oats per acre $12
50# winter peas $40
12# red clover $25
5# forage radish $18

Prices are approximate and they provide another variable...to much for your budget?

Bare minimum

50# winter rye per acre $17
12# red clover $25

Then add according to budget...50# peas to expensive? Plant 10# and so on. Each crop type plays an intricate role in our plan but we plant for landowners with outstanding habitat and heavy grazing pressure so adjust as you wish.

Rates for 1 1/2 acres then are this:

75# winter rye
75# oats
75# winter peas
18# red clover
7.5# forage radish

Hopefully that answers your questions

Foot note: Some find that this seems like an extraordinary amount of seed but this is just be cause people no longer grow up on farms and have no concept of normal seeding rates let alone seeding to feed deer or cattle. Normal seeding rates for rye alone range from 100-150# per acre, oats 80-100#,peas 60-70 but remember we are growing max amount of feed on minimum number of acres and that requires a combination of seeds at relatively high rates.

 

[dbltree]

Pic from back in June but Scott noted that his rye and red clover was full of beds like this!



Not only does the rye/clover create great cover and food source but tons of biomass to "feed" your soils too. Red clover can also fix 50-100#'s of nitrogen that can lower your nitrogen costs when you plant brassicas.

The following is an excellent link on soil organic matter:

Organic Matter Management

Planting crops like rye are only one step towards building OM, but it's an easy step to make!

Quick question for you, i have been following your posts for a while now and have you always mix oats in with your rye? I thought I recalled only cereal rye in your mixes. Can I just do all rye and exclude the oats? What is the benefit of oats added in the mix?

Thanks for your time!

We always add oats because grow much faster then rye, providing lush palatable forage very quickly. Eventually rye catches up and as oats freeze and die, rye takes over. The object of ALL our mixes is to have wide variety of forages that are appealing at different times, this keeps them from focusing on one crop and wiping it out.

August - forage radish (planted July)
September - oats planted late August
October - oats/peas and late August planted forage radish
November - rye/radish
December - rye/rape
January - rye/rape/turnips
February - rye/turnips
March - rye
April - rye/red and white clovers
May-red/white clover
June oats/berseem/crimson
July - clovers

Every day of the year we keep deer where want them by providing year around food sources and thick heavy bedding cover :way: