Cereal Grains and cover crops

[dbltree]

August 3rd, 2012

In our endeavor to provide year around food sources for our whitetails and...keep our soils productive, oats and annual clovers play an important role by filling in the period in the spring and summer following brassicas the year before. the combination provides more food sources as well as organic matter and nitrogen when tilled under for rye in the fall.

As the oats mature...deer continue to feed on the tender berseem and crimson clovers growing beneath

Corn and soybeans are just across the fence but these deer are content feeding in the feeding areas that have provided food for them...year around, year after year

The rye and red clover strips have been tilled under to plant brassicas

but the oats and annual clovers keep deer coming and help us avoid having the entire field turned into a..."dirt plot"...

The oats have now matured and the annual clovers flowered (at which point they stop fixing nitrogen) so it's time to mow/shred the oats and straw, any weeds present (before they go to seed) and get the annuals growing and working for us again.

Where soils are better and higher in organic matter, thus holding more moisture the oats and clovers did well and kept weeds suffocated

But on poorer, less productive soils (where we still have a lot of work to do) the clovers eventually succumbed to the hot searing sun and lack of water and the ever resilient weeds take their place...

Now almost any "weed" can actually make good green manure and pigweeds will often be grazed heavily so as long as we get them clipped before they go to seed they are not necessarily a bad thing

Billions of weed seeds however, we do not need so be sure to watch growth and get the field mowed before seedhead are formed.

Our strip plots this time of year then, look like this....perennial white clovers on the left, oat/clover mix (going to rye/red clover) in the center and brassica planting on the right

Thanks to the water retaining rye root systems and straw...baby brassicas are popping up

White and red clovers are keeping whitetails coming in to the plot

and the entire field is not...a dirt plot

the plate is never empty in our feeding areas, in dry years and wet...the combination of crops we plant insures that something will grow and provide whitetails with their daily needs.

Questions asked...

What do I need to do to prepare for the fall cereal mix?

if the field is sod...

1) Mow field (early August)
2) allow sodgrass to green up
3)Spray with glyphosate (1-2 quarts per acre Roundup)

If field is already in the rotation and is in oats

1) Mow/shred oat straw anytime in August...earlier if weedy and/or annual clovers are flowering

If we do not get much rain....the oat seed will germinate when tilled under and becomes in essence "free seed"

Depending on the area of the country in which you live...plant either before or after September 1st. Before in the north (zones 4 and 5) and after as you move southward into zone 6 and 7 as follows

1) Till in fertilizers and lime (if the plot was in brassicas and previously had P&K and line applied this will be urea only)
2) broadcast or drill in large seeds, rye, oats and peas
3) Cultipack to cover
4) Broadcast clover and radish seeds
5) Cultipack to cover

What kind of oat seed should I buy?

Almost any oats will work but Jerry if my favorite because it does not mature to quickly, stays tender and palatable and is very cold tolerant. One friend said the only oats anyone had were BFO..."what should I do?"...I told him to skip the oats and just plant 75#'s of rye. I have tested many varieties of oats and BFO was the only one they wouldn't touch if they had any other possible alternative.

Other then that, even bin run oats (feed grade oats)will work in a bind however they may have some weed seeds in them. For most...planting time is still weeks away, plenty of time to soil test if you are just beginning and regardless of where you live...please pray for rain in the drought stricken areas....

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]

With sod grass that is burnt up, could I just disc heavy and plant mix without spraying? Cutting corner's I know but have a small spot that I have access to with short notice.

 

[dbltree]

With sod grass that is burnt up, could I just disc heavy and plant mix without spraying? Cutting corner's I know but have a small spot that I have access to with short notice.

Just remember the grass is dormant not dead so you may want to spray next spring with clethodim to kill the grasses when they return.

August 7th, 2012

I mowed a field of winter rye the other day that hasn't been touched until now....

No rain since mid June in this area so I expected the ground to be hard as a rock and dry as the Sahara so I was surprised when I scuffed the ground and found it loose and full of moisture!

Every corn, bean, alfalfa field I have been in, is cracked, hard and dry compared to every rye field being just the opposite! Cereal rye is amazing and the 385 miles of root systems they put down have incredible moisture retaining abilities not to mention leaving behind outstanding soil tilth. A farmer friend sowed winter rye on some new terraces last fall and this spring when he passed over those areas with the tractor and field cultivator, he said the tractor fairly lurched ahead when he hit the rye spots. The soil was so loose and fluffy compared to the hard compacted soil without rye!

With only tenths of rain falling since planting brassicas and day after day of searing hot sun...it is no surprise that the only brassicas that have come up were planted in....rye

The strip plots contain strips of brassicas planted where rye and red clover were grown....

and the oat strips where brassicas were grown are mowed and waiting for the next rye/oat/pea/radish/clover planting....

When it is this dry it can be a struggle to get anything to germinate let alone grow but here is an example of how easily cereal rye will do both! Mowed rye, tilled under and boom...instant rye that is growing happily with no rain!

Winter rye...it's the on thing I can count on to produce even under the most difficult conditions, the one crop that I can be certain will bring whitetails flocking to it all fall, winter and spring!

On a budget? Plant 50#'s of winter rye ($17) and 10#'s of inexpensive red clover ($18) such as this Alta-Swede Mammoth Red Clover and Winter Rye

Take a bag of pop cans in and come up with $10-12 for a bag of oats Jerry Oats

Clean out the attic and sell some stuff on Ebay and pick up a bag of Forage Peas and a few pounds of Forage Radish and spring for a few pounds of Ladino Clover to go around the outside of the feeding area.

A lot of other crops seem a lot more sexy perhaps but this mix is the dependable workhorse that has never let me down on farms all across SE Iowa and from Kansas to Kentucky, Maine to Michigan...give it a try on your farm....

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

 

[ksbooner]

Drought & Planting Dates

Should we be putting our rye plots in earlier this year if we are in a drought? If so, how early do you think?

Thanks alot!

 

[dbltree]

Should we be putting our rye plots in earlier this year if we are in a drought? If so, how early do you think?

Thanks alot!

No...you run the risk of having it germinate early and then grow to quickly which would mean it can get rank and unpalatable before hunting season so I would not plant before the 25th or so of August if possible.

 

[vrod]

If planting in a new place and unsure of how much pressure it will receive. Should I hold off on urea in case they can't keep up?

 

[Reno]

If planting in a new place and unsure of how much pressure it will receive. Should I hold off on urea in case they can't keep up?

Did you do a soil sample?

I tilled up a new piece this year and did a soil sample and it really didn't need anything added. Numbers were good enough.

 

[Daver]

If planting in a new place and unsure of how much pressure it will receive. Should I hold off on urea in case they can't keep up?

Urea is certainly a good idea and will boost your yield no question, but I can tell you from experience it is not a requirement to pull off a decent rye crop. If the expense is holding you back then I say do what you can afford and live with it, if the $$'s aren't an issue then I say go for it and put the N down.

I don't think you will "outkick your coverage" by too fast of growing rye this fall, as I think food will be at a premium and you may well end up with some "new" deer on your place with a good food source.

 

[Scott]

Urea is certainly a good idea and will boost your yield no question, but I can tell you from experience it is not a requirement to pull off a decent rye crop. If the expense is holding you back then I say do what you can afford and live with it, if the $$'s aren't an issue then I say go for it and put the N down.

I don't think you will "outkick your coverage" by too fast of growing rye this fall, as I think food will be at a premium and you may well end up with some "new" deer on your place with a good food source.

I agree, while fertilizer is great I think its worth remembering these are just food plots. I will do what I can but I am done breaking the bank to have the perfect plots. Dbltrees crop rotation can help you out alot.

 

[DUG]

Settings on GP planter

Paul,
What is your game plan for your settings on your GP drill? I have a GP no till drill with both seed boxes. What seeds are you putting in which box and how many pounds per acre are you planning on running the larger seed at since its going to be mixed? Thanks for all your help!

 

[dbltree]

Paul,
What is your game plan for your settings on your GP drill? I have a GP no till drill with both seed boxes. What seeds are you putting in which box and how many pounds per acre are you planning on running the larger seed at since its going to be mixed? Thanks for all your help!

I'll be testing my settings next week and will report back but the small seed box I will start with it set on 40 and adjust from there. The rye/oats/peas mix will require some fine tuning because of the variance in seed size but I'll let you know.

August 16th, 2012

For much of the midwest the record breaking drought of 2012 continues to drag on with much of the area ranging from extreme to exceptional drought...

I can drive for miles and see crops completely burnt up, pastures that look like they were nuked with Roundup and ponds that no longer even have mud in them. It is desperate times like these that I truly learn to appreciate the value of winter rye and tough clovers like red clover that keep deer fed and coming in daily to our feeding areas.

this red clover has been mowed of course to prepare for tillage and the next round of rye/clover

Around the perimeter of each of our feeding areas there is a 15-20' strip of white and red clover that insures that deer will never be lacking a reason to return daily to the feeding area even though I am tilling under the rye and clover for the next planting

Each time, each year I add this beautiful mass of organic matter back to the soil tilling in the rye roots, straw and up to 2 tons of red clover insuring that slowly but surely I am building soil organic matter.

and next years crop will be even more productive, requiring less fertilizer then the year before

I either mow or spray my winter rye in May each year and even though it was 5' high, I killed it before it could produce seed and that leaves a beautiful seed bed and environment in which to plant brassicas

Where the rye was not killed and it remained dry all summer, the tilled rye will almost instantly germinate and re-grow and if it is planted to brassicas you'll want to spray with clethodim to kill the rye so it does not compete with the brassicas.

I am tilling under 100#'s of urea in all of our feeding areas but the cereals and radish will respond to up to 200#'s of urea. If you expect very heavy grazing and the drought has wiped out all other food sources you may wish to use the higher amounts. If you are tilling under lush healthy clovers then you may not need an N at all so each of you will need to decide what will work best for you.

Remember to order inoculate for your clover, peas and hairy vetch...they will all grow with out it but will thrive and fix more N if inoculated, especially if no previous clover, peas or vetch has been grown there recently. Be sure to use the correct inoculate for each legume type and keep it refrigerated until use...here's a source if you can not find it locally

Inoculation Source

It's very inexpensive and it's easy to mix up with a little water or soda sprinkled on the seed as a sticker and stir the inoculate in just before planting. Some legume seed comes pre-inoculated but if it has been sitting around more then 6 months i would add some fresh inoculate.

I'll be starting my cereal grain plantings about the 24th and planting thru the first week of September but if you live in the north, plant any time now, further south you may wait into mid September or stagger plantings over a month if you need early and late season feed.

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

 

[dbltree]

Is it really the rye?

...that allows for such fantastic water retention during droughts or...is it because the ground was fallow?

The above question was asked, though I feel I have provided ample evidence I will address if again because want I to be certain that anyone reading my threads is aware that I do not give my opinion, or I think, or I guess...but rather proven factual data combined with thousands of pictures and hundreds of links.

I shared these pics in another thread...clover in the same field, same soils but one without rye and the other grown with winter rye last fall and the difference is like night and day

Without rye...clover is fried

With rye...clover is healthy and lush thanks to the water retaining abilities of the now decomposing winter rye

A field of rye that was tilled under in August is not a "fallow field" as noted by the description below...

Fallow: plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated.

The rye was a living, growing crop that used water until it matured in July and the resulting organic matter held an amazing amount of moisture despite no rain since June.

For those that do not fully understand the value or even the meaning of "organic matter"...

Organic Matter

The consequence of increased water infiltration combined with a higher organic matter content is increased soil storage of water (Figure 14). Organic matter contributes to the stability of soil aggregates and pores through the bonding or adhesion properties of organic materials, such as bacterial waste products, organic gels, fungal hyphae and worm secretions and casts. Moreover, organic matter intimately mixed with mineral soil materials has a considerable influence in increasing moisture holding capacity. Especially in the topsoil, where the organic matter content is greater, more water can be stored.

While a truly fallow field does conserve some moisture one could hardly expect a bare field to be literally wet after 2 months of searing hot sun, baking in 106 degree temps with...no rain. We can however expect incredible moisture retention with copious amounts of organic matter

Tiny seeds like brassicas don't stand a chance when planted in low organic matter soils with no rain...

Effects of moisture on canola

Moisture is essential for seed germination. Soil moisture and temperature are the two most important factors controlling germination, the start of root growth and emergence. Soil moisture is critical as it affects how quickly water penetrates the seed. Canola seed has to imbibe a high percentage of its weight in water before germination begins. Cold temperatures and variable soil water availability in early spring limit germination and subsequent growth. In addition to cool temperatures in the spring, most Canadian prairie soils are also exposed to rapid drying on the surface when disturbed by any form of cultivation. Canola is sown very shallow and germinates in the portion of soil that is subject to the greatest drying effect. Germination and emergence of canola is progressively delayed and reduced as soil water availability decreases. As the soil dries it becomes more difficult for the seed to obtain water from the soil particles. This is why semi-dry seedbeds very often result in slow, uneven germination and more abnormal seedlings. Coarse textured soils may dry or drain rapidly resulting in reduced germination or root growth.
Growth chamber research on seedling emergence at low temperatures of 8.5 to 10°C (day/night) and various levels of soil moisture, showed canola seeds in soils with lower moisture had slower and lower emergence

No rain...no germination...no brassicas

So we over come the problem by significantly increasing the organic matter in our soils and as noted below, each 1% increase in OM allows our soils to hold literally thousands of gallons of water...

Drought Resistant Soils

Abstract: To minimize the impact of drought, soil needs to capture the rainwater that falls on it, store as much of that
water as possible for future plant use, and allow for plant roots to penetrate and proliferate. These conditions can be
achieved through management of organic matter, which can increase water storage by 16,000 gallons per acre foot for
each 1% organic matter. Organic matter also increases the soils ability to take in water during rainfall events, assuring
that more water will be stored. Ground cover also increases the water infiltration rate while lowering soil water evaporation.
When all these factors are taken together the severity of drought and the need for irrigation are greatly reduced.

So...how can we increase organic matter while at the same time providing a high protein food source that is highly attractive to whitetails?? Plant winter rye....

Water holding capacity of cereal rye

Based on fence-row soil sampling, Berger said organic matter in his fields is half what it was when the land was surveyed in the 1800s because of oxidation from tilling and soil erosion.
Since starting to plant cereal rye in the late ’70s, Berger says quality stabilized. From there, other aspects of the growing environment improve, he adds.
“As you build organic matter, you build water-holding capacity.”
He cites other advantages to the rye crop, such as erosion prevention, improved soil structure based on root growth and soil resiliency.

There lot's of cover crops and certainly deer will eat at least some of them but the advantages of cereal rye far outnumber those of other crops and all of them have been discussed at length in previous posts but the roots...the cereal rye root system in amazing!!

Cereal rye root systems

Root System
Cereal rye has the best-developed root system among annual cereal crops (Starzycki, 1976) as with other grasses, the system is fibrous, with no defined taproot (Bugg, pers. comm.). The extensive root system enables it to be the most drought-tolerant cereal crop (Evans and Scoles, 1976) and makes it among the best green manures for improving soil structure (Pears et al., 1989).

Cheng and Coleman (1990) conducted a field/laboratory study in Georgia and found that decomposition of incorporated 14C-labelled cereal rye residue was accelerated through having cereal rye plants growing in the soil. This was believed to be due to the rhizosphere microbial complex.

Above ground bio-mass
cereal rye: 4,410
Annual ryegrass: 2,070

Note that annual ryegrass provides very little above ground food (in this case referred to as biomass) and is one of the least winter hardy so while it has a great root system, it provides little if any fall grazing an no winter grazing except in southern states. The seed is expensive and it is horribly hard to get rid of and in no way should it ever be compared or considered over cereal rye.

The advantages of rye over wheat have also been covered but since we are talking about "water", conserving it and retaining it's important to understand why rye is the King of Cover Crops and not...wheat....

Cereal Rye

Rye is a hardy grain, more tolerant of frost and drought than is wheat. It is the most winter hardy of all cereals, and is frequently grown under conditions where other cereals fail (1, 4, 8). Rye's drought tolerance is due to it's highly developed root system which uses 20-30% less water than wheat, however differing varieties of rye fair better than others under drought conditions

We are in the middle of one of the worst droughts on record so water is a hot topic and anything we can do to economically enhance our soils and improve not only water retention but nutrient retention is extremely important. Those with sandy droughty soils or hard pan clay subsoils know how challenging it can be to grow anything even in good years and in bad years...only those with high organic matter soils will be smiling in November....

Building Soil Fertility

The benefits of organic matter include improved soil structure, increased infiltration and water-holding capacity, increased cation exchange capacity (the ability of the soil to act as a short-term storage bank for positively charged plant nutrients) and more efficient long-term storage of nutrients. Without organic matter, you have no soil to speak of, only a dead mixture of ground-up and weathered rocks.

Cover crops reduce nitrate leaching in two ways. They soak up available nitrate for their own needs. They also use some soil moisture, reducing the amount of water available to leach nutrients.

The best cover crops to use for nitrate conservation are nonlegumes that form deep, extensive root systems quickly after cash crops are harvested. For much of the continental U.S., cereal rye is the best choice for catching nutrients after a summer crop. Its cold tolerance is a big advantage that allows rye to continue to grow in late fall and put down roots to a depth of three feet or more. Where winters are mild, rye can grow through the winter months.

Cover crops enhance soil structure while increasing soil biota activity.They reduce soil compaction while increasing water percolation and retention. Cover crops enhance soil organic matter level.They also improve soilaggregation, infiltration and bulk density.

There will always be an argument for something else...it may be because of profit (there is no money in selling cereal rye seed by big cover crop seed companies) or stubborn pride by those who refuse to believe there is a better way...but for those wise enough to weigh the evidence and see the truth...cereal rye comes out on top....

Why choose cereal rye?

“We chose the cereal rye for a cover crop, because it produces a tremendous amount of biomass to, to enrich the soil. These soils of the southeastern United States are highly weathered soils. So we’re attempting to reverse that process and increase the organic matter content. Also, any time you increase the organic matter content, you have more nutrient retention and more water retention and it’s just easier to grow a crop.”

High-residue farming begins with planting a cover crop in the winter; for the Brock family this crop is cereal rye. In the spring, when the mature rye reaches about five or six feet, it’s rolled down flat with a chopper-roller and left in the fields. Next the cash crops -- corn, soybeans, peanuts and cotton -- are planted in small trough, disturbing the soil as little as possible.

The flattened cover crop now serves a number of purposes. As it decomposes, the nutrients from the rye enrich the soil making it healthier and more productive; this richer soil provides nourishment for the cash crops; which, in turn increases their quality and profitability. As it mats down, the rye acts as a dam that decreases water runoff and any resulting soil erosion. Retaining this water also means more will be absorbed into the ground nourishing the growing crops. As mulch, it inhibits evaporation, holding the moisture in; this keeps the ground cooler, putting less stress on the crops.

The opposite of dry of course is wet and rye can be as helpful in allowing excess moisture to soak deep into the subsoil as it is in retaining it in the top soil, rye of course does use water when it is growing, just far less them any other cereal grain and dead or alive...protects the top soil from drying winds and breaks down into fantastic organic matter

Winter rye advantages

The living rye continues to pull moisture out of the soil, which can be helpful in a wet year, but it’s important to kill the cover before it removes too much moisture, harming the soybean crop. Later in the growing season, the rye stalks fall down, forming a mulch over the soil and eventually breaking down to add organic matter to the soil. This surface residue and added organic matter help with moisture infiltration and retention all season, he points out. “We find the ground doesn’t crust hard with the rye.

By using winter rye to provide a highly attractive and palatable food source for our whitetails we can also use it to build up our soils and by following it in a rotation with brassicas we can provide some insurance that we will have a crop even during extreme droughts.

Brassicas growing where rye was planted and not where oats were planted....

The evidence is clear and overwhelming and I have shared only the tip of the iceberg, more then enough to help you reach your own conclusion and make your seed choices armed with the facts.

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

 

[Notch]

Maybe this isn't the best place for this, but i figured you guys would have as good an idea as anyone. The drought is bringing up a lot of questions that I haven' had to think about before.

Today, I had a rancher ask me about drilling WW or rye into one of his warm season pastures. This pasture was a crop field several years ago and is now grazed down to nothing. His hope was to graze the rye this fall and early next spring, then clip the rye before it seeds out, allowing the warm season grasses to come through. Any idea if this would work? Would it work similar to a nurse crop for the already established grass?

Sorry for kind of an off the wall question, but I thought the idea might have a little merit.

 

[dbltree]

Any idea if this would work?

Mow the pasture close and no-till the rye in and it should work reasonably well...:way:

 

[Notch]

Thanks Paul. I'll let you know how it works.

 

[dbltree]

August 26th, 2012

It's been a long week of 14-15 hour days trying to get the cereal mix planted before a much anticipated major rain event and we did good...thanks to my hard working, not afraid to eat some dust son...

We managed to get about 60 acres in the ground and just in time...it rained all night and is pouring this morning as I write this post....

Not a moment to soon because thanks to extreme drought the ground has been so dry I often could quite literally not see where I was going due to the dust!!

So...let's go back and go over the process for those still learning and interested in planting the "Dbltree Salad bar" cereal mix...

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

Most of the areas were previously in brassicas (the other half of my rotation) and were planted to oats and berseem/crimson clover this spring and because of this were fertilized with P&K for brassicas and did not need additional for this mix. Where budgets allowed however i do add 100#'s of urea ...which MUST be tilled in within 24 hours so I do this just before tillage

Others areas were new, first time feeding areas and in those fields I add 400#'s of pel lime, 400#'s of 6-28-28 and 100#'s of urea

Keep in mind that because I do this for a living I am often called at the last minute, no time for soil tests etc. so I use my own judgement based on experience with soils in my area, but each of you in other areas of the country should plan ahead and soil test to determine PH and P/K needs if any. Nitrogen however does not remain in the soil so unless you are tilling under healthy legumes like clovers or vetches you may wish to add urea (or some form of nitrogen) to encourage lush, palatable and attractive growth. Nitrogen is option of course and the cereals will grow regardless so as always, do what is right for you and your budget....

In my posts now, you will see all types of equipment, large and small but keep in mind that for 55 of 56 years I have done almost all of my work with a simple $30 bag seeder, spreading seed and fertilizer by hand so never feel intimidated by pics of equipment the average landowner could never afford.

Our Polaris Ranger and Fimco spreader becomes our second tractor and I use it often to apply fertilizer ahead of the tiller

There all types of ATV/UTV spreaders from $80 to $500 but the Fimco with variable speed spreader has been outstanding for me and I have put literally tons of seed and fertilizer thru it with no problems.

God has blessed my business beyond what I could ever have imagined so that has required more equipment to handle the work load and recently I purchased a Land Pride pendulum type spreader with hydraulic gate and agitator to handle larger volumes

Expensive but very effective for larger operations

With fertilizer and lime applied we follow right behind it with the tiller and depending on circumstances, the cultipacker follows the tiller

I have a drill so I fertilize/till/pack/plant but for small plots with small equipment...spread your fertilizer and lime, till it in, spread (broadcast ) large seeds (rye/oats/peas), cultipack (or run over it with an ATV to pack), spread small seeds and re-cultipack.

For fields I have to trailer equipment too, the tiller/packer combo is hard to beat and leaves the field ready to drill

Fields closer to home we till or disc and then apply urea and follow with the cultimulcher which does a better job of leveling uneven ground...in this case my brand new tractor headed out the driveway moments after arriving driven by my son who apparently had grown weary of eating dust...

I mentioned that fields in the brassica/cereal rotation I was tilling down oats and annual clovers that followed the spent brassicas this spring...usually I mow/shred them first but I had forgotten to clip my own!

No worries however....they till under very easily!

This adds some free oat seed to the cereal planting and the annual clovers add some nitrogen and all of them combined help feed whitetails all spring and summer...just another part of this great combo/rotation that is fantastic for our soils and our deer!

Fertilizer and lime tilled in, soil firmed with cultipacker...we're ready to plant one of the most effective, never fail food source combinations I have ever planted. Look thru all the pics in all of my threads and you will see more whitetails eating this mix then ALL OTHERS COMBINED!

What's in this mix?

Winter rye the cornerstone of the mix, the one that has never failed me and will grow in almost any soils almost anywhere across the nation! Common VNS (variety not stated) rye is all I usually use but this year it happened to be Elbon rye...others such as Ryman, Aroostook and Wrens Abruzzi (for southern landowners) are also cereal rye varieties you may run across.

This is what winter rye seed looks like...not it is NOT ryegrass which looks like (because it is) lawn grass seed

Oats grow quickly and provide very palatable forage early in the season yet freeze out in mid winter leaving the rye to feed deer all winter yet not suffocate the clovers in the mix in the spring. I prefer Jerry oats when I can get them but almost any oats will do with the exception of forage oats that are bred for haying and grazing by cattle...they grow too quickly and becaome less palatable then grain type oats just as Jerry oats

Seed is larger the rye and does not broadcast quite as far so avoid trying to cover too large an area when broadcasting the seed mix

Forage peas are the candy in this mix as well as being a legume that fixes nitrogen and is also a great cover crop. Austrian Winter Peas are most commonly used but the Frostmaster peas are low tannin, very sweet peas that I am using in my mix this fall

the pea seed of course is hard and flies much farther then the cereals, so again use caution with your broadcast bag seeders or ATV seeders and slow sin speed if possible or cut rates and go back over to overlap and get better coverage

Once you have broadcast all your large seeds, cultipack and then go back over the firmed surface with the small seeds which can be combined or sown separately.

Forage Radish...lot's of advertising hype but thus far I have found no discernible difference between "named" forage radish seeds that include "Tillage", "Groundhog" and "Tiller" to name a few so purchase seed based on price and availability in your area. Forage radish will be very attractive in this mix in mid to late October and early November and at 5#'s is not enough to cause problems going back to the brassica half of the rotation next summer.

Clovers are the sleepers in this mix and fall is the absolute best time establish clovers! No weeds, no muddy fields...perfect! I use red clovers where I will be rotating back to brassicas next summer, they suffocate weeds, fix nitrogen, add tons of biomass to the soil, are very drought tolerant and deer love them!

I often add VNS ladino clover because it is inexpensive and often returns even after discing it under but perennial white clover plots I use high quality clovers adapted to our area. In this case I mixed 8-10#'s of red clover and 2-4#'s of ladino clover together

Good quality clover seeds are usually inoculated already but irregardless I usually add fresh inoculate to the seed

A bag is only $4-5 bucks and easy to add...just use a little water or soda as a sticker and stir it up!

Most of our planting is now done with a Great Plains/Land Pride no-till drill that allows me to plant both large and small seeds simultaneously as well as accurately planting at the desired depth. For those on a budget it also allows me to no-till plant where no urea is added so it provides versatility as well.

As mentioned previously I have broadcasted seed for most of my life so a drill is certainly not necessary but since this drill is fairly popular among landowners managing for whitetails I had planted 150# of the large seed mix with the drill on Drive 2 and the setting on 80 and planted 12# clover seed and 5# radish seed in the small seed box with it set on 40-45.

I set the seed drops on the second notch (one on each hose where it meets the drill)

The agitator in the drill keeps the mix stirred up and unlike a broadcaster it plants the mix evenly

The rain has come at a perfect time and the cereal mix should leap out of the ground in a few days and from that point on it is nearly impossible to have it fail, it is far more drought resistant then brassicas and hail, wind etc. will have no serious effect on it and best of all...deer can not wipe it out like the do corn and soybeans.

If you have not purchased your cereal grain seed yet I would urge you to do so immediately! Due to the drought there is an extremely high demand for cereal rye and in fact all cereals since rye is now in short supply. Crop farmers have seen the outstanding effects of winter rye on soils and are eager to hedge against future droughts by getting rye in the ground this fall.

Cattlemen are desperate for fall and winter forage thanks to the drought as they are feeding their winter supply of hay this summer. They are planting rye and oats for grazing and are exhausting supplies at a rapid rate.

Seed suppliers are calling retailers and telling them they will not be able to ship their full orders in an effort to get at least some seed to everyone, so in light of the short supply...do not wait..pick up your seed asap or end up disappointed!

The last I knew Welter Seed was selling out of all cereals but give them a call if you can't find seed in your area (always check with your local co-op or seed supply to avoid shipping costs first)

Welter Seed

Iowa-Missouri Hybrids in Keosauqua Iowa has seed available right now but Aaron has warned me that he is selling out quickly so if you are anywhere close to SE Iowa, check with Aaron or Joe and get your seed bought!

Aaron 641-919-1695
Joe 641-919-1632

They will also ship seed if need be and have urea, fertilizer, lime, rye, oats, peas, clovers radish and inoculate all in one place. Hopefully you have a place like Iowa-Missouri Hybrids near you and if so, give then your business and never take them for granted! For years I had to have seed shipped or drive 200 miles for bagged fertilizer so having a local supply is much appreciated!

Good luck with your plantings and please share your results this fall and winter and don't forget to get a cam out on field scan mode as well.... :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

 

[DUG]

Thanks for all your help

Thanks for all the help. I am hoping to start planting the rye mix this afternoon with my great plains drill. My drill is a 705NT so I am guessing the settings would probably be the same. Looking at my seed chart it shows drive type 2 set on 80 will run my rye rate at 46#s per acre. I'm guessing that is middle of the road since the your mixing the peas and oats in too? I will take some pics and hopefully figure out how to post them later today.

 

[SWBUCKHNTR]

Anyone plant the rye oats and peas mixed with a truax brillion? I will be planting Friday a little playing I will figure it out but I was hoping someone could give me somewhat of an idea on how far to open the grain box setting.

 

[dbltree]

Anyone plant the rye oats and peas mixed with a truax brillion? I will be planting Friday a little playing I will figure it out but I was hoping someone could give me somewhat of an idea on how far to open the grain box setting.

I've used a Brillion but the large seed box is very small so we don't use it often and rye seed "runs out" while oats are hard to get out unless at a higher setting. The Truax may be very different however?

 

[SWBUCKHNTR]

I've used a Brillion but the large seed box is very small so we don't use it often and rye seed "runs out" while oats are hard to get out unless at a higher setting. The Truax may be very different however?

Sorry I meant a truax trillion. It seeds the oats and rye great together I have never had peas mixed in though. I am guessing open it a little more than the rye oat combo and that should be pretty close