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Roundup Ready Corn & Soybean Food Plot

How are you going to deal with that clover? I have the same situation and my gly application just set it back a little. Was going to try a few more applications, but was open to other suggestions.
 
How are you going to deal with that clover? I have the same situation and my gly application just set it back a little. Was going to try a few more applications, but was open to other suggestions.

In my case there are only small areas so I may not worry about it too much but I have been able to kill it with 2 quarts of gly. Adding crop oil helps too but sometimes that can burn the RR soybeans so it's better to do that before beans emerge. ;)
 
July 8th, 2011

My corn is tasseling and doing well...it's a mix of free seed corn varieties which gives it an uneven look right now.

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Ears are starting to form and silk

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Which means deer are starting to attack it!

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I'll have to fence this field next year to see if I can minimize damage

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Now that the heavy rains and cool weather have given way to summer, the warmer weather has the beans growing well.

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These are Real World soybeans

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and ag beans (free leftover seed)

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I'll be overseeding rye and radishes into these beans in late August

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These are L&T's beans, I believe they got them sprayed this past week so they should start to look better soon.

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Tiffany posted on Facebook that their beans were yellow and stunted and wondered what was going on...that of course drew 100's of "comments", few of which are correct. Wet cool weather has been a problem for all crops in SE Iowa but there are some other problems that can cause this.

SCN (Soybean Cyst Nematode) is just one that could cause yellow stunted beans and is usually avoided by rotating with other crops such as corn and brassicas.

Soybean Cyst Nematode

There a host of other problems that can affect soybeans, almost all of which are most likely to appear during cool wet weather and this link has some great pictures and descriptions.

Disease and Pest Resistance

Most major seed providers have plant breeders constantly at work developing soybeans that are resistant to disease and pests and the free seed I get from those same seed companies is almost always some of the most highly resistant varieties available anywhere.

When you buy seed, be certain to look for those traits to help insure you won't be disappointed due to sick and dying beans next year.... ;)
 
Hey guys i have 100 acers of food plots on about 5000 acers or so i planted what the farm has there mostly rr beans they are already starting to canopy have already been sprayed one time come the first of aug i will plant purple top turnips and winter rye works great that way mixing corn and beans to me is a bad idea the idea of corn around the outside sounds good beans in the middle or half in half it if you stick with simple you will have good plots
 
July 11th, 2011

This is a pretty dramatic picture of fenced versus unfenced soybeans on a farm that I help manage the habitat on....this farm I might add has a constant supply of food sources year around, if not for that the beans outside the fence would be eaten to the ground!

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This is one of my own fenced bean plots that again has year around food sources to keep them happy

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The plot I fenced last year however, deer learned to crawl underneath and I suspect once they go under their hair may help insulate them from the fencer, I cannot say, I only know that despite tinfoil hanging all over it...they are unphased!

While some may have success with the 3 wire system, they quickly learned to jump mine so in my neck of the woods I don't use anything less then a 5 wire system. Wet weather prevented me from planting alternative food sources outside the fence that isn't effective so plan ahead to make sure they have other feed besides what's inside the fenced area.

Electric fences for whitetails can be effective but they are not fool proof! Like livestock once they figure out a way in to a lush food source...it's doggone difficult to keep them out.... ;)

Details on how to build electric fencing for deer at this link...

Electric fencing for whitetails
 
People are getting excited about the idea of overseeding winter rye and radishes into their standing soybeans which of course leads to more questions...like how much to broadcast? More or less then when conventional seeding?

Overseeding usually results in lower germination rates then conventional seeding where seeds are covered and well into the moisture zone. They lay there until sufficient moisture is present to help them germinate and need continued moisture to help the seeds actually take root. It's an uphill battle although rye is certainly better adapted to this then other cereals but all seeds laying on the soil surface may suffer predation from rodents and birds and if rainfall is light a certain percentage of seeds may germinate but then dry out and die before getting a root into the moisture zone.

With that in mind then, generally we overseed at higher rates then with conventional seeding. While it's not imperative to sow at high rates, doing so can help insure a successful stand of winter feed in your soybean stand.

I sow at 100-150#'s per acre of winter rye and 5-10#'s of GH forage radish and do so in late August (in my area) when soybeans are yellowing and preparing to drop leaves. Broadcasting at this time means there is still some canopy to keep seeds from drying out as they germinate but the canopy will soon disappear giving the young plants plenty of sunlight.

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If the beans are late maturing or were planted late, you may have to wait into September and rye can be overseeded well into October if necessary although it may not have time to produce sufficient growth to provide winter feed.

Overseeding into forage soybeans does not work well because the beans will maintain canopy until they freeze and die, so unless they have been decimated by heavy grazing you probably won't have much success. Here in SE Iowa we plant soybeans for a late season draw when deer seek out the soybeans themselves so we plant high yielding ag beans that are bred to dry down early. This makes them perfect candidates for overseeding rye and radish into.

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We utilize high quality stands of both white and red clover to provide spring, summer and fall forage at minimal cost but as winter approaches deer will seek out high energy grains like corn and beans if it's available.

Normally I follow brassicas with a spring/summer crop of oats and annual clovers but it's hard to find a lower cost alternative then no-tilling in free soybean seed! These beans would not even be there if not for the lush stands of white and red clover sandwiched in between them.

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Even though the soybeans will not survive the summer, they provide an economical source of summer feed and another "cover crop" of sorts and serve their purpose by keeping deer adapted to coming to one centralized feeding area. They also will help keep deer from wiping out lush young brassicas planted where the red clover previously stood, each crop type a stepping stone to the next and all intricate parts of our habitat plan....

This field is an example of multiple food sources within one field....apple orchard planted to white clover on the left, tilled area was rye/red clover tilled under ready for brassicas. Soybeans are holding deer while the brassicas get started and then will be tilled under for rye/oats/peas/radish and red clover and unseen on the right is more lush white clover...no reason for deer to ever look for another source of feed...ever!

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Even a fairly large field of soybeans can be stripped bare as cold winter weather sets in so overseeding rye and forage radish can vastly increase the carrying capacity of your area planted to soybeans. If you plan to follow the soybeans with brassicas the following summer (remember...rotate, rotate, rotate) add 15#'s of red clover when you overseed the rye and radish seed. Red clover is commonly flown into soybean fields and we can easily do the same, further maximizing the use of the area we have in soybeans.

If your budget allows for it, broadcasting some urea after the rye is up and just before a rain will help spur growth of both rye and radishes.... :way:
 
Thanx for the info dbletree... It was just in the knick of time i was about to buy some radish and brassica seed today and broadcast it in between the soybeans... Will early september be to late of the brasiccas and radishs to grow? Hope not because i was looking forward to doing this since i read about it this winter...
 
Thanx for the info dbletree... It was just in the knick of time i was about to buy some radish and brassica seed today and broadcast it in between the soybeans... Will early september be to late of the brasiccas and radishs to grow? Hope not because i was looking forward to doing this since i read about it this winter...

It will be too late for much turnip development but you get some decent growth from the radish plants :way:
 
Our big field (10 acres) is planted to rr beans. We're going to no-till wheat into them, after applying liquid nitrogen and preemergent herbicide. The plan then, is to harvest the wheat next summer, work the ground, add p&k, and plant short season beans, and do the same thing all over again. My question is, will we have a problem doing this year after year? I've known farmers to plant rr beans around here every year, trying to eradicate Johnson grass, and get a crop at the same time. I haven't heard of any having problems planting beans too often.
 
I have an acre plot on a ridge out back of my house. I tear up the top of the ridge to play around with planting various crops. The sides is planted into white clover to help with run-off. I planted the top which is about 1/4 acre to beans. I thought they might make it with the plot being so close to the house. I was wrong..haha. Nearly all the leaves have been nipped off of them. Curious if they will continue to grow and produce a bean? If not then I will tear them up and plant brassicas or radishes.
 
Curious if they will continue to grow and produce a bean?

They will continue to keep the leaves stripped so any pod production will be minimal to no-existent. I would re-plant something more productive....;)
 
If there are no weeds, or very few and you could spray them with a little R'up, you don't need to rip it up. Just wait for a rain and broadcast the seed on bare ground.
 
HELP with the corn!?!?

poor corn...what is going on here?

these RR corn and beans-it was planted with the same thing last year I believe. Its been rather warm here the past two weeks with little rain. What is "eating" the corn? This is in central WI-Sand Country at its finest!
 

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July 24th, 2011

Some soybean updates from the past week starting with the worst to best on some of the farms I manage as well as my own.

The fields all were planted to the same ag beans with except for a test planting of Real World beans in one of my fenced plots, so the main factor here is deer grazing pressure and some fertility issues. The first pics are from a 3 acre field next to premium cover with no ag fields planted close by. The soil has been abused by poor farming practices so we are in the process of correcting that by building up soil nutrients and rotating crops.

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These pics were taken on the 15th and the exclusion cage was not there from the beginning. Soil test called for 160#'s of K but the new landowner decided to only go with 120#'s of potash the first year. Basically these deans are done for...kaput!

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On the same farm but in a larger 8 acre field with slightly better fertility the beans look better, heavy grazing pressure but the size of the field makes a big difference.

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These pics from 7/18

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Grazing was obviously on every single plant inspected across the 8 acres!

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Some varieties were already forming pods

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Here's Lee and Tif's beans for comparison on the 19th

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and yet another farm that I plant where the landowner and I have engaged in a long term soil and habitat improvement battle to create the best of the best and we're making some giant strides towards that end.

This view shows both fenced and unfenced beans at his farm where no corners are cut in building soil nutrients through P&K and heavy ag lime applications along with constant crop rotations....the difference is astounding!

This pic from 7/19

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Despite nearly drowning earlier the fenced beans are now canopied and very healthy!

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This soil has been under a continuous rotation between brassicas and winter rye/clover plow downs all the while not cutting corners with fertilizer and lime.

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What is even more amazing however is the fact that the unfenced beans, also in hidden fields, no crops near by...have NOT been wiped out! Planted next to strips of lush rye/red clover and perennial white clover that deer are adapted to eating, the beans have heavily grazed but not decimated as in the first pics!

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The beans are healthy and growth is steadily outpacing grazing!

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The strip beans were planted on the previous years dead brassica strips where normally we would plant oats and berseem, so the beans in essence became the "cover crop". They are serving their purpose well....feeding deer, keeping them adapted to feeding in that plot, keeping them from challenging the fenced beans and because they are Roundup Ready it allows us to keep "clean up" the strips. They will also keep deer from decimating newly planted brassicas in adjacent strips of tilled under red clover

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These are my own fenced beans... on 7-18 they were roughly waist high

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I fertilized with 450#'s of 6-28-28 at planting

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Lush white clover outside the fence has helped keep deer from challenging the fence

These are Real World beans planted along side the ag soybeans in this plot

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No real noticeable difference across the plot at this stage

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These are from the same field on the 21st of July with temps at 99 degrees for more then a week, heat indexes ranging from 110-121 yet the soybeans are thriving!

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All of the landowners I work with, including myself grow soybeans for grain production for a late season attraction. We use clovers for the main spring and summer food source and prefer high yielding beans as a part of our overall habitat program. When used in conjunction with other crop rotations and electric fence soybeans can be an extremely useful too but as the pictures reveal they can also be easily wiped out in fields under 10 acres if there are high deer numbers.

We are in the middle of the worst heat wave the midwest has seen in 5 years yet the soybeans are thriving and growing rapidly while other crops wither in the heat....another reason to plant diversified food sources within the same centralized feeding areas.... :way:
 
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