Enhance Your Hunting Area with Effective Forage Planting Strategies

1. (716) 895-7333 www.preferredseed.com

2. The Goal • Grow bigger bucks and keep them in your hunting area • Feed Quality • Feed Throughout the year • Create a nutritious, DESIREABLE food Source

3. What we will Discuss • What species • Soil Testing • Tilling, Fertilizing, and Planting • What you need to plant a plot • Management

4. Forage Production

5. Species Selection • Spring Seeding Perennial (April and May) • Clover, Alfalfa, Chicory, Cool Season Grasses, Oats • Summer Seeding (July to August 15th) • Brassicas, Clover, Alfalfa, Chicory, Cool Season Grasses, Buckwheat • Fall Seeding (August 15 – October 10th) • Winter Rye and Winter Wheat

6. Mixes work best • Diversity mixes improve performance across area • However mix compatible species • Example: • Brassicas with slow growing perennials don’t mix. • Consider weed control • Grasses in a broadleaf mix and vise-versa

7. Location, Location, Location • Clear Cut areas • Old Hay Fields • Logging Roads • Pond banks • Don’t be afraid to try something Remember Sun, Sun, Sun

8. Agronomic Considerations Soil Type and Texture • Web Soil Survey • http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm • Soil Testing

9. Soils

10. Soils

11. Soil Sampling • Sample to your tillage depth (go to 6 inches) if you don’t know. • Minimum of 30 cores per sample submitted or 10 cores/acre • Mix cores in a bucket • Air dry them and send into the lab

12. Soil Sample Results • Soil pH • Lime Recommendation • Fertilizer Recommendation • N-P-K • N = Protein • Feeding the soil will feed the deer Sample Kits available

13. In the field testing • Cornell Soil pH test Kit • Available at your local extension office $12.50 each • Will quickly give you a liming recommendation • No fertilizer recommendation

14. Soil pH is the most important • High precipitation leaches Ca and Mg leaving Acidic soils in NY • Some exceptions of high pH soils in NY • Low pH ties up nutrients, particularly Phosphorus and Micro Nutrients • Want to maintain our plot pH at 6.5 to 7.0 • Requires consistent liming in to maintain • Legumes require high pH for N fixation

15. Liming • Virgin soil will require more lime than you can apply in one season • Apply a maximum of 2 tons/acre per application • Patience, will require multiple years of application • Recommendations based on 100 ENV • Equivalent Neutralizing Value

16. Application Rate • Soil Test Recommends 2 tons/acre of 100% ENV lime • The feed mill has 83% ENV lime available • Divide 100 / available lime ENV • 100/83 = 1.2 • Multiply 1.2 X 2 tons/ac = 2.4 tons/acre Apply 2.4 tons/acre of the 83% ENV lime

17. Lime Types • Ag Lime traditional, has to have an ENV number • ENV takes into account Fineness (affects reaction time) and Purity • Pelletized lime – finer ground reacts more quickly, (not more potent) • Easier to spread with small equipment • More Expensive

18. Understanding Fertilizer • Nitrogen – Phosphate – Potash • Triple 19 19-19-19 • % in mix, so if you put 100 lbs/acre of Triple 19 you put down 19 lbs of Nitrogen, 19 lbs of Phosphate, and 19 lbs of Potash • Most situations on virgin ground apply 200 to 500 lbs per acre of balanced fertilizer • Don’t worry about being off a few lbs of one nutrient or the other

19. Understanding Fertilizer • Avoid putting N on Legumes • Stimulates weeds • Spread fertilizer and weeds at a half rate in two directions for even coverage

20. Planting Prep • Weed Control • Start early • Will require multiple applications • Spring Apply Early May then again in June • Ready for Summer Annual planting • Wait 3 days after spraying before tilling

21. Weed Control • Perennial weeds are easiest to kill in the fall when sinking root reserves • Spray mid September with a mix of Glyphosate and 2,4 – D • 2,4-D can’t plant broadleaf crops into it for at least 8 weeks so don’t use in the spring • Spring will require two apps.

22. Soil Prep • Seed to Soil Contact • Not rocket science • Use what you have • Old disc or drags, tow with your truck or garden tractor • Spin Spreader • Roller • Micro Plots use hand tools • Rake up debris loosen the top soil

23. Soil Prep • Goal • Smooth level seed bed • Consider working in two directions • 45º angles • Add leveling boards or chains last pass

24. Soil Prep • Firm your seed bed • Burying seed to deep is the biggest reason for failure

25. Micro Plots • Done with hand tools • Sprayer • Hand Rake • Spreader • Chain Saw • Make Sure you have sunlight • Brassicas don’t like shade • Oats, Rye, and some clover or chicory can handle slight shade

26. Planting Seed • Be careful using “Till and Plant Equipment” • Often bury seed • Broadcasting can work well • Drills can work well but understand how to set them up

27. Seeding Depths and Rates • Check our chart • The smaller the seed the shallower it should be planted • Alfalfa, Clover, Chicory, Grass Seed ¼” deep • Small Grains Rye, Wheat, Oats, Peas ¾” • Brassicas ¼” – ½” deep

28. Big Buck Clover Mix • 45% Jumbo Ladino Clover • 25% Duration EXTRA Red Clover • 20% Ivory 2 White Clover • 10% Oasis Forage Chicory Palatable perennial mix, keep the pH up and top dress with 0-10-40 or similar

29. Summer, Fall, & Winter Forage Feast • 40% Dwarf Essex Forage Rape • 15% Hobson Forage Rape • 15% Bonar Forage Rape • 12% Improved Forage Kale • 9% Appin Turnip • 9% Pasja Hybrid Brassica Excellent for a kill plot, annual seed mid to late summer most popular mix, graze tops dig bottoms

30. Wildlife Meadow Mix • 30% Jumbo Ladino Clover • 30% Medium Red Clover • 15% Alsike Clover • 10% Creeping Red Fescue • 10% Duo Festulolium • 5% Crown Royale Orchardgrass • Good for poorer soils and cover as well as feed. Can handle partial shade.