With little to no snow in the fields at the farm I was able to get out, burn some diesel and get the corn plots cut. Going to be a couple weeks before I can do anything else, but it’s nice to have the corn down on the ground and starting to break down. Tons of empty cobs in this 4 acre plot and not a single piece of corn left anywhere. The deer ate good over the winter.
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Are you just hitting it with the brush hog?
Are you just hitting it with the brush hog?
That is correct Randy
That has been bedding material in the sanctuary for the last number of years. After I cut it down, I’ve raked it and hit with the round bailer. Deer sure love sleeping in that when its 20 below or ice storms
That’s an excellent idea Randy!! Unfortunately don’t have a rake or a bailer. Maybe I could use a spring tooth though and gather up some big piles….
That’s an excellent idea Randy!! Unfortunately don’t have a rake or a bailer. Maybe I could use a spring tooth though and gather up some big piles….
More work, but will get the job done. We kept the rake and bailer from when we had an active beef farm operation. But a reasonable sized dump trailer would work well. Pitch fork the piles on and dump it where you need it. Buddy uses his for grooming walking trails for stalking his valleys. Very quiet when wet
It’s going to be a long time before wheels turn anywhere else in MN. Seed orders have been really quiet, gosh I wonder why?
I was hoping there’d be a chance for some early lime spreading as soon as the snow melted, but honestly, I won’t most likely turn a wheel at my place until May.
Grouse
It’s 53 degrees up there right now. I will prolly be running the disc this weekend Grouse. Gotta get the snow peas in before it warms up too much 
LUCKY!
A little more diesel got burnt this weekend. I have 2 plots that are getting oats planted in them this spring so I wanted to get them turned and let the dirt warm up so I can get the seed in early…well as early as this year will allow any way.
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I got 2 plots planted into oats this weekend. These will be replanted in brassica mid july. Tilled up some of the other plots too. Going to be fertilizing next weekend and maybe get the corn in.
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I’m ignorant to planting oats in the spring.
Can they be mowed and still have value to deer in the fall?
No, they will be mature long before fall. I am using them as a cover crop to keep weeds at bay. They will get cultipacked and sprayed in mid July after I broadcast fertilizer and brassica seed into them.
I’m ignorant to planting oats in the spring.
Can they be mowed and still have value to deer in the fall?
You can mow them and they will keep growing, but I’m not sure how attractive they’d be to deer by the fall. Would think they’d be over-mature by fall.
If you want a plot to run all summer and be good in the fall, I’d plant clover and then a nurse crop of oats in with it. Mowing would most likely be a non-issue unless you have plots >3-5 acres each. Because the deer will first eat the oats, then they’ll find the cover in the middle of the summer and keep the whole thing mowed like a golf course anyway.
As far as grain crops go, the best scenarios IMO for use are:
1. As Sticker does it, use as a cover crop in the early season and then replant a late season crop.
2. As a nurse crop anytime to protect a tender slow-grower like clover.
3. As a late summer planting to provide fall food and then overwinter it to provide food at next spring’s greenup.
Grouse
Great explanation and information.
Appreciate it!
2700lbs of fertilizer and lot of diesel later and the plots are all prepped for planting this coming friday!!
I hated to terminate the winter rye coming in so nice in the trevs trail pic, but I had to get the urea tilled in.
The big plot took a ton of time to get all that corn stubble tilled in and I got darn awful dirty in the process, but it’s looking pretty good now.
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more pics
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one more
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Lookin good
Since DT is burning Harley gas now I had to step up and burn his share of diesel last night 
Got the plots at home all worked up and ready for seed. Will put seed in the ground there some time next week. Seed goes in the ground tomorrow at the farm.
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future eagle bean plot
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this plot will have a screen of corn on the west side and ag beans in the rest. I made this one a little bigger this year and it may take one more good turning before I plant depending on how much of the rye I overseeded last fall dies.
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I was out yesterday and spread 1.5 tons of lime. That took a while and it’s not especially pleasant with all the dust flying, but 2 areas are now done.
My property was still wetter than I’d anticipated in the low areas. Looks like the frost has come out of the ground on some of the wooded hillsides and released some post-melt water in areas that had almost dried up.
I have a lot of clover spraying to do. My fall planted clover plot looks like a suburban lawn, somehow I just got a TON of fine grass growing in it, depsite 2 killings with Roundup last fall before planting. I hope this isn’t a do-over.
Found a shed from Julius, the resident 6 pointer from last year. I had passed on him the whole season hoping to grow him bigger, then he got a close shave from the neighbors. He got nicked and was dropping a few drops of blood for a day, but he appeared to survive and be none the worse for wear. He must have lived because he shed his antlers, so I hope he’ll be bigger (and smarter) this year.
Grouse
Burn some diesel for me Sticker. Looking at my schedule I feel my plots are not going to get much attention again this year. 
DT
I got all the seed in the ground at the farm, now just need some rain. It’s really dry up there.
Plots at home are going to have to wait until next week to get planted. I may run around and tear them up one more time to get rid of any weeds that might germinate in the meantime.
Please plant the rows in a picturesque pattern that shows off the Eagle Forage Soybeans to the best effect.
Grouse
I went to the farm last weekend to spray gly on the plots. Woke up Saturday morning to rain. I was actually happy because we really needed the rain. That rain lasted until 4pm. Got 50 trees planted did some other chore and was ready for when it stopped. 4pm it cleared up and as I was going to mix the gly the wind picked up to about 20-25mph 
Well, no big deal, I’ll do it Sunday morning. I got up Sunday morning at 4am to hurricane force winds. We left at noon without spraying
I am headed back tonight after work to spray in the morning and head back home. I hate it when a plan fails, but the weeds are at a perfect stage for killing right now.
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