Okay, well, it’s getting pretty close to go time. For most of us, anyway.
I was up to the Midwest Monster Farm in Hinckley, MN yesterday and things are looking up. It was, however, wetter than I expected. I expected damp, but the fields and plots are outright muddy and wet at my place. If you add in today’s rain, there’s going to be at least 10-12 more days of very wet ground.
However! All of that is a good problem to have because I think we all remember last summer when it seemed like the last rain of the year fell in about April. Ug. That was awful. But don’t base any decisions only off of what happened last year. The only thing I know about the weather is that it’s never the same as last year.
So does everybody have their game plan ready for plots 2024? I don’t make many radical changes year-to-year, but this year I am trying a new Enlist soybean variety from Real World Wildlife Products. I want more weed control options so I’m going with Enlist this year to see if I can knock down a pesky grass infestation that seems to laugh off Roundup. Other than that, it’s the usual rotation for me. Last year’s soybean plots are this year’s Brassicas Bender plots, and so on.
I’m going to spray off the plots that I reserve for Deadly Dozen multi-species blend and then those plots will just sit fallow until late July. My clover plots are all in good shape, so the only spring planting this year will be soybeans.
We might be a ways from planting most food plot crops, but here’s a few to-dos.
1. If you have clover plots that need overseeding to fill in sparse or bare patches or just thicken up the plot, now is a great time to do that. Yesterday, I overseeded 3 acres of clover plots and just for fun I blasted clover out on some trails and fencelines.
2. If you have acidic soil (and most of us in the northern half of MN and WI do!), now’s the time to spread that lime. I laid out 2000 pounds of it yesterday and that’s not even half done.
Lime needs time to work, so getting it washed into your soil is a good thing. I spread with a UTV and the big Agrifab tow-behind spreader, so even on soft ground I can still spread lime without cutting ruts.
3. If you’re doing annuals like soybeans, get your seed and get your planter ready. When it’s go-time for soybeans, you don’t want to miss a good planting window by not being ready because one good rain can set you back a week or more.
4. Do your equipment maintenance. Nothing worse than having something that could have been prevented be the thing that stops you from getting planted on a good planting day.
Yesterday, I noticed my broadcast spreader could use some wheel bearing replacements, so I hauled it back to town and ordered parts this morning. Take no chances!
5. Get your supply of chemicals. We don’t sell chemicals at Midwest Monster, but like seed, now’s the time to get it so that you have it when it’s needed. Spring just flies by.
What are your plot plans for this year?
We aren’t too far from you in Brook Park, and last year we got the plot cleared out, but never got back to put anything in the ground and am pretty glad we didn’t since it was dryer than a popcorn fart all year. 
