Soil Samples and seed choice

I just turned in 5 different samples into the U of M for the areas I am going to plant this year. What I am curious about is if these results will tell me what type of crop/seed will have the best results and I should choose accordingly or if I decide exactly what type of calories I want to feed the deer at what time of year and make the soil work with lime and fertilizer? This new forum is good stuff, can’t wait to post some pics of my plots come summer!

I think the answers can vary a lot based on what your goals and budget are.

Are you planning these as plots to hunt over, or plots to provide extra nutrition at different times of the year?

Also, what is your budget? If say your samples come back with a really low level of available N (nitrogen) it might be pretty expensive to plant corn because 1. the cost of good Roundup Ready corn is high and 2. Corn requires a lot of nitrogen to grow well.

If you want to offer a good mix of foodsources through out the year and don’t have care what you plant where, I would wait till the results come back and make your decisions based on which seed would be best suited for each individual site. Meaning what layout is the most cost effective

Thanks Brad. I want to make sure I get at least one late season crop in the mix to keep some hope alive come December if I haven’t found the big boy yet. They are primarily hunting plots but I was hoping they could provide a long season of nutrition as well? Other than that I am checking the mail everyday waiting for the results and have no idea what to expect but will probably be asking a few more questions when they arrive.

I blew leaves off my plots on the W.I.N.A property and boy let me tell you it STUNK like a barn yard from all the trail raisen piles everywhere! Idealy your gonna want a blend of winter food,sping/summer foods and some wisely placed fall kill plots.For winter food its hard to baet corn and beans, but some kinds of clovers and alfalfa remain nutrious all winter long, also a few kinds of rape will stand tall enuff to be reached all winter long too.So really it all up to you. If your soil tests come back with bad news(poor soil)then you gonna need to figure out how you can get the best results for the least amount of cash.By this I mean select some seeds that do not need perfect soil to thrive and spend you cash “fixing” the plots you beleive will give you the best results(full sun, good moisture, easy acess for the deer). By far my favorite plot has to be the corn/bean combo plot, fresh brows all summer,large grains for the fall/winter and the option of over seeding with rape in september for fresh fall greens As far as buying round up ready, we have not paid a dime in 4 years now, we talked to the local co-op who gave us contact info for our local Pheasants Forever chapter, we tell them up front its for the deer but they know the pheasants will benifit also. They were right too I see pheasants coming and going ALL DAY! One thing to remember is that the deer may not hit your plots hard the first year, but they WILL come!

My dad buys his food plot corn from a local seed dealer, but he buys last year’s product at deeply discounted rate. For his needs, it has saved a ton of money and provided all the benefits it should.

When I sample a field I tell them what I am going to plant and then they will recommend what fertilizer to use. The recommendation will be for a maximum yeild per acre. I usually don’t use as much as they recommend.(I am not looking for 200 bu corn in my plots! I am happy with 100 bu per acre) much cheaper! Then rotate legumes to replace the nitrogen that the corn used up. after awhile you will find that you have built your soil up to the point that you may be able to plant soybeans or brassicas with little or no fertilizer and still get a good yeild.

My buddy farms in the north metro – he has his food plots down to a science. He estimates that the corn and soybeans and brasicas produces over 2 tons of forage for the deer, turkeys and other criters. One thing to watch out for in purchasing “name brand” products are fillers or
“Inert Matter” that is labeled on the back of these products. This filler is a weed based product vs. purchasing your definite product at a Co-op. By purchasing a correct product based upon the ph level on your soil, it will enable the product to respond better to the soil and location to which the seed is planted.
I’ve learned the hard way, by planting and hoping the seed comes up. By doing a ph sample first, it will resolve many of the headaches down the road.