The benefits of crop rotation

Some of us tend to find a crop that we like and plant it year after year. the 1st few years the crop looks good and then from about year 2 or 3 the brassicas, corn etc. tend to suffer from the lack of the proper nutrients. below is an example of a corn plot that was previously a clover plot that fixed nitrogen for 3 years. I only used 50# per acre of 9-23-30 fertilizer and This corn is about 8′ tall and has 2 cobs per stalk the days of cheap fertilizer is over so using a good crop rotation can save us allot of money and also provide healthier crops for the deer.

Looks great Bob ! I am going to have to rotate starting next summer !

I plan on rotating crops next year too! My brassica plots I plan on using winter wheat, and rotating the beans and corn. Thanks for the tips!

Great post Bob – Alfalfa is another great crop that the deer love which gives the standard corn/beans a good breather. If you’re doing a small plot of it, where you’re not harvesting the crop – plan on cutting it a touch more often to keep the deer in the new tender stuff. Early season especially in my neck of the woods, alfalfa can even keep them out of the beans.

Joel

Looks great Bob!!!

Thanks Bob for pointing out the importance of crop rotation.