Equipment we have is a 50 hp John Deere tractor with a 7' bush hog and 6' disc harrow and rake. I do believe we have access to a cultipacker as well.
We have taken soil samples in April of 2015 and they have come back ranging from 6.7 down to 5.2. So the lime in some areas seems to still be effective. N-P-K recommendations are 40-60-120 for all of the plots we tested. Current plan is to plant the higher pH soils as is this year and focus on fixing the lower ones beginning next year, since we decided to do this about a week before samples were taken.
Deer density in this area would be classified as high in my opinion. Our plots range in size from one acre to 1/3 with most being about 1/2 acre in size. We used to plant fall plots in September with mix of oat, wheat and rye. It came up okay but some plots had sparse areas between the plants.
We have planted cowpeas as noted in an earlier post but have since been demolished by the herd. We are looking into a good fall plot mix that can stand early grazing pressure but at the same time produce from early bow (Oct. 25) start date until late January/February at end of year. From reading posts on here clover overseeded with brassicas and grains sounds like a good start.
This can get really overwhelming with all the options but I am just trying to get an idea of where to start and maybe a few things to try as test plots this year.
I know this was a long post but they have plenty of details that I know are needed by some of the pros on here!!