Follow our fall plot w Grandpa Rays Seed
Whitetail Deer
We have a 5 acre "L" shaped plot surrounded by woods and fringe habitat. Our 100 acres is surrounded by 3 big (for NE Ohio) parcels totalling about 1000 acres. Outside of these 1000 acres are farms which provide the deer a wide variety of choices for feed. These neighboring parcels are barely hunted. The deer like our remote thick cover to "live" in. Have had marginal success with growth on our plot past few seasons so decided to try Grandpa Rays seed recommendations this time around. This photo is one section of the "L" running north/south before we plowed it.
We decided to just brush hog, plow and disk, no round up - didn't want to take the extra time.
Once it was all plowed, my son disked it down several times to break it all up.
My son talked at length with John O'Brien at Grandpa Rays who listened well and understood our goals of attraction and retention throughout the fall and into the winter. For our 5 acres he recommended a test mix of #40 Frosty Delight, #50 LabLab, #50 Cow Peas, #40 Soybeans, #10 Sunn Hemp. In addition, he recommended that we plant one of the long borders with #25 of Fall Draw. This seed comes at a premium, so we decided not to second guess the mix and do it as suggested. If this mix works well, it will be called "Buffet Line".
My son disked the seed into the soil in a hurry because for the first time in weeks a good rain storm was predicted to come during that night. The seed went into the ground the evening of Tuesday, August 9th.
Before the sun went down we had visitors. Whitetail deer sure are nosey. We are overpopulated with deer, especially does. We can't seem to take enough does to get things in balance.
Now the interesting part: The rain came as planned and this is what popped out after only 4 days! To say the least, we were very impressed! This is the Buffet Line test blend, the next pic is of the Fall Draw which although still impressive is behind the blend in growth.
I have to chuckle....I busted my butt to get my small foodplot completely ready to plant, rolled, seeded, and re-rolled....on August 9th. Then got torrential rain for 5 days straight....my seed is probably floating past Bigpizzaman's tree stand in Louisiana right about now.....and the bottom 6 feet of BPM's stand is also under water.....
John O'Brion recommended that I use Grains and Greens, based on my soil sample.
This is the edge planting - Fall Draw after 4 days!
I hear you Medicineman! We were worried about that too, but although we got lots of rain the next few days, the ground soaked it all up and I think we are ok!
The next post will be Wednesday to show the plot after a week in the ground. If anyone is interested, we are on the edge of Mahoning and Columbiana Counties in Northeast Ohio.
I look forward to the pictures...
Looking good Steve. Keep us posted.
That's what I'm afraid of Pat! They may just mow this plot down as it comes up! We'll be documenting that as things progress.
And we agree, John was very helpful and listened as well as shared good, helpful information. His follow up was excellent too.
Looks great Steve. Looking forward to Wednesday's pics.
I ordered seed from John as well. I planted on Tuesday before rain and by Friday I had an unbelievable amount of sprouts in just 3 days. I went and took a quick look tonight and I have 4" oats in a week.
Rit, very nice! I'll be posting an update photo of ours tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 days.
Just put a few bags of GrandPa Ray's seeds in the ground this past week.
Grandpa Rays/John are the bomb.......kind of like having a life coach for food plots!
Mark
I broadcast fall draw and frosty delight mixed together over some production soybeans on 8/6/2016. We had a quick rain shower soon after, but it was not much. I took the swisher trail mower through the beans on several passes to get some light in more spots. There were several spots that sunlight was already reaching the ground from deer usage.
To my delight there was a ton of germination on 8/13/2016 with plants at about 1 inch or more. We will see how this plot turns out as the soybeans leafs drop.
I appreciate the comments and input everyone. The picture attached here is just 7 full days after planting! The "Buffet Line" (our custom mix) from Grandpa Rays is performing well above expectations. As you can see, the plants are around 4" on average. Granted, since the night my son planted it we have had perfect growing conditions with warm days, warm nights rain and sun..... but to think that it is only one week in seems amazing to me. Very happy so far. The question is, will the growth keep up with the browse? It's 5 full acres so we shall see.
Another shot of the "Buffet Line" looking down on it after only 7 days since planting.
This the "Fall Draw" seed that we planted along the east boundary of the plot. ALthough it is coming in nicely after only 7 days, it is lagging behind the "Buffet Line" significantly.
I'm a little surprised at the recommendation to plant what I would consider to be a summer planting this late in the year. All recommendations I have seen for Lab soybeans and cow peas are for a May/June planting date.
MIKE...this is a little trick of mine. Instead of using peas and oats as a companion crop/nurse crop, when there is heat in the forcast and if your planting early enough, consider my four galore as the nurse crop. Here is what you get. You get nitrogen fixation and palatable forages to draw deer into your brassica plots. I can get deer to eat anything out on grandpa rays farm but for those that have issues with deer hitting your brassicas early, this is a way to get them use to your plots.
I have plenty of more tricks and all of you will have the ability to enjoy them after september 15th with a release of a state of the art program.
Other tricks for fall plantings. I loveeeeeeeee my fall draw and many are seeing the results this year. The annual clovers draw the deer in early and keep them in that all season plot.
I am also testing some cold tolerant annuals and will have 2 mixes next year that contain plantain. Yes, i am admitting that plantain is rocket fuel and a big buck magnet.
UPDATE: This photo is exactly 14 days after the seed went into the ground. Pretty amazing in our opinion. It is 6-8 inches on average across the whole 5 acre plot. Next pic following this will be a closer up shot.
This is taken the same day (14 days in) and enables a better view of the growth. It is about 6-8 inches everywhere. You may also be able to see the browse damage as it is extensive and widespread. That said, there is new growth under the browsed areas. So far so good!
It does look great. I won't hijack your thread with photos of my plot anymore but mine is growing great also. Apparently I seed like a drunken sailor though. We had storms moving in and I had a little seed left so I filled in the bare spots.
Thanks everyone. We are wondering if we should have planted earlier to give it more time, but it's too early to tell I guess. Also wondering if it's enough to stand up to the heavy browsing. The deer are in it every day......big time.
This is a copy of the letter I just sent John. Can't go wrong with GrandPa Rays!!! My Real World soybeans I bought off you fell to failure while battling what I call the perfect storm . Due to the size of the plot, they were over browsed by deer, groundhogs and rabbits. Along with the unprecedented drought and hot weather we had here, they didn't have a chance. Most years with good moisture, they were able to stay ahead of the critters and although they don't ussually get real tall, they produced pods.
Enter GrandPa Ray. On July 28th with the prediction of rain, I went ahead and broadcast 2 bags of Grains & Greens and 1 bag of Frosty Delight along with 5#'s of buckwheat over the beans. Well no rain showed up and one week later I very little to no germination - only some of the buckwheat and in a few damper spots some Frost Delight. One week later we started to get some rain on a pretty regular basis and low and behold , you see the results. Most of this growth occurred in the last 10 days. It's pretty amazing what some rain can do. The beans are also coming along too and still providing forage.
Thanks GrandPa Rays! Now I just have to get the deer to eat it!!! LOL! I now have a camera on the plot and I'll be sending you more photos as I get them. Thanks for all you help and great seed.
Thanks guys. My curse is that i am a perfectionist and am always working on something better. I do have some tweaks to everything but I always like testing things 1-2 years before releasing them.
Sept 15th you all will see G.R.O 365 released and this will be the most technology advanced program in the US. It's my final piece to my vision that i've been working 25 towards.
As you can see, the plot is growing into a thick deer magnet. The buffet line is averaging 8-10 inches tall already and is holding its own against our seriously high browse pressure. The plants that have been nipped are showing new growth instead of wilting like most brands do. This truly is an awesome product.
Here is a few pictures taken at the 21 day mark.
This one is the fall draw draw blend at 21 days. Although it's much slower growing, it is filling in nicely.
Just can't wait to see what the trail cam is showing in this stuff. I hung it today and we will post the hit list as it unfolds.
As you can probably tell, Ohio Brad is my son and posted the above update on our plot. It's doing great!
Looking good guys. Need any help with the heavy browse problem?
Great thread! Plots look great!!
Thanks guys we are very pleased so far.
Being on the West Cost, it's just really cool to watch you guys do this...Thanks for sharing!
Great looking plot SteveB. Did you purchase the seed local or online? I live just south of you near columbiana.
My plot was growing great when we were getting regular rain. It's been dry 2 weeks now and it's starting to wilt pretty bad. Next week they are calling for 90s and dry. I think it may do my plot in. A shame really. The early growth has been great.
Ike, glad you are enjoying it. Although my son has been doing all the work, it should be worth the effort here in a few weeks. We're getting the camers out now.
Rebelcat, we got our seed from Grandpa Rays who is a site sponsor here. You can click and follow the link. Great products and great service.
www.grandparayoutdoors.com
i ship all across the US.
Thanks SteveB and nutritionist. I will definitely try the product. We have three small 1/2 to 3/4 acre plots at our lease already planted and have permission to put plots in at two other property's in the future. Is it to late to add anything to them this sept?
And Andy..... Of course you'd be welcome anytime!!
Rebelcat, I would highly recomend a brassicas/ turnip mix for planting right away. It should be a great late season plot. I have planted this late before with good results on a cold hardy mix. I would take a long hard look at grandpa rays frosty delight blend.
From the website:
This Annual blend is designed for maximum nutrition for mid Fall through early winter grazing. The Kale and Winfred brassicas stay green under temperatures as low as 5 degrees. This high protein blend gives one maximum protein and minerals per acre. 40% Winfred Brassica 25% Forage Radish 25% Forage Turnip 10% Kale
Ok so here's the update on our plot at 28 days. The deer have been hammering this thing and it still grows on strong. The big broad leaf beans have mostly been mowed to the ground and the cow peas are hanging in there. sun hemp and colder weather plants are now taking hold and rocking and rolling. This custom mix is working amazingly well and I really appreciate the wisdom and input from grandpa rays. Here is some updated pictures.
It is a mix with several varieties of cold hardy plants including eutheopian cabbage, brassicas, turnips but the clover is berseem clover and crimson clover. The other half of the plot is soy beans,cow peas, sunhemp, lab lab. Kale,radish, and Winfred brassica.
The berseem and crimson were slower to come on but have taken off nicely, they should be young tender little deer snacks about the time you want to get comfy in your stand. If you got your seed from grandpa rays, you won't have to wonder....plant it and they will come. Easiest and best growing plot I've personally planted and I didn't do anything different, just great seed. I beleive the clover seed may have a growth promoter in the mix but he can chime in on that one.
Yep, this plot is rockin for sure. Brad did a good job on it, and kudos to the great seed as well. I hope we take some deer on it, but no doubt it will keep them close by. In the past we have battled weeds....but not this time. It's just plain great!
I have just started to dabble in making a foodplot this year. I cleared a small area of woods (just under 1/2 acre), and found that my soil was terrible.....pH of 4.8, VERY low calcium, low nitrogen, etc.. When I sent a copy of my soil profile to Pat, his first response was "Yikes!!"
The local County extension recommended eleven tons of lime per acre....THAT's how bad my soil profile was. Obviously, I couldn't add 5 tons of lime in one application. Instead, I did three, 1,000 pound applications of pelletized lime...one in May, one in June, and one in late July, just before the only rain we had gotten in almost two months.
Even weeds were having a difficult time growing....throughout this, I continue to bombard Pat LeFemine and Mad Trapper with hundreds of newbie questions. What I realized is that it is probably going to take this plot at least a couple years (if not longer), to morph into a foodplot with soil good enough to grow typical foodplot crops. I also realized that this process is addictive!!
Luckily, I found a deal on some topsoil (about 1,000 pounds). In the very middle of the foodplot, I applied that 1/2 ton of topsoil. I put it in the middle of the field for two reasons.....1.) Maximum sunlight 2.) The foodplot is small enough that IF I could get something to grow in the middle of the foodplot, I would be able to hunt from any one of the four blinds/treestands that I intend to place around the plot ( one of each side of the plot). That way, regardless of wind direction, I always have a downwind blind or stand that I can hunt from. The topsoil probably covered a 10 yard by 20 yard rectangle in the very middle of the plot....the entire plot is a rectangle about 40 yards by 60 yards in size.
I purchased a bag of Grandpa Ray's Grains and Greens. After tilling the soil on August 8th, I rolled the plot, broadcast the seed, and then re-rolled. That night, for the first time in a long time, we got rain.....1.4 inches in less than four hours, to be exact. The next morning, the plot had several 6"-8" mini-ravines in it because there was no root system to hold the soil. I envisioned much of my seed somewhere in the next counties watershed by midmorning.
One week later, I visted the plot. there were a few sprouts here and there....but clearly, the area that was enriched with topsoil had CONSIDERABLY more growth than any other part of the plot. This suggested that my seed removal by erosion was minimized by re-rolling after I had broadcast the seed.
It also confirmed how crappy most of my soil was. If you look at this photo, you can see a rather green area flanked by a lot of browner areas. You guessed it....the green area is the area that had the topsoil applied. Need less to say, next Spring, in addition to adding more lime, I am going to bring in more topsoil, and till it in over the entire foodplot....especially those areas NOT covered by my little "experiment".
Another photo showing the significant difference between the "topsoiled" area, and the low pH, high clay content in the adjacent soil of the foodplot.
Steve, it looks wet, is that from a rain, or morning dew...Also, once planted, how often are you getting rain to keep it going?
I would be willing to bet that next Fall (after I have added more topsoil), my entire plot will look like this.....without waiting a couple years to get the soil there on its own.
I have been hunting this area for fifteen years. I have taken one respectable eight point with a 20" spread from this area....and this year, I have three completely different bucks on cameras that are comparable to the one that I killed years ago....more bears, too.
Right now, this foodplot is my number #3 place to hunt.....but I could see it moving up in a year or two.....
Just thought I would update you on the progress of the GrandPa Ray food plot. These pictures were taken 10 days after the previous ones approx. 5 weeks after sowing. Since we got our last rain about 2 weeks ago, it has pretty much doubled in size in that time since the last pictures. Now with no rain and back to drought conditions, it has pretty much stagnated. Pray for rain. Will definitely be using John O'Brion's GrandPa Rays seed next year also.
Everyone looks at what is growing above the ground but Grandpa Ray Outdoors is an ALL WEATHER food plot company. I am a mad scientist when it comes to food plot blends. There is a rhyme and reason behind each blend. I know Pat loves the grains and greens and it's pretty much full proof but i'm gonna twist Pat's arms when it comes to fall draw. When you see these pics from Ohio it mimics what many clients report this year.
The crimson and berseem clovers "feed" the other growing brassicas as they will fixate a lot of nitrogen once the get going.
Here is my my seed grows so well in dry as well as wet. I use a natural growth promoter that i think i'm the ony food plot company that uses it. It gets fast germination and helps get "ROOTS" under the plant.
I also do not use coated seed. You get what you pay for, which is high germ count and pure live seed. It's the best germination counts i can buy and with as fresh of seed that contains low weed seed counts. These things matter more than many know and i hope my postings help educate how the "little things" make a big difference.
Pat, not all berseems are the same. I also am testing frosty ferseem and balansa fixation clovers. You all will see them in my lineup next year and will take this thing to another level of growth and cold tolerance.
I have a buffet or grocery approach to my food plot layout and it has always worked well for me. If you plant in strips or we rooms with different maturation rates and attraction times it will draw and hold deer all season long. For example when my beans and peas die ba k from frost, my brassica and turnips will be cranking. I'm not a big fan of clover as an attractant but after my arm twisted by John , I planted the clovers in the mix and the resulsts speak for themselves. I am very very happy with the cow peas and lab lab. Our Ohio deer will walk through fire and broken glass to get to beans or peas and that was my reason for not planting clover. But the clover has helped the rest of my plants grow at way faster and healthier rates. I cant wait to get my hands on some of what grandpa rays has coming out for next year!
To answer the rain question, we have been getting good solid rains several times a week with humid warm nights. I has been a great growing season here.
Ive got frosty delight planted in 3 different plots. Planted it 3 weeks ago today and it is growing very well. I have planted straight radishes in the past and really look forward to seeing how this combination of seed attracts deer this year. I spread the seed out in a carrier of 75lbs of potash (0-0-60) and 75lbs of MAP (11-52-00)
I used the buffet last year that you see brad using. I think this is 2 years of seeing enough of the buffet approach that i'm going to recommend more people to use my four galore as a "nurse crop" with the fall draw as the main mix. The soybeans and cowpeas are fixating nitrogen and growing really fast, this allows the slower growing annual clovers to kick in around week 3 and the rest of the brassicas to follow suit. This gives one major tonnage, 3 tiers of nutrition and then you also get the winfred brassica for late gun and bow season and the rutabaga for the winter bulbs. I think this is an overlooked strategy, especially for all you southern boys and people who live where it stays a bit hotter later into the season.
Ok it's time for the weekly update. It's day 35 (5 weeks) and I couldn't beleive the growth that has happened over the last week. It has exploded and the brassicas and turnips have come on very strong. The trail camera showed 128 videos of deer eatting in this plot for extended periods of time, yet the plot grows on. The beans and peas are starting to vine up the the cold weather plants and this mix is going to be absolutely killer as it will draw them early bow Season through the frigid cold. The buffet or cafeteria approach has always worked good for me, but it has never been able to get fully established before the browse pressure killed it back. This seed has erupted from the ground on a mission and the deer can't even keep up with the growth. See the 35 day pictures below.. Brad's buffet is officially open.
I'm going to ask you to scroll back to the top and look at this field only 5 weeks ago. Good weather, great seed and some hard work (also fun work).. the results speak for themselves.
Good pics and update Brad, this plot is really rockin! Can't wait to hunt over it soon!
Looking good guys. When does your hunting season start?
Bow season starts Sept 24th.
Two days before I get back from Rocking R :)
This plot is exactly what i'm trying to get across to people. My background is managed intensive grazing. The species i use i choose for their fast growth and ability to tolerate grazing pressure.
Winfred brassica, pasja forage turnip, kale, radishes, berseem and crimson clovers are all MULTI GRAZE. What that means as when a deer eats the plant, they keep regrowing. This is sort of why eagle and real world soybeans appeal to many people over regular farm beans.
Where many people are use to using oats or grains in the fall to attract deer early, i am a nutritionist and i use berseem clover, crimson clover and in cases like brad's plot, the cowpeas and soybeans. As a result your getting way more protein and minerals going into your deers mouth's.
The "cafeteria style approach was taught to me 25 years ago as it was brought over to the US from new zealand. Their land base is small and they need to maximize the use of every foot of their land. This is what i want people to think about with food plots. Your plots are limited, maximize nutrition per foot.
Should i name this mix after brad and release it next year????
Whatever you call it, I want some of it for one of my Missouri plots next year.
James
I will release the rights to " Brad's buffet" lol... oh and just to make sure the Michigan boys don't feel left out I'll also release the rights to Buckeye Buffet..GO Buckeye's
I vote for "Brad's Buffet Blend" Of course, being my son, I'm a little partial :) We have had some good growth weather, but this seed has performed exceptionally. The best plot we have ever grown.
Just another update from Pa. These pics are of the large plot of Grains & Greens and Frosty Delight. It grew an another third its size from 2 weeks ago after getting some more rain. It now stands 20 to 24"s tall- knee high on me. Full of large turnips and radishes and major tonnage of large green forage. Can't go wrong with John O'Brion's- GrandPa Ray's seed.
This young guy is a happy customer!
x-master, that is a fine looking food plot. Nice job. And you are correct, you just can't hardly mess up using grandpa rays seed. It makes us all look good. The deer sure don't complain about either.
My friend planted some inner sanctum also in ohio and he was very sceptical about the shade and tree cover hindering the growth. Below is 2 week pictures of his little kill plot. Look at how dense the over head cover is, yet it's growing.
First picture is week 1
Thanks Brad and thanks for letting me post on your thread. The seed is just pretty tough to beat!
"My friend planted some inner sanctum also in ohio and he was very sceptical about the shade and tree cover hindering the growth. Below is 2 week pictures of his little kill plot"
sorry guys, what is going here? inner sanctum?
Here is my inner sanctum. Extreme shade and never planted in my lifetime.
What was the pH of the soil where the inner sanctum was planted? Expecting lower than average pH (as a result of all of the tannens that the leaves would have left behind), any speculation about how the soil will support such growth?
I'm not sure what his pH was in that deep woods application. But it is growing like crazy. It's going to be an awesome attractant to pull them in range.
6 week update on my grandpa rays food plot. It has all reached the knee high level now and is filling out into huge plants with tons of forage. These deer have been in the plot everyday and you can't tell at all due to the extreme regrowth of nipped off plants. Every bean that was nipped has new growth coming out. I cant hardly beleive how this is growing. Thanks again grandpa rays!!!
Medicine man, note that that soil in the inner sanctum area is in an area close to the soil i tested that was 5.5 pH, and it still grew 5' tall winfred brassica. Remember the secret to low pH soils is having a lot of organic matter and using my humic booster and micro nutrients are a part of the puzzle. The organic growth promoters on my seed also is another huge factor in the inner sanctum growth.
grandpa rays inner sanctum
Nice work Brad. Can hardly wait to sit that plot!
These does sure liked the cafeteria approach.
You guys better quit while you're money ahead. Food plots are addictive.....and can get expensive!! I'm thinking about taking up stock car racing instead. Might be cheaper in the long run;>)
Awesome looking plots BTW!!
Man, those plots look great. Good luck guys.
lmao @ t-roy
A wise old man a few years ago said to me, the biggest benefit one can get out of planting a food plot is the experience. It's a way of becoming a "farmer."
I find myself in my food plots 3-4 times a week. For me it's not work but it's stress relief. To me food plots tickle my brain more than if i was planting corn or soybeans that take 100-150 days to see the fruits of our labors.
Weekly update number 7. this seed was planted only 49 days ago today. This was an experimental mix utilizing the cafeteria approach. we like to call it the deer buffet. they have been doing their best to eat as much as they can but to my amazement it just keeps growing bigger and fuller. the Radished are getting huge and the plant tops have all filled out. the beans and peas that the deer cant stop eatting just keep coming back with new growth. Grandpa rays seed has far exceeded any expectation i had going into this. It has made the effort so worth while and seeing the thick green plats makes you want to do even more next year. if you have had a hard time in the past as i have, please try this seed. you wont beleive your eyes.
Notice the browse damage and regrowth on these plants.
Fall draw growing like crazy.
Plot looks great Brad. I have very good results but for some reason the deer are not eating my plot yet. I planted fall draw, frosty delight and also mixed in a bit of grains and greens. The growth has been outstanding some of the plot is thigh high. I did loose some to dry weather and I have some yellowing in other parts. I thought of hitting it with Urea before it gets too cold. It definitely grew well though. I'll be planting more next year. I just need to figure out this soil.
What is the plant with the large, whitish root?
That is a radish. Depending on the mix either forage or Daikon.
That is correct. It is a daikon radish.
Rit, They should be hitting the plants for sure. The most prominent browse will probably be on the fall draw at this point,look at the cabbage tips and berseem clover for browse. the frosty delight will get hammered as soon as it gets a few good hard Frost's and it sweetens up. That's why I really like this style of planting. Beans and peas with leafy clovers and Ethiopian cabbage / rape for early browse and the brassica turnip bulby frosty delight for later in the season. After the tops get gobbled up you will notice them digging in the snow to pop the radishes and turnips out of the groumd. it will also help loosen your soil. If you plant a similar blend next year, mix in some four galore and lab lab as a nurse crop. The blend in my bigger field will be available next year as a members mix from grandpa rays
Two little bucks in our plot probably fighting over the Grandpa Ray's plants :) Click the "supporting link"
And here's another video from the plot
In the July newsletter i posted 10 reasons why deer wont hit your food plots early. I have been in a handful of plots the past 3 weeks where deer were eating grains and greens, frosty delight and fall draw. In edit mode, sulfur, sulfur sulfur...then look to see if there is insect or plant disease issues, next what did your soil test say? Send to me.
OR
take a scissors cut sample at 4" above the ground and fill a gallon size bag. Send it to me and i'll get a plant tissue reading.
Guys, i'm also purchasing a refractometer and brix readings will tell you a lot. Check with your local crop consultants and see if they have one.
John,
For the record I completely blame the end user and not the product. I just wanted to clear that up.
I haven't had much luck with anything growing here and growth is not my issue.
I didn't get a soil sample from this exact location but it was within 100 yards. The nutrients were low very low and the PH was high 7.3 to be exact. I put down 50 lbs of sulfur and 300lbs of triple 19 before the 1 acre plot was tilled up. I do have some insect damage on some of the plants.
If I cut the plants 4" above ground does it need to all be the same type or can it be all the different plants in the plot?
I appreciate your willingness to help get this right.
if it is just one type of plant with deficiency symptoms,then only sample those. If it's a pure brassica blend, and issues are across the board then send those.
What I did the past couple days and will continue to do now and in thr future is take multiple samples of all my mixes to create a baseline and norm so as to compare and help spot changed. Many testing labs don't have a lot of repetitions on some of these forages as very few food plotters, businesses and universities have sent very many samples into the labs. This is why there is so little research and a lot of wild claims versus facts in the industry. I am a fact guy and have got my hands dirty and have looked at 10s of thousands of forage samples and soil samples over the years and get driven wild when i read some of the claims some of these big name companies are using when I know for a fact they are not "the norm".
Call or email me more information so i can clear it up more thoroughly.
Week 8 update: 2 months in now and the plants are getting hammered by deer. The south end of the plot is seems to be getting the heaviest pressure but the plats are still pushing along. The clover is getting really thick and tall and the brassicas are very dense. The deer pressure seems to have increased, maybe due to the cooler temps. The plants in this mix have all far exceeded my expectations and they keep growing right through the browse. Some of the diakon radishes are almost as big as my wrist. I can't beleive the growth and hardiness of this mix.
Notice the intense browse pressure on the tips of these plants
Really looking good Brad! Who would have ever thought it would be that thick and dense?
This is why for 3 years ive been trying to show my genetics matters. Not all brassicas are multi graze. Not all brassicas repel insects and plant diseases as well as others. Not all brassicas are as sweet and tasty as others. The cheap rape and hunter genetics are what the industry uses and i can buy that stuff for 1/2 the cost. I believe Brads plots from day 5 has showed not just you all but hopefully other companies out there to look at spending for top quality. I'd equate this to crop farmers spending a little more money on better genetics and paying $200-250 a bag for seed corn verses some $150 a bag stuff that doesn't have the improved traits and yield potential.
Downside I told Brad today was, you have to now think like a farmer and realize that the higher yielding plots that the deer hammer will mine more nutrients from the soil. Poor to average plots don't require the groceries but this type of top end plot you need to continue to put more into it to keep it looking like this not just this year but year 2-4.
My 2 cents. I'm very very pleased with Brads efforts and trust in me.
I really appreciate the knowledge you are willing to share. It shows your desire to help the customer not just your bank account. That type of service is very rare in a company these days.
Like you recomended,I will be adding 100 lb per acre of 19/19/19 to ward off the soil demons
Just finally got back down from my property and here are a few shots of my "Grand Pa Ray's" 65 days out from planting. I finally took a rule back to measure the height just because I couldn't believe how high it was growing. It is actually so high and thick that the deer are somewhat reluctant to wade into the middle and are primarily working the ends and edges at this point. The turnip is the size of a softball. If you aren't using Grand Pa Rays, Shame on you for 6 weeks! Also saw two of my "Wish List" bucks hammering my clover plot on Tues. evening- too far for a shot but it will come - I'm confident with G.R.O.
Sorry for the delay this week, here is week 9 pictures of the mature food plot. You will notice the radishes and brassicas are still going strong but the beans and peas have all dropped leaves and died back. The plot is transferring itself over to a cold weather plot. This is why I really love the planting of all these species at one time.all I had to do was plow and plant once and I have an active plot from August through January. I'm very very happy with the years results and I can promise next year I'll have more plots and more grandpa rays seed varieties. I will now go to every 2 weeks updates on the cold weather plot.
Notice the yellow color change. This is where fertilizer comes in. The intense growth has depleted the soil and I will be adding to compensate for next season.
Brad didn't say that he has a couple of shooter bucks on camera that he's targeting. Big 8 points that probably should be removed from the herd. We also took a big mature doe from the plot and could have killed more every single time in the stand.
Now that archery season has wound down, thought I would share these pics of the turnips and radishes in my Grand pa Ray food plot. Not only did the tops go to 36 to 40 inches tall the bulbs are huge.
Congratulations on your obvious success with your plot.
Any chance of some pictures in the snow? How it stands?
I am in northern Michigan and have spoken with John on the cafeteria mix.
Not really trying to give you more work, but I would like to know what you may be planning for next year's follow up.
I can use all of the help that I can get.
Brad's cafeteria mix is a homerun on many levels. It fixates nitrogen, feeding the current crop and next years. The legumes bring in deer earlier in the season. The bulbs give winter forage. The radishes loosen the soil, uptake nutrients where they will be released when they rot down next spring. It also will give off soil exudates which reduce weed growth for next year.
early fall picture of the cafeteria mix
Later fall picture of the cafeteria mix. Note there is screening to the left side so I can get into my gun stand and there is a corn field on the right. This set up created a major funnel and a cow type path from behind me, passing very close to my stand. This is where I had at times over 50 deer in front of me feeding on the variety of feed sources.
