Rotate Winter Food Plot Crops
Filed under: Ask Grant, Food Plots
My farm is located in a good ag area. Hence, we usually have good amounts of soybeans, alfalfa etc. that the deer do well on in the spring and summer.
I have planted turnips in August to provide good food production for the deer in December, January and February. I also mix in some clover with the turnip seed to give the deer something green to feed on in the spring. Can I continually plant the same food plots with turnips year after year and expect to get a good yield?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
There are two good reasons to rotate crops. The first is that each unique crop species usually uses specific micronutrients. Planting the same plot year after year with the same crop will cause a depletion of those micronutrients. They can be replaced by fertilizer if you use a very good fertility program that includes those specific micronutrients as well as adequate nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
The second reason is not as easy to address. There are pests specific to almost all crops. If the crops are not rotated, populations of these pests can build up to extremely high densities that can severely damage this or other crops.
I recommend rotating the clover/turnip blend with wheat or some other good quality forage crop. Wheat is very cold hardy, can be very nutritious and productive if planted and fertilized correctly, and is easy to grow. I’d reduce the risk of creating failure by practicing crop rotation.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
