What food plot crops work well in southwest Wisconsin?

By Grant Woods, 12/21/2015

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Question

Grant,
I look forward to each weeks video release, finding you and your team’s passion for deer management, hunting and general enjoyment of nature contagious!
I’m beginning to develop a small management plan along with my neighbor on our combined 65 or so acres and find your advice extremely helpful.
In our southwest Wisconsin area, baiting and feeding of deer is not legal at any time of the year (if I read the regulations correctly). Food plots can be created but mineral supplements cannot be used any time of the year. Do you have a suggestion on specific food plot plantings that would help supply minerals to lactating does, developing fawns and buck antler growth during the appropriate times throughout the year? We have a lot of surrounding ag related food sources and am working on 12 month food plot availability within our properties for when the ag sources are gone. I planted Eagle soybeans last year with great results and will continue to be part of my future plans. Considering a February frost seeding for a new plot with cerial rye/chicory/clover mix for this comming year as a perennial plot.
I feel your show and website is turning deer hunters like me into deer managers! Thank you for that,
Travis

Travis,

Thank you for sharing the encouraging words!

I’m glad you had success with Eagle Seed’s forage soybeans. Raw soybean seeds are very high in many minerals including calcium and phosphorous. See the following table. I really like a rotation of soybeans overseeded with a mix of radish, forage wheat, and brassicas. This blend of forages provides deer with a high quality source of protein and the radishes and brassicas are very good at transferring minerals from the soil to the consumer (deer).

In addition, all of species in this blend have small-sized seeds so they work well to be broadcast directly into standing beans during early August in your area. After this crops matures during the spring I simply treat it with glyphosate and plant another crop of forage soybeans. I’ve used this rotation for years and have been very blessed with the results and soil building qualities.

I like chicory but it’s a very tough crop to control weeds when mixed with clover. I’m not aware of any herbicide that’s safe to use for both clover and chicory. Without being able to control weeds, perennial plots rarely work well.

If I was establishing a perennial crop, I would plant a white clover and forage wheat. I simply allow the wheat to serve as a cover crop for the clover.

Enjoy creation,

grant

December 21, 2015

Amount Per 100 grams1 cup (186 g)1 cup (186 g)

Calories 830

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37 g	56%
Saturated fat 5 g	25%
Polyunsaturated fat 21 g
Monounsaturated fat 8 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0%
Sodium 4 mg	0%
Potassium 3,342 mg	95%
Total Carbohydrate 56 g	18%
Dietary fiber 17 g	68%
Sugar 14 g
Protein 68 g	136%