No Till Food Plots - So Easy
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Dang! You need to start taking some more deer or add more food.
The plots were hit hard this year, but between myself and the neighbors around 20 does on 800-1000 acres were killed - that was probably needed in our neighborhood, to be honest. I am always assessing and will continue to do so as we enter next year.
Due to terrain and my time is limited this year - creating more green spaces is probably not an option this year. I am near 10 acres in plots, if you add some of the natural glove rights of ways, it's north of 10. Plus neighbors have some as well.
As you saw in the one video- I had an utter failure, I admit it! Not all things go as planned and managing for better soil, deer quality, etc. is fluid and sometimes you must control the deer with the "trigger".
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My cousin did - I’d have to ask him, it was pretty slick last time we tried using it.
I think it would be beneficial to see how different your place looks compared to a land close that has had nothing done.
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Neat idea!! Lot of closed canopy forest and clear cuts around. Honestly I’m fortunate to have around 1500-2000 acres of land owners who all want bigger and better deer so most have plots, feeders, etc.
I will say this and probably be better typed on my computer but I’ll try it via phone and edit later.
My process of doe harvest quotas is as follows
1. Observational counts while hunting
2. Reviewing time stamps on cameras and relating it to each location and time stamp - therefore I can get rough idea of number of does on farm at one time, in front of cameras. I can then assume a slight increase from that we’re out of cameras or in a bottom - conservatively let’s say +2 variance from the mean.
3. Driving around observation
4. Studying foodplot browse and exclusion fence in relation to browse - specifically for larger fields (1+ acre). I also know what plots are more traditionally browsed heavier than others so again if I see a plot that’s not in a traditional heavy browse location - heavily browsed - I take note.
5. Study native browse. When I see green briar and mfr browsed heavily - this is concerning to me. When I can’t find an acorn on a good year for acorns - that is concerning. When I see the black berry brambles as thick as my pinky browsed off - that’s concerning.
6. Talk to neighors and see what they did last year and plan to harvest this year.
I won’t ever make a decision to harvest does based on one criteria. However if and when I combine these all together - I feel confident in my ability to make a good, harvest or non harvest decision.
AT
Stressless
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yes sir! I need to get new ones up on a few fields but as of now - I have them on about 60% of my fields. Need to stop being lazy and get them on all of them.
below are two pics of them and I think in one of my rambling videos I talk about it as well.
notice the height of grains in this pic inside the cage vs. unnoticeable outside.
The bottom picture was 2 years ago. That coupled with heavy deer browse on native browse and all the other boxes checked in my above “formula” for doe harvest is why I decided to smack does this year.
here is an example of examining browse on a blackberry bramble. That’s a hungry deer!
Ps. Rye is my favorite crop. If I had to just use one plant - that would be it. No doubt.
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Field Work
Farmer hosts Zach Johnson, Mitchell Hora, and Tara Vander Dussen talk sustainable agriculture with other conventional farmers in a podcast that covers what works, what doesn't and why.
www.fieldworktalk.org
This is a podcast I recently found- farmers from Washington County Iowa, talking all about no-till/regen AG. I have only listened to an ep. or two so far but I have followed Mitch for some time on social media, and have found him extremely interesting.
As I have said before, I think it is always best to get information from as many credible resources as possible and then form your own conclusion. Do not only listen to a "deer guy", inversely don't only listen to a single Ph.D. or single buddy, and 100% don't only listen to me!!!
An analogy I like to use; if your truck was running poorly and you took it to a mechanic, he gave you an astronomical price to fix it and gave mention to the root cause as one that you did not believe could be the issue - would you take it elsewhere or maybe a few other places for recommendations? Sure thing! We all would!!
Read, listen, observe, and make your own plan - specific to your land, from the information you have garnered.
Thank you all for following along.
AT
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Absolute an amazing resource from Merit Seed!
Google Drive: Sign-in
Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).
drive.google.com
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2021 soil samples are in, the OM readings are fairly variable over the past 5 years. However, I am not upset. I stopped tilling completely 2-3 years ago. Some of these fields were cleared with a dozer prior to that and the consistency in which I took samples varied (time of year, moisture in the soil, etc.). After speaking with a few friends who are biologists and I respect greatly, I have decided to put more emphasis on the observational analysis of the soil and use standard soil tests as a measure of trend, over decades. I am very excited that I will need next to NO inputs, for the 4th year in a row, across the entire farm!
Build Better Soil!
DIRT is what we will be buried in, SOIL is what life is built upon!
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The beauty and benefits of diversity from a soil health perspective is well documented and discussed
But why is it important from a deer feeding perspective? Well because when you have a monoculture and it’s gone, it’s gone.
With a diverse planting mix that can withstand and last throughout the winter - as spring green up occurs, your deer will have a great food source and so will your soils!
But why is it important from a deer feeding perspective? Well because when you have a monoculture and it’s gone, it’s gone.
With a diverse planting mix that can withstand and last throughout the winter - as spring green up occurs, your deer will have a great food source and so will your soils!
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I was invited to speak on this podcast all about soil health and most importantly the resources that people can use to learn about soil health, from those far smarter and more experienced than I.
Thanks to Ty Miller for having me on. Absolute honor to be asked to discuss this topic that I am so passionate about, and far from an expert on. Truly humbling.
I appreciated the invite greatly and the conversation was a great one.
podcasts.apple.com
Thanks to Ty Miller for having me on. Absolute honor to be asked to discuss this topic that I am so passionate about, and far from an expert on. Truly humbling.
I appreciated the invite greatly and the conversation was a great one.
All Things Soil With Al Tomechko (SAH 22)
Podcast Episode · Small Acre Hunting Podcast · 03/26/2021 · 1h 44m
podcasts.apple.com
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Absolutely brilliant Youtube video here on compost teas but an overall great review of the micro-biome in soil.
Timestamps to listen to 29.95 -Discussing the diversity of the microorganisms in the soil, and explaining root exudates, further explanation about the diminishing diversity of MO as we get closer to the roots - the reason is that the plant is now selecting the specific organisms/nutrients it wants/needs. The activity of the MO that are selected increases as they get closer to the plant roots. This is why diversity in plantings helps to unlock various micro-organism activity levels in the soils, the rye grain might want X whereas the clover wants Y, and this also may vary throughout the growing season, soil type, etc. This is not a homogenous rule for plants, assuming that 1+1=2 but more so that 1+1=3 -through diversity in planting and increasing the soil's microbiome activity.
Time Stamp - 45mins- interesting that there are exudates in the brew, that would also be there even if you cooked the tea to kill off all the micro-organism. These exudates are similar to what is all around the plant roots in the natural process. This can help to show plant growth, even without the increased MO activity in the tea or compost extract.
Time Stamp 50 - Application rate (in metric so I converted for yall) 100L to Hectare (at the high end) this is equivalent to 26.5 gallons per .5 acres. This was the higher end but something to think about, when you see/read the "jug in a bug" fertilizers sold to the deer/gardening world, how much would we even need to apply to make a positive impact? When is the best time to apply? According to this video they highlight that when a seed is germinating there is exudation occurring, this is possibly the best time to apply high microbial sprays to help those exudates immediately communicate with positive microbes. Foliar sprays are also discussed but not as in-depth in this video. Lastly, in other videos/books - I have read that added nutrients in already high fertile soils are less than impressive yields generated, whereas in poor soils - this can have a greater impact. Food for thought on where you may or may not want to spend your hard-earned monies.
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Contd:
Time Stamp 53 - Great explanation of Plant genome, Micro-organism genome, and root exudates (how these two communicate) - as this science evolves, they will be able to naturally breed plants that need nitrogen, and communicate through root exudates to the microbes that carry the needed N, in this case, to the plant. This is fascinating! As this science and modifications occur the need for synthetic fertilizers, could be assumed to be far less, as the plants, root exudates, and microbes will be functioning through symbiosis on their own! Very cool!!
Time Stamp 53.54 - Explaining how microbes protect plants from disease - when the microbes in the soil are reduced, disease is more likely. Integrated strategies (diversity, microbe focus, etc.) can help to reduce input needs on pesticides/herbicides but not to eliminate them - good to keep on the side, if and when it is needed.
Time Stamp 57 - Going over the importance of the micro-biome to each soil type and plant growth. Further promoting it is not the plant type that is nearly as important as the soil type and health, that will drive the growth and health of the plant. Goes a bit into depth on how/why it would be beneficial to continue to save seeds, and then replant to continue to help efficient gene adaptation to the specific microbiome.
Like most academic pieces, I find much of it fascinating but not all of it applicable to my situation and others. However, I believe there to be enough here of great value and summarization (if nothing else) of important considerations around the microbiome and impacts on plants - that it is worth sharing.
Thank you all for following along!
Build Better Soil!
DIRT is what we will be buried in, SOIL is what life is built upon!
Time Stamp 53 - Great explanation of Plant genome, Micro-organism genome, and root exudates (how these two communicate) - as this science evolves, they will be able to naturally breed plants that need nitrogen, and communicate through root exudates to the microbes that carry the needed N, in this case, to the plant. This is fascinating! As this science and modifications occur the need for synthetic fertilizers, could be assumed to be far less, as the plants, root exudates, and microbes will be functioning through symbiosis on their own! Very cool!!
Time Stamp 53.54 - Explaining how microbes protect plants from disease - when the microbes in the soil are reduced, disease is more likely. Integrated strategies (diversity, microbe focus, etc.) can help to reduce input needs on pesticides/herbicides but not to eliminate them - good to keep on the side, if and when it is needed.
Time Stamp 57 - Going over the importance of the micro-biome to each soil type and plant growth. Further promoting it is not the plant type that is nearly as important as the soil type and health, that will drive the growth and health of the plant. Goes a bit into depth on how/why it would be beneficial to continue to save seeds, and then replant to continue to help efficient gene adaptation to the specific microbiome.
Like most academic pieces, I find much of it fascinating but not all of it applicable to my situation and others. However, I believe there to be enough here of great value and summarization (if nothing else) of important considerations around the microbiome and impacts on plants - that it is worth sharing.
Thank you all for following along!
Build Better Soil!
DIRT is what we will be buried in, SOIL is what life is built upon!
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Green Cover Seed - PhD. Christine Jones, Webinar - "Secrets of the Soil Microbiome"
This was a fascinating 1.5-hour webinar and I am going to try to provide my highlights from the webinar.
1. Mycorrhizae fungi continue to dominate most soil health discussions - the networks can be tremendously vast -as long as we are priming the biological pump through diversity and no-tilling. What they are finding is that mycorrhizal fungi networks are like the "internet" of the underground world. When you have a well-established fungal network and diversity in planting families - this equates to very beneficial plant health. Also higher nutrient densities for cervids or humans consuming the plants grown in that environment.
2. As this network is established - the roots can "mingle". This does not mean they are touching but more so near each other, and of diverse plant species. The fungal network can then pass microbes from one plant to the next. This allows the plants to be more pest resistant, drought resistant, increased stress tolerance, share nutrients, etc. All of this through expressed communications from the plant and then delivered via the communication stream of the fungal network.
3. An example of a well-functioning system - as described in part 2 - would be during a drought. A non-drought tolerant species can signal its need for help (high stress) during a drought period. The stressed plant can recruit microbes from a companion plant in the network that is better adept at surviving drought conditions. Through this communication, we can and will see increased survival and plant growth efficiencies. This used to be thought a genetic, but it is not a genetic trait - this is all microbial, through the symbiosis occurring in the plants and fungal networks.
4. Another amazing example of how powerful this network is, once established, is the ability to communicate with companion plants - even if they are non-mycorhizal. Brassicas for example (popular food plot crop), are non-mycorhizal. However, when grown in companionship with a diverse species mix, in a well-established fungal network, they can then join and communicate the network - helping to transfer nutrients (plus other advantages described above) and through the "fungal internet", as Ph.D. Christine defines it in laymen's terms.
5. The last bullet is about phosphorus - phosphorus is often bond up in the soil, particularly when soil PH gets below 6.0. One of the most efficient ways (outside of dumping synthetic phosphorus-based fertilizers) to make phosphorus bio-available is through diverse plants and liming to get your PH in an optimal range. Often folks think of Buckwheat as a crop that "mines" phosphorus, but if the buckwheat is then taken off the field - the phosphorus is also removed. If you have buckwheat planted with a diverse mix of other crops, say as a food plot or cover crop and a well-established fungal network, these nutrients can then be distributed to the plants that are signaling their need for that particular mineral/nutrient.
This is the goal of a symbiotic working system, plants sharing what they have an excess of, fungi working to make it soluble/available to the plants in the network, building OM/soil carbon load, and so goes the system.
The most interesting point to the entire webinar (for me) was when someone said "Dr. Christine Jones, you need to write a book", she chuckled and said "it would change every year, we just continue to learn more and we don't know it all" - here is one of the more well-known soil scientists in the world, claiming not to know it all......
Don't buy into the hype of so much that is presented to the "deer" world.
Thank you for following along.
AT
This was a fascinating 1.5-hour webinar and I am going to try to provide my highlights from the webinar.
1. Mycorrhizae fungi continue to dominate most soil health discussions - the networks can be tremendously vast -as long as we are priming the biological pump through diversity and no-tilling. What they are finding is that mycorrhizal fungi networks are like the "internet" of the underground world. When you have a well-established fungal network and diversity in planting families - this equates to very beneficial plant health. Also higher nutrient densities for cervids or humans consuming the plants grown in that environment.
2. As this network is established - the roots can "mingle". This does not mean they are touching but more so near each other, and of diverse plant species. The fungal network can then pass microbes from one plant to the next. This allows the plants to be more pest resistant, drought resistant, increased stress tolerance, share nutrients, etc. All of this through expressed communications from the plant and then delivered via the communication stream of the fungal network.
3. An example of a well-functioning system - as described in part 2 - would be during a drought. A non-drought tolerant species can signal its need for help (high stress) during a drought period. The stressed plant can recruit microbes from a companion plant in the network that is better adept at surviving drought conditions. Through this communication, we can and will see increased survival and plant growth efficiencies. This used to be thought a genetic, but it is not a genetic trait - this is all microbial, through the symbiosis occurring in the plants and fungal networks.
4. Another amazing example of how powerful this network is, once established, is the ability to communicate with companion plants - even if they are non-mycorhizal. Brassicas for example (popular food plot crop), are non-mycorhizal. However, when grown in companionship with a diverse species mix, in a well-established fungal network, they can then join and communicate the network - helping to transfer nutrients (plus other advantages described above) and through the "fungal internet", as Ph.D. Christine defines it in laymen's terms.
5. The last bullet is about phosphorus - phosphorus is often bond up in the soil, particularly when soil PH gets below 6.0. One of the most efficient ways (outside of dumping synthetic phosphorus-based fertilizers) to make phosphorus bio-available is through diverse plants and liming to get your PH in an optimal range. Often folks think of Buckwheat as a crop that "mines" phosphorus, but if the buckwheat is then taken off the field - the phosphorus is also removed. If you have buckwheat planted with a diverse mix of other crops, say as a food plot or cover crop and a well-established fungal network, these nutrients can then be distributed to the plants that are signaling their need for that particular mineral/nutrient.
This is the goal of a symbiotic working system, plants sharing what they have an excess of, fungi working to make it soluble/available to the plants in the network, building OM/soil carbon load, and so goes the system.
The most interesting point to the entire webinar (for me) was when someone said "Dr. Christine Jones, you need to write a book", she chuckled and said "it would change every year, we just continue to learn more and we don't know it all" - here is one of the more well-known soil scientists in the world, claiming not to know it all......
Don't buy into the hype of so much that is presented to the "deer" world.
Thank you for following along.
AT
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Just Finished.
Great book. There were parts that I felt were a bit of "fluff" but overall I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the interviews with various farmers, soil scientists, and even farmers from other countries. I further enjoyed the history lessons that were covered and some of the scientific data also reviewed. All in all, I think I would suggest reading this book first, before reading Gabe Brown's Dirt to Soil.
Great book. There were parts that I felt were a bit of "fluff" but overall I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the interviews with various farmers, soil scientists, and even farmers from other countries. I further enjoyed the history lessons that were covered and some of the scientific data also reviewed. All in all, I think I would suggest reading this book first, before reading Gabe Brown's Dirt to Soil.
Leading to better fawn survival rates, healthier bone structure and giving antlers the best chance for max potential. Starting from before conception. Nice work!