Off-season food plot jobs.

Now that I’m not planting or otherwise trying to grow stuff, it’s time to tackle all those “slow season” jobs at the farm.

My biggest accomplishment so far is getting the tire service out to replace my badly worn rear tire on my faithful John Deere. Being “in the business”, it surprises some people to learn that I’m not using a $40k late model tractor to work my 10 acres of plots. So the ol’ Deere, needed a new shoe on the left side. See picture. This old tire didn’t owe me anything!

The right rear tire was new when I bought the tractor, but the left had not been replaced. I got lucky and found a good used tire on Craigslist, my tractor uses an obsolete size so new tires are hard to find.

BTW, if you need a tire service in the area around North Branch, I can highly recommend East Central Tire. Great on-property service for ag tires, or bring what you need done to their shop.

Last year I replaced the two front tires after I blew the sidewall out of one tire. In the process, I discovered that the 14-inch rims on the 1965 Deere are now obsolete as well, so I changed out both tires and rims to 15 inchers which are better for a loader tractor anyway. So I won’t have to do tires for a long while, hopefully.

Next up is to change the hydraulic fluid in the Deere. I’ve had the tractor 4 years now and I don’t know when it was last done before I got it, so I figure this is probably money well spent to just change it out. Then I know when it was done.

I can’t wait to start turning dirt in the spring. I’m going to plant a full-size plot of our latest Midwest Monster plot mix. And I’ll also be going bigger on the Eagle Forage Soybeans next year.

So much fun, but winter is so dang long…

What off-season jobs are the other food plotters doing?

Grouse

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were just waiting for 1 guy to do his hunt, I hope he gets to harvest 1 this week, he also the guy running the tracked bobcat we have lined up to straighten up the plots and then put down the lime that you said we will need of course all weather permitting, cold won’t stop us but lots of snow will.

Tom

Grouse. Just be sterile ss u van when messing with the hydraulic system. Might be best to leave it alone until there is a problem. Dont hear much about that fluid going bad. Im sure you have researched this though. Youve always steered me right. Thanks for that.

Some of my prep will be based on whether or not my buddy gets the tracks rebuilt and welded on his dozer. If he does… He is the land owner and has been very generous to let me have the leeway that I do on his property. I want to build him a new box stand and expand the food plots that I have established for him in his area. Near my stand I want to expand the size a little. I also need soil samples which I hope to remember to get during gun season here. Inot the spring I need to replant a couple clover plots. I also want to plant forage beans in a few places. I’m also probably going to plant rye or oats where my brassica plots will be. I learned a few thing this fall while bow hunting to need to change up some of my bow sets. Ugh, is it spring yet?
DT

robby wrote:

Grouse. Just be sterile ss u van when messing with the hydraulic system. Might be best to leave it alone until there is a problem. Dont hear much about that fluid going bad. Im sure you have researched this though.

Good point Robby, appreciate the reminder to keep things clean.

My concern with the hydro fluid in my ol’ Deere is that a) I don’t know when the hydro fluid was last changed. I’ve had the tractor for 4 years now, so next year will be year 5. So it’s unknown whether the fluid has been in there 5 years, or 10 years, or how long?

Concern b) is that I have is that these old Deere tractors don’t use a modern disposable hydro filter cartridge. They use a “screen” that basically just threads in over the top of the pump inlet. All the fluid gets sucked through the screen and that’s how it filters. You don’t “change filters”, you just remove and clean the screen. Assuming, of course, that the screen is in there. I understand these often get removed to increase flow and never get put back in and a new one is about $150 if you can find one at all.

Well, I’ve never even checked the screen to see how plugged it is because if you pull the cover to get at the screen, you lose about a gallon of fluid. So I figure if I’m going to lose a gallon or more of fluid, I might just as well dump it all and kill all the hydro birds with one stone.

DT, I wish I had planted WAY more rye this year. I am using rye as a cover crop on one of the test plots at the Midwest Monster Home Farm and the deer are really loving it.

The Forage Soybeans are great, but after I took down the Plot Saver fence so I could bowhunt the plot, the deer absolutely savaged the plot and it’s now a field of soybean stumps. So the rye turned out to be a key addition because I needed more late season food that’s there after the soybeans and clover have been mowed to the nub.

I will also say that I should have gone heavier with rye. I had a few bags of Monster Rye left over from last season, so I just planted them rather than dip into the new stock. Well, I planted at the rate of about 80-90 pounds per acre and I shouldn’t have cheaped out. I should have doen the full 120 pounds per acre, especially since I have turkeys that will find each and every seed that is left visible on the surface. I probably lost 20% to the birds would be my guess.

Bottom line is for food plot use, I now have learned that there’s no downside to maxing out the pounds per acre of rye or oats. We’re not concerned with grain production, so plant spacing is not a concern, we want to max out the number of plants for the deer to eat.

Grouse

Good point Grouse. I have always over planted my oats assuming birds and maybe deer will get the exposed seed.
DT

Well we have been talking plots the last few nights over beers at deer camp. We are going big next year. Might have a big order for ya Grouse.
DT

deertracker wrote:

Well we have been talking plots the last few nights over beers at deer camp. We are going big next year. Might have a big order for ya Grouse.
DT

Stay tuned for Midwest Monster’s new perennial food plot blend. Rumor has it, it’s called AlfalfaMAX!

Very excited about this new product addition, it will give our customers another high-protein perennial offering that should be good for 3-4 years once established.

We’ll be at both the Minnesota Deer and Turkey Classic and the Iowa Deer Classic this year! Come by and see us and pick up seed if you want to get ahead of the game.

For you Wisconsin guys, we’re still TBD on the Wisconson deer show. We’re waiting for cancellations if there are any so we can get a booth.

Grouse

I am excited to try the AlfalfaMAX! When will be be able to learn more about this?

I am in the process now of laying out my food plot plan for 2019 at home and at the farm.

Ooh I can’t wait for that one Grouse.
DT

sticker wrote:

I am excited to try the AlfalfaMAX! When will be be able to learn more about this?

You know, I was just thinking that your lawn is such a waste of good food plot ground. I mean, grass? Really? Wouldn’t it look much better in AlfalfaMAX?

Grouse