Planting cover grasses for wildlife

[Cousin Eddie]

Hey all, I have about 20 acres that I am thinking about planting to CRP or some other type cover for deer/turkey/pheasants/quail and have a few questions for those folks that have done this before. I have read a lot about the different density of the grasses and how each species likes it a little different for nesting and cover. I am thinking about Big Blue stem and switch grass (black area in pic) in most of it and putting something that grows a little thinner in the 100 or so feet that borders the woody cover and over grown hedge row (red area). In between the red and black areas I am going to plant a few rows of milo and millet. I would also like to plant something that will act as a tall screen on 2 sides of it(blue area). I have looked a some really tall ornamental grasses and thought about a few rows or sorghum, but I don't want to have to replant every year. This entire area had beans in a year ago and now is overgrown with assorted weeds and sunflowers I think. Excuse my art work, its not really straight and definitely not to scale, but you get the idea. Thanks for any input.

If you were going to do this what types of grasses would you plant in the red area and is there something that would be better than BB/switch grass in the black and what would you use for the screen. One more question, should I burn what is in there now or mow it down and disc/till in back in?

 

[D2Cat]

Cousin Eddie, you'll probably get your best answer by contacting your local extension agent. Tell him/her your goals and they can recommend according to your soil and area you live in.

 

[bucktail]

I like big bluestem for cover and it's pretty good food as far as grasses go, but like D2 Cat says, talk to an extension agent to see what will grow there if you don't already know. I'd try to mix in some legumes with it if you can. Clover is usually the default here, but I'd defer to your extension agent. I read a few articles on pasturing when I was home for thanksgiving and Birdsfoot Trefoil was recommended for as a legume for really low ph soil and those with poor drainage. Alfalfa is autotoxic, (mature plants will kill all seedlings within a foot and a half or so) so it won't reseed itself naturally.

For the screen, maybe some honeysuckle, Russian olive, or fruit tree that doesn't get very tall. Wild plum is grows OK around here. Not really what you may have had in mind, but something else to think about. Most of the grasses that would fit the bill need poor drainage. (reed canary, etc.)

 

[TripleR]

As mentioned, contact your SCS as rules must be followed to enter into and remain eligible. We are going through a contract renewal now, we have big blue, Indian grass as well as switch grass, but may be required to change to wildflowers. Wildflowers are a lot more work, so we may put it back in cultivation.

Each state and county have different programs and acreage available.

 

[skeets]

My friend planted buck wheat one year and had great success with the critters,,, only draw back once it gets established and blooms and seeds its almost impossible to get rid of

 

[Kubota Newbie]

TripleR's been around a few days because he remembers the USDA folks as "SCS" Soil Conservation Service. Now they are called NRCS - Natural Resource Conservation Service, and he's right, they are in charge of the technical aspects of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). All of the grasses you're considering are Warm Season Grasses. You'll normally plant them about the end of the time window you'd plant corn. Beans this year??? Make sure there is no risk of carry over from the herbicide program you used in the beans (consult an agronomist). Around here, we recommend no-tilling CRP seedings. Unless all seed is de-bearded it takes a special drill to drill some of the warm season grass seeds. Great Plains makes one, as does Truax (we rent one for $10 an acre here at our SWCD). In my experience they do not broadcast well (unless using an air boom) and they are expensive (relatively) so don't go that way. You may want to check into Plateau Herbicide depending on the weeds you have out there now. You'll probably go in ahead of seeding with a Roundup burn-down. Always read/follow label. If you have Palmer Amaranth and/or resistant Marestail in your area I don't know what to tell you.
Be prepared for it to look like crap (relative to a cool season grass seeding) for the first couple years. Then all of the sudden it will just seem to explode and be fine.
The following link takes you to a good fact sheet.

https://
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_030167.pdf

Good luck,
Kubota Newbie
aka R. Clendening
Knox Soil and Water Conservation District (Ohio)

 

[OldeEnglish]

If you want deer, bear, and turkeys plant blueberry and raspberry plants. I have a bunch and can't keep the critters away from them.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I have reached out to the local state wildlife biologist and for some ideas on creating better nesting habitat and I will definitely talk to our extension agent for soil test lime/fertilizer amounts. The beans where harvested in Nov of 2015 so I don't think the old herbicide will be a problem. As far as being eligible for some sort of assistance or entering into some govt program to do this I am not interested.

Do you think burning whats there now will be better at eliminating the weeds in the future than Roundup, or would the soil benefit from having all that organic material tilled back in? Getting rid of whats there now and getting some lime/fert spread and worked in is my first step and I would like to have that done before spring when its time to plant. I was thinking I could just use the spreader cart from the CO-OP to spread the seeds when the time comes, but if I need a drill I may need to start helping the neighbor out more. They have one I might be able to get my hands on later. I will take some pics of what I got going out there next time I up there and keep this thread going. Thanks again.

 

[TripleR]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I have reached out to the local state wildlife biologist and for some ideas on creating better nesting habitat and I will definitely talk to our extension agent for soil test lime/fertilizer amounts. The beans where harvested in Nov of 2015 so I don't think the old herbicide will be a problem. As far as being eligible for some sort of assistance or entering into some govt program to do this I am not interested.

Do you think burning whats there now will be better at eliminating the weeds in the future than Roundup, or would the soil benefit from having all that organic material tilled back in? Getting rid of whats there now and getting some lime/fert spread and worked in is my first step and I would like to have that done before spring when its time to plant. I was thinking I could just use the spreader cart from the CO-OP to spread the seeds when the time comes, but if I need a drill I may need to start helping the neighbor out more. They have one I might be able to get my hands on later. I will take some pics of what I got going out there next time I up there and keep this thread going. Thanks again.

As mentioned, a regular drill will not work on some of these seeds. We had a Great Plains "no-till" drill with grass seed box and still had to rent one from the "NRCS" office for a couple of varieties.

Good luck.

 

[BAP]

Many grass seed companies sell a Conservation Mix usually in large bags. The mix varies in content but they are made up of several types of grass seeds and legumes like clover and vetch. It is an ecomical way of seeding ground for wildlife.

 

[D2Cat]

Kubota Newbie, How does one know what the alphabet soup the government puts out really is?

I have a current business card from what ever office it is called in my county.
The card has at it's top left corner, USDA. Then it has the person's name and under the name is "Soil Conservation Technician"

Then it says, "United Stated Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service."

Maybe it's just evidence of too many laws, and government getting to big for it's britches.

 

[TripleR]

Kubota Newbie, How does one know what the alphabet soup the government puts out really is?

I have a current business card from what ever office it is called in my county.
The card has at it's top left corner, USDA. Then it has the person's name and under the name is "Soil Conservation Technician"

Then it says, "United Stated Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service."

Maybe it's just evidence of too many laws, and government getting to big for it's britches.

My wife retired from a department within USDA and you may be on to something.

 

[Kubota Newbie]

D2Cat... Give me a second... still laughing....

USDA - The United States Department of Agriculture has numerous "Agencies" that operate as part of the "Department". Back around 1994 the USDA "Soil Conservation Service" changed its name to the USDA "Natural Resource Conservation Service" supposedly in part to better reflect its broader resource conservation mission. About the same time their primary partner agency the USDA Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (USDA-ASCS to all the old timers here) changed its name to the USDA Farm Service Agency.
"Soil Conservation Technician" is a job classification for a USDA-NRCS employee who's primary responsibilities center around direct technical assistance to landowners and the survey design and installation supervision for conservation practices. Maybe also a little conservation planning.
I was a Soil Conservation Technician for then SCS back in the 80's and as an Administrator and technical representative for our local Soil and Water Conservation District have continued to work closely with NRCS staff and programs ever since.
Yes, the alphabet BARELY has enough letters to satisfy the govt need for agency and program abbreviations.
Really want to get confused? Think about this... the welfare/foodstamp programs all operate under the USDA umbrella too.

 

[D2Cat]

Good Lord Agnes, I give up!

To the original poster, call a government office and suggest to them you need help planting grasses for game to hide in and to eat. Pray they will have a clue where to send you, then dial away!!

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I called the local ROTFL Dept and asked them where I could find a GLG20 tree and they said to call the LMFAO Tomato Co. and tell them I was looking for an EM-50 UAV and then I could order some Carl Spackler's Bent, it is a hybrid. It's a cross bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, featherbed bent, and northern California sinsemilla. The amazing stuff about this is that you can play 36 holes on it in the afternoon take it home and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt at night on this stuff.

Extra points if you can name those movie refs.