A year in the life of a farm

[jason86]

Very cool

[Pilgrim]

Great videos. Can’t wait to see the results

[S-3 Ranch]

Difference

Planted joint vetch with alyce clover last Friday. Got 3" rain last night which should jump it up quickly. Vetch is one of my all time favorite plants! It grows big deer.

Here's the video:
https://youtu.be/1fRl7jeC1w4

I have a question, I was visiting with a guy down the road at the state park
Who said they were planting some more acreage in deer pea vetch.
I asked him what the difference between deer pea and joint vetch was
“ he said that he didn’t know but that deer pea grew well in our area and it was
Diverse, feeding all the different wildlife, like deer and turkey and the birds and the longhorns visitors come to see “ so I tried looking online and found mainly stuff from seed companies about joint but they didn’t explain anything

[elgato]

I have a question, I was visiting with a guy down the road at the state park
Who said they were planting some more acreage in deer pea vetch.
I asked him what the difference between deer pea and joint vetch was
“ he said that he didn’t know but that deer pea grew well in our area and it was
Diverse, feeding all the different wildlife, like deer and turkey and the birds and the longhorns visitors come to see “ so I tried looking online and found mainly stuff from seed companies about joint but they didn’t explain anything

Not positive about deer pea vetch but a common name for joint vetch is deer vetch. Joint vetch is also good for turkeys, and I think it is good cattle feed as well though I have no experience with that.

What I know is joint vetch is one of my top preferred deer cultivars.

[S-3 Ranch]

Not positive about deer pea vetch but a common name for joint vetch is deer vetch. Joint vetch is also good for turkeys, and I think it is good cattle feed as well though I have no experience with that.

What I know is joint vetch is one of my top preferred deer cultivars.

This is all I found and it was about addiction to chemical fertilizer / cost savings on large food plots

Many wildlife plantings are legumes, meaning they have the ability to produce supplemental nitrogen via root nodules and they require a species specific inoculant for development of these nodules. Examples are clovers, vetches, peas and alfalfa. Legume plants in strong stands may produce the equivalence of approximately 300 lbs. of ammonium nitrate or 90 lbs. of nitrogen per acre. This level of
W6e0rlebcsoamndmcelnaydpaelaws,a2y0slibnscblurodwi ngtoap mleilgleutm. e in your planting mix, especially clover.

And also was recommended planting CHUFA if turkeys are around

[elgato]

Joint vetch is a legume [ as is alyce clover ] thus it does fix nitrogen. I haven't fertilized it in years but a 'typical' synthetic fertilizer would be something like 6/24/24.

Chufa is not a legume, requires a totally different planting and management approach and nutrients. Turkeys do love it though but not deer.

[elgato]

La. Wildlife and Fisheries conducted a browse survey on the farm last week. Here is what it looked like

https://youtu.be/3NQfgRXFNWs

[elgato]

Here's a summer food plot update

https://youtu.be/Yg3bSD0yCYE

[Bowhuntingobsession]

When you took your break and talked about supplemental feeding you talked about essential oils and different additives but didn’t say what brand your feeding. Could you let us know ? Love your channel!

[elgato]

I suppose I should have capitalized on the protein market years ago. Most of Mexico is using a feed we created years back yet only the producer gets the benefit.

I developed a very high end feed here for my farm that includes not only essential oils, probiotics but also has all kinds of digestives...read lacto bacillus cultures and the like...that , while expensive , is very effective. Now its used all over the state. It is a no name feed..actually called Baker Cooper Hi energy just so the mill has a name.

As other threads have shown, there is not a lot of variation inmost feeds. That doesn't mean feed cant be improved , it just means cost go up limiting market. Happy to get you some if you want it but freight may be prohibitive.

Glad you like the channel. Thanks

[Puncher51]

Here's a summer food plot update
https://youtu.be/Yg3bSD0yCYE

I love the update! Another quality video!

[S-3 Ranch]

I suppose I should have capitalized on the protein market years ago. Most of Mexico is using a feed we created years back yet only the producer gets the benefit.

I developed a very high end feed here for my farm that includes not only essential oils, probiotics but also has all kinds of digestives...read lacto bacillus cultures and the like...that , while expensive , is very effective. Now its used all over the state. It is a no name feed..actually called Baker Cooper Hi energy just so the mill has a name.

As other threads have shown, there is not a lot of variation inmost feeds. That doesn't mean feed cant be improved , it just means cost go up limiting market. Happy to get you some if you want it but freight may be prohibitive.

Glad you like the channel. Thanks

I enjoyed that video very much
I am a proponent of none pellet supplement feeding and just wonder how large a part your pellet feeding helps percentages wise? As for years I followed and studied a operation here in Texas that never fed any sacked feed and had tremendous results, with carrying capacity, horn growth, and recruiting factors
I also carried a small feud with a miracle in a sack neighbor , who increased some the factors I listed but at a enormous monitory cost ( 100’s of thousands of dollars per year) “ we both had a tremendous genetic base herd , and my only observation was he was able to increase his carry capacity @ at very very high monetary cost per year

Here is a buck we grew on forage and zero pellet feed and select harvest

[bgleaton]

Another great video! Thanks for sharing!

[elgato]

I enjoyed that video very much
I am a proponent of none pellet supplement feeding and just wonder how large a part your pellet feeding helps percentages wise? As for years I followed and studied a operation here in Texas that never fed any sacked feed and had tremendous results, with carrying capacity, horn growth, and recruiting factors
I also carried a small feud with a miracle in a sack neighbor , who increased some the factors I listed but at a enormous monitory cost ( 100’s of thousands of dollars per year) “ we both had a tremendous genetic base herd , and my only observation was he was able to increase his carry capacity @ at very very high monetary cost per year

Here is a buck we grew on forage and zero pellet feed and select harvest

Beautiful buck. Congratulations
Can great bucks be grown without pellets ? Certainly , happens all the time and the buck you posted is yet another example.

Can great bucks be grown with pellets. Certainly and especially in areas like south Tx. unarguably more are grown with pellets than without.

Is raising the nutritional plane with pellets expensive? Unarguably it is THE most expensive way to raise the nutritional plane!

The old analogy of the bucket with holes in it is the best perspective. Until all the lower holes in the management bucket are plugged pellets are an extremely inefficient approach to enhancing the health of deer.

I cannot verify that pellets help improve the deer here on my farm. However intuitively and anecdotally there is no doubt in my mind they help.Even with all the crops I have, bucks and does hit the pellets hard during the stress periods including all summer. Its an easy addition to their overall diet full of an appropriate blend of vitamins, minerals, protein , micronutrients , digestives, and natural antibiotics. Essential to growing quality deer? No. But candidly I think the pellets add 10-15% to antler growth here though there is no way I can prove that. However I'm so convinced there is no way I'm going to stop feeding the pellets .

I don't use pellets to increase carrying capacity. Rather to help does thru the stress of late term pregnancy until weaning to ensure fawns are given the best possible start in life. I use pellets or soybean/corn supplementation to help all the deer recover from rut and get thru the winter stress period when an easy meal during freezing rain and crappy cold wet miserable conditions can help. I use pellets to ensure bucks need move no more than necessary during the summer heat and yet still get peak 100% nutrition easily and all they can eat.

What I observe during the summer is bucks drifting to the feeders late evening when they first start moving. They hit the feeders then move to the fields. I'm apt to see does at the feeders anytime of day during the summer cause they are hungry nursing fawns and feeders are an easy safe quick meal.

All that here in La. On the ranch in Mexico we feed year round. Without question it makes a huge difference there. Even with droughts every year is a good year there and with rain it can be extraordinary. Those that don't feed in that environment have tremendous swings in quality based on rain.

[SwampRanger]

Great updates