# sorghum planting



## BEARKILL (May 2, 2001)

I am doing the plow,disk,cullitpack route and want to put in some forage sorghum to act as a windbrake/privacy fence to provide cover and block the view from the road. I will be broadcasting the sorghum. Has any body had much luck doing this. 

I am planting in Hillsdale co. and the soil if a clayish type. It holds moisture well so I am thinking that clover, kale, rape, turnips, would do good in this soil. Any post would help.

MY 52H FARMALL PAGE

http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/aerohead


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## Letmgro (Mar 17, 2002)

Last year my neighbor planted sorghum for the same reasons that you have. He put in a large plot near his cabin hoping to see wildlife in it, but all it did was grow really, really, thick and tall. He thought he would see all the animals using it, but nothing came. He plowed it under this spring.


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## orion (Apr 8, 2002)

Forage Sorghum is an excellent winter cover plot for Pheasants and other birds. It will build an excellent privacy fence also. Your method of planting will work fine, just keep your planting rate to about 10-12 lbs per acre. Forage Sorghum will not produce a large amount of food, because it is intended to be green chopped and fed to cattle. Though, it may produce some hard seed and offer food also. Planting date should be between May 10 and June 1st. If you planted a food plot next to it like Buckwheat or Corn, you would have usage by Pheasants for sure (if their are any in the area). Dont be afraid to fertilize. A good stand of Forage Sorghum can get up to 14 feet high. Deer and Turkeys will also use Buckwheat if you choose to use that as a food source. Good luck.


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## GROUSEMAN (Oct 18, 2001)

I have had good luck with forage sorghum too. I would hold off till the end of May to plant though. The main drawback to forage sorghum is cleanup the next spring. Even after brush hogging and discing, your plow may plug up on you.

Grouseman


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## bishs (Aug 30, 2000)

Bearkill, Hillsdale county should be able to grow any food plot. You are in prime farmland. My land is in Chesaning, also prime farmland. I planted a plot of kale, canola, rape, turnips and the deer never touched it. I was told they would get into the plot in the winter. They never did. From my experience you would be better off planting clovers, buckwheat, corn, rye, oats, soy beans. If you have corn, soybeans, winter wheat in the area, they will go to them before the brassica mix. Even if it is a harvested field.

The brassica mix grows easy, and is a good quality forage. It works better for guys that own land that is not in farm areas. My friend also planted a brassica mix and had the same results.

If I had to rate them. I would say clover is the best. Buckwheat is very easy to grow, it will out compete weeds. Plant it in mid-July, you will have ripe seed for the fall. They love it. Buckwheat's roots produce a toxin that prevents many weeds from growing. I planted it during the drought last year. To my amazement it grew great! It was two feet deep in no time. Very good green forage. The deer, turkeys pheasants relish the seeds. Biologists are recomending it more and more. The only drawback is that it doesn't hold up to snow fall.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

Yikes, bish, I was planning on experimenting with some Brassica's on my Hillsdale County farm, and now I'm getting nervous.

The idea that deer may pass on the brassicas in a heavy agricultural/rich soil area seems credible to me. I planted a clover mix two years ago that had some D.E. rape in it, and the deer never touched the rape all winter long. Some of the rape keeps returning from volunteer seeds, and the deer still don't touch it, even though they consistently feed on the surrounding clover.

In what year did you plant your brassicas? Some say that it may take more than one year for deer to develop a taste for it, and it eventually becomes highly desired. The question is, how many years do you keep planting this annual before you lose faith?


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## BEARKILL (May 2, 2001)

Hey,
Where abouts are you guys in hillsdale. I am in the bird lake area. Just wondering cause the soil differs so much from area to area. Bout a mile or so from the state land.

Bish has got me worryed to about the rape, turnips and kyale. We planted it up in alpena and the deer went nuts over it. But like he said it is in a non farm area. My brother in law was mowing the alpha-rack and almost had to mow around the deer in the DEER GREENS. http://www.deerfeed.com

There has been a lot of talk on here about BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL.
I planted some in alpena over a easement for a pipeline which was all sand after they buried the topsoil. The stuff came up great and that was about two years ago.

Well I guess it will be corn, sorghum, whitetale clover, and buckwheat. and leave some strips open for some winter wheat to put in in the fall.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

Bearkill, my farm is about 8 miles NNE of Bird Lake. According to the Hillsdale County Soil Survey, general soil associations are the same there as my place; Williamstown/Conover/Miami series loam, which is good, heavy farm ground. As you say, soil types vary widely, often within short distances. I recommend you get a copy of the Soil Survey if you don't have one; they gave me mine for free at the Hillsdale County FSA office.

From what I've read, Birdsfoot Trefoil is a great legume to plant if you've got acidic soil, with pH below 6.0, and it is not quite as preferred by deer as clovers which prefer a sweeter (higher pH) soil (such as Ladino, Dutch White, Alfalfa, etc.). pH should not be a problem in your area, and I would guess you would do best with the more preferred varieties.

I still plan to experiment with Spinner's Brassica Blend; heck, I've got the seed, the glyophosate, and the machine, and if the deer leave it alone, I'll at least have the makings of a tasty salad to enjoy with medium rare backstraps and a bottle of Rhone.


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## Blackeagle (Jun 8, 2002)

A buddy and I planted some grain sorghum that way last year and it did pretty well. Good luck.


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