No Till Food Plots - So Easy
- Thread starter at1010
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Well - I have finally decided to create a Youtube Channel to document all my own videos, soil health projects, and timber stand improvement projects at the farm. I will be sharing them here but if you have Youtube, feel free to give me a follow there as well. I don't plan for it to be "big" but more of a nice place to document all my work, mishaps, etc. Thank you all for following along.
Channel name: A Journey to Better Soil and Timber
Channel name: A Journey to Better Soil and Timber
Did you start that video by telling everyone "blow me" or did you mean "below me"? 
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Did you start that video by telling everyone "blow me" or did you mean "below me"?
LOL - I only hear "below me" but maybe the way I looked down at the same time - not sure .thank you for listening buddy!
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Dead and decaying pepper plant in garden
Rye grain and clover germinating around it - feeding microbes!!
Finding an earthworm doing my “tilling” for me - Big Win!!
As you increase soil health, worm densities increase- doing the hard work for you. Worms create castings (a soil aggregate) and soil pores that hold water and allow the soil microbes to move through the soil and benefit both crops and soil - symbiosis!!
Interesting article on soil aggregates and the benefits.
www.topcropmanager.com
Don’t forget to slowdown and enjoy these small victories in this marathon journey.
AT
Rye grain and clover germinating around it - feeding microbes!!
Finding an earthworm doing my “tilling” for me - Big Win!!
As you increase soil health, worm densities increase- doing the hard work for you. Worms create castings (a soil aggregate) and soil pores that hold water and allow the soil microbes to move through the soil and benefit both crops and soil - symbiosis!!
Interesting article on soil aggregates and the benefits.
Why aggregates are good for our soil - Top Crop Manager
Aggregates (or peds) are those crumbly bits of soil that we find in woodlands and native prairies. Well-aggregated soil is highly productive even under adverse weather conditions. It has strength that resists water and wind erosion and compaction. It allows water infiltration and internal...
Don’t forget to slowdown and enjoy these small victories in this marathon journey.
AT
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Really good opportunity to sign up for a free webinar - the next few Tuesdays. I plan to do these, time permitting. Dr. Christine Jones is an innovator in soil health and this should be a fantastic opportunity to learn from an expert!! I am jacked!! Already told the wife, "don't bother me, I am pouring a drink and learning about soil!" .......not sure how my wife puts up with me, lol!!
"...are hosting a series of four webinars by one of the words leading soil health researchers, Dr. Christine Jones. Dr. Jones will share with us several ways to release the soil's potential! If you are a serious food plot farmer, you will learn a lot from Dr. Jones! Find registration for these free webinars here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_UMYnh5BdTmCsrWkKI-zsvQ " - Growing Deer TV - Facebook page.
"...are hosting a series of four webinars by one of the words leading soil health researchers, Dr. Christine Jones. Dr. Jones will share with us several ways to release the soil's potential! If you are a serious food plot farmer, you will learn a lot from Dr. Jones! Find registration for these free webinars here: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_UMYnh5BdTmCsrWkKI-zsvQ " - Growing Deer TV - Facebook page.
you are ate up! I love it. Get your learn on buddy!!! I will be waiting for the cliff notes.
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I was helping a friend today review his soil tests. He has increased OM and CEC, in soil that was ranking more towards, sand on the CEC scale. I self admittedly, just couldn't articulate CEC very clearly at that moment. I was upset with myself and started reading again for a refresher - I am glad I did.
I have always thought it is important to monitor but I don't get overly hung up on it. My personal opinion on CEC is to use it as a focal point of your soil tests, only to ensure you are not seeing major variances from one year to the next - if that does occur, that is a red flag that something with the test didn't go correctly. Similarly, I don't want to see OM increase or decrease by impossible metrics, PH, etc.
So I started to refresh my memory on some CEC articles and found this one below that is very interesting and easy to comprehend. As @giles says here are the cliff notes!
1. CEC defines the soil make up - clay-sand
2. CEC stands for - Cation exchange Capacity
3. Cations are held by the negative charges in the soil - the higher the CEC (typically higher OM's are correlated with higher CEC, HUMUS has a CEC of 50) - the more negative IONs and their ability to hold positive charges. The most common positive charges held in the soil as OM and CEC increase, are Ca++, Mg++, K++, etc. (calcium, magnesium, and potassium - these are Cations)
4. As you see increasing OM, helps to hold more nutrients and make them bioavailable to the plant.
5. This is why in the long run, you should need less and less lime, fertilizer, etc. Through the diversity of planting and symbiosis occurring, you will be holding more minerals/nutrients in the soil. Ray A, talks about this happening through the soil aggregates being formed, the soil pores also formed allowing soil microbes to get through the soil to the plant and back.
See the link below for a lot better and more clear information, than I am able to provide.
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Thank you for following along.
AT
I have always thought it is important to monitor but I don't get overly hung up on it. My personal opinion on CEC is to use it as a focal point of your soil tests, only to ensure you are not seeing major variances from one year to the next - if that does occur, that is a red flag that something with the test didn't go correctly. Similarly, I don't want to see OM increase or decrease by impossible metrics, PH, etc.
So I started to refresh my memory on some CEC articles and found this one below that is very interesting and easy to comprehend. As @giles says here are the cliff notes!
1. CEC defines the soil make up - clay-sand
2. CEC stands for - Cation exchange Capacity
3. Cations are held by the negative charges in the soil - the higher the CEC (typically higher OM's are correlated with higher CEC, HUMUS has a CEC of 50) - the more negative IONs and their ability to hold positive charges. The most common positive charges held in the soil as OM and CEC increase, are Ca++, Mg++, K++, etc. (calcium, magnesium, and potassium - these are Cations)
4. As you see increasing OM, helps to hold more nutrients and make them bioavailable to the plant.
5. This is why in the long run, you should need less and less lime, fertilizer, etc. Through the diversity of planting and symbiosis occurring, you will be holding more minerals/nutrients in the soil. Ray A, talks about this happening through the soil aggregates being formed, the soil pores also formed allowing soil microbes to get through the soil to the plant and back.
See the link below for a lot better and more clear information, than I am able to provide.
Cation exchange capacity
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Thank you for following along.
AT
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I thought today it might be good to put some definitions together. I did not write these, I just gathered the information and shared it below. I hope some find this useful. If I am missing some others let me know and I will add them to the list.
1.Soil - the upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.
2. Dirt - a substance, such as mud or dust, that soils someone or something.
3. Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analyses both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the activity of hydronium ions in a solution
4. CEC - Cation-exchange capacity is a measure of how many cations can be retained on soil particle surfaces. Negative charges on the surfaces of soil particles bind positively-charged atoms or molecules but allow these to exchange with other positively charged particles in the surrounding soil water
5. Soil organic matter - is the organic matter component of soil, consisting of plant and animal detritus at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of soil microbes, and substances that soil microbes synthesize
6. Rhizobia - are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen
7. Legumes - Legumes are plants that bear their seeds in pods. They differ markedly from grasses, cereals, and other non-legume crops because much of the nitrogen they require is produced through the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by bacteria in nodules on their roots. As a result, legumes are rich in protein.
8. Mycorrhizae - a fungus that grows in association with the roots of a plant in a symbiotic or mildly pathogenic relationship.
9. Brassicas- a plant of a genus that includes cabbage, turnip, Brussels sprout, and mustard.
10. Cover Crop - A cover crop is defined as a close-growing crop that provides soil protection, seeding protection, and soil improvement between periods of normal crop production
11. Rye Grain - Rye (Secale cereale) is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (Triticum) and barley (genus Hordeum). Rye grain is used for flour, bread, beer, crispbread, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder.
12. No-Till - No-till farming is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils on sloping terrain
Thank you for following along.
AT.
1.Soil - the upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.
2. Dirt - a substance, such as mud or dust, that soils someone or something.
3. Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analyses both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the activity of hydronium ions in a solution
4. CEC - Cation-exchange capacity is a measure of how many cations can be retained on soil particle surfaces. Negative charges on the surfaces of soil particles bind positively-charged atoms or molecules but allow these to exchange with other positively charged particles in the surrounding soil water
5. Soil organic matter - is the organic matter component of soil, consisting of plant and animal detritus at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of soil microbes, and substances that soil microbes synthesize
6. Rhizobia - are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen
7. Legumes - Legumes are plants that bear their seeds in pods. They differ markedly from grasses, cereals, and other non-legume crops because much of the nitrogen they require is produced through the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by bacteria in nodules on their roots. As a result, legumes are rich in protein.
8. Mycorrhizae - a fungus that grows in association with the roots of a plant in a symbiotic or mildly pathogenic relationship.
9. Brassicas- a plant of a genus that includes cabbage, turnip, Brussels sprout, and mustard.
10. Cover Crop - A cover crop is defined as a close-growing crop that provides soil protection, seeding protection, and soil improvement between periods of normal crop production
11. Rye Grain - Rye (Secale cereale) is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (Triticum) and barley (genus Hordeum). Rye grain is used for flour, bread, beer, crispbread, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder.
12. No-Till - No-till farming is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. No-till farming decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils, especially in sandy and dry soils on sloping terrain
Thank you for following along.
AT.
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This video is a quick reference guide that I use and created for judging my progress on increasing OM, ensures consistency of tests, and allows me to get a snapshot of each field - quickly. Hope you find this idea useful!
As always - thank you for following along.
As always - thank you for following along.
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100% we have seen a major increase in doe numbers, quality of deer, number of quality deer, and number of deer in daytime eating. I am also extremely happy with the rabbit population - even with the presence of coyotes and bobcats in the biota.
Although, to be honest with you Giles, I don't believe I can draw a direct correlation to soil health and increased game populations. Heck, it would be hard to draw a direct relationship between whitetails weights and the work I have done in totality, with assumed direct impact. Although I have noticed increase weights, I cannot say that my efforts have truly impacted the deer, with 100% certainty - far too many variables.
I do believe that the largest inhibiting factor to larger game populations (specific to a sq mile, so a ton of variability here) like, ruffed grouse, rabbits, deer, etc. - is the lack of varying levels of successional forest in most of Ohio.
Some of the areas in Ohio that are heavy AG regions - would benefit deer and other species populations, where CRP is more frequently planted - barring no changes in the hunting pressure once those areas are established.
This is all truly a labor of love, as the results are often observational but rarely quantifiable, which leaves the wildlife manager questioning if he/she truly has made it better than he/she found it.
At the end of the day, I like to think I am doing so, to the best of my ability.
As always - thank you for the questions brother and for following along.
AT
Habitat seems to be the revolving thing I'm noticing. What I have always had a problem with is that you go to any city and you seem to find that healthiest wildlife. How does that work? Lol
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I hear this argument a lot - I believe it is flawed. In my opinion, this is confusing quantity with quality both in respect to the deer herd, but also the overall habitat.
In cities, where hunting is absent, you are simply seeing a small % of animals that have made it to old age and have an incredible set of antlers - but do we believe these deer are genetically superior to any other deer? I don't, I think they are just bucks with good genetics and are highly likely below what they should have been, if in an area with good habitat.
Are we taking into consideration that these deer live absent of hunting stress, year after year - how is that impacting them genetically and potential to express antler size?
Are these deer more visually active due to the lack of hunting pressure, so they are more daylight active - giving perception of more "monster bucks"?
Are these deer confined to a small area, increasing the likelihood of seeing a buck or two with superior genetics, supporting a big rack? Even with hunting, I suspect if you took every buck in a 2 sq mile area in East/SE Ohio and put them in a fence without hunting for 2 years, you'd see some unbelievable world-class deer. Agree?
You also might observe high doe populations because of the lack of hunting and even predation is minimal - in most city situations. Although the deer herd looks healthy, habitat degradation is occurring. Per the Missippi Deer Lab study and book "Strategic Harvest Systems" - it takes around 7 years to see the results of increased, and/or decreased habitat. This is focusing on epigenetic triggers, and the impact on better nutrition for both bucks/does, and their offspring.
Basically, you don't grow a big buck in one year, it takes 2 generations - after a positive change in habitat and nutrition - to impact the cohort that will reach the point of increasing returns thereafter. This is why often when a suburb is created in a town that was once a country town, you see people claiming "huge bucks all over" - yet as time goes on and the habitat is degraded, more housing is built, etc. You'll notice the deer population diminishes to few deer.
I am not an expert on deer - but I would take it to the bank that overly high deer populations and big bucks, in degrading habitat, is 100% not sustainable for both the deer and the habitat. Both aesthetically speaking as well as quantifiable metrics of both.
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Change of pace here boys, lots of video updates
This is a quick video showing how the soil in the main part of this field has progressed, at least from observational an observational perspective. Although the soil samples will tell me more of the story, the pure look of this soil shows me progress is being made. Some of the famous REGEN AG farmers (Gabe Brown and David Brandt - to name a couple) refer to their soil feeling/looking like chocolate cake, after years of conservational AG is practiced. Build Better Soil!
This is a quick video showing how the soil in the main part of this field has progressed, at least from observational an observational perspective. Although the soil samples will tell me more of the story, the pure look of this soil shows me progress is being made. Some of the famous REGEN AG farmers (Gabe Brown and David Brandt - to name a couple) refer to their soil feeling/looking like chocolate cake, after years of conservational AG is practiced. Build Better Soil!
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A success -
Unlike some of my other fields, this field looks great. The soil is covered with a great thatch. The cover crop is popping through the thatch, the leftover brassicas are decaying - releasing nutrients back into the soil, and more! Absolutely thrilled with the looks of this field, please give it a watch to understand why I believe this is a success!
Unlike some of my other fields, this field looks great. The soil is covered with a great thatch. The cover crop is popping through the thatch, the leftover brassicas are decaying - releasing nutrients back into the soil, and more! Absolutely thrilled with the looks of this field, please give it a watch to understand why I believe this is a success!
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Soil Compaction?! Here are a few tips and benefits to making your own seed mix!