Awesome. Great tip. I will look at it right now. Looks like it would work really well. Now to talk Ben into buying one! www.cat.com/en_US/products/new/attachments/saws.html

That is a good plan Jeremy. Thanks for sharing that. I know a couple of guys that even use sprinkler and water pump to water food plots with creek water. You are right, every little bit helps when it is this dry. Have a great day and thanks for the comment.

The waiter pump would work nicely if a creek was near by, with a big enough hole of water to suck it out of, then have it down sized on the outlet end for the hose n sprinkler, they run about 8 hours on fuel and move a lot of volume, just loud, maybe run them in this section of a night and move to the next section the next night….that unknown noise would also keep the deer off it for those nights, may attempt that the next year we have a drought on our creek bottom plot. N maybe run it a week, n skip a week, n do a test maybe on one of our plots but it the other, just to see the difference that amount of water makes. Hmmm now you’ve got me thinking Bill. Lol N with the roots, idk if you can find one or rent one in your area, but here you can rent or borrow if you know someone that has one a 4x4 ditch witch, basically a 4x4 tractor with backhoe tires, with a 6 foot rear boom chain pto driven or gear box driven depending, on model designed to dig ditches, with a push blade on the foot. Max Digging depth is around 5 foot, n they will destroy roots or loose rock, the only thing they won’t destroy is solid rock. So have to be careful around if you have solid rock. We used one n dug 2000ft 4ft/5 foot deep in a work day. With just want to catch those Certain hit or miss, roots, you could do 50 foot sections or just along where you think the roots are killing the plot, n you’ll know when you hit the roots. With the learning curve, of figuring it out. You could take one and rent it a week and run the perimeter of the plots with it no problem at say 2ft depths and cut the roots. Along the edges. Then refill the ditch with the front blade. Be the fastest, easiest and cheapest option, I would think. Even if you just used it these methods to get good germination and growth started, then electric fenced n water as needed through droughts. It off so the deer don’t hammer it until it’s very well established. As always keep up the good work. Enjoying every bit of it.

Thanks for the support Taylor. We really appreciate it. Have a great day.

That is good advice Trey and worth heeding, but I have seen that the soil texture and penetrability changes throughout a field. I have had to get off the tractor and change the depth setting on the drill a couple times on one food plot in the past. I will get my hands on one and play with it though. Have a great day.

Thanks Owl. We appreciate your support. Have a great day.

Yes. Definitely. I will have one by next year. Appreciate the co.comment. and support.

Great tip. Thanks Do you do just one pipe or multiple? Some of these trees are huge.

@@bill-winke several wouldn’t hurt !

We have pecan orchard and it’s 100yrs old & it works great on !

Yes, I definitely need something here. I see that Wildlife Farming makes a simple harrow/drag. Something like that would work well too pulled behind a four-wheeler. Thanks for the input.

I hate to admit that you're spot on with this comment 😂 cautiously optimistic that this season will be better... for both bucks and Hawks!

@@jordanwinke go BLUE! 😀

Buckeyes didn’t beat Georgia though!,,

That is an awesome comment but so very true.

@@jordanwinke it has to be at least slightly improved with McNamara, but between you and me...Brian ferentz has to go, right?

That's a great suggestion. I definitely need to get one of those.

Thanks Nelson. Much appreciated. It would be fun to make shirts for every state that has Whitetails. That would be really cool.

No doubt it works better than a log. Even the log we picked was a poor choice. We needed something with more branches. Good input. Thanks Kevin.

I have read, and been told my biologists, that the radius of the roots is roughly twice the tops of the trees. So, you can get roots going a good ways to the side to find moisture. I think once I get them cut, it will make a big difference. I plan to show that by this time next year. Have a great day and thanks for the comment and input.

Thanks. It is coming together. I agree. I think even if the seed is covered they will now come to that area and scratch for it.

Thanks Jonathan. We appreciate the support. We did get a couple rains but now it is baking like the Sahara desert again - 100 degrees!? No rain in sight. Strange year.

That is actually a really good idea. I used to do that on the southern Iowa farm when the planted corn was just spiking out. The chipmunks would dig them all up and eat the kernel. Spreading corn on top of the ground at this critical stage distracted the chipmunks long enough for the corn plant to consume the kernel and then the critters left them alone.

Thanks. We got your leftover quarterback. We'll see how he does over here.

👍

Agree. If they grow slow (or you plant them late) the deer will keep them short and they never get a chance. Good luck.

We will get back to you after the first couple of seasons, but we definitely need a great quarterback here. We have had a few over the years, but not lately. Best to you.

That is an awesome plan Masonjar. Good luck. Let us know how it works this fall. Sounds like a winner.

You and Ethan should get together and share memories from the Osborne era.

Steve, I think that timing should be perfect for brassicas. They should jump right out of the ground now. Good luck and thanks for the support.

Thanks Greg and good luck with the planting.

Thank you so much! I've had a blast designing them so I'm glad you like them!

Appreciate the support Steven. Have a great day.

That is a good plan Shelton. In a perfect world, just throwing the seeds out on bare dirt would be enough, but we usually don't operate in a perfect world so we have to find ways to improve seed to soil contact any way we can. Good job and thanks for the input. Good luck to you too.

Good deal on your plots. Fun when it all comes together. Yes I have heard that about walnuts too. Will have to cut the roots at a minimum.

Very good points, all of them. I have done that to a smaller degree and I need to do much more of it. I am going to invest in a single-shank subsoiler, I think, to cut the roots down to 24 inches every couple of years. That should do it, I hope. Have a great day and thanks for the input.

I think it is just being stubborn and not wanting to admit that I am not a good farmer. I have to fight through it and prove I can make stuff grow. I have fought the tree roots for decades though, starting on my southern Iowa farm where nearly all the fields were timber lined. That was a battle for sure. Have a great day.

Ethan is a BIG Nebraska fan too. He grew up near Kearney.

@@bill-winke Please send Ethan my sincere condolences after last night. The gut punching misery of being a Husker football fan cannot be overstated. As a wise man said two years ago, "There's no hope. F*ck everything. Go Big Red." At least I'll get a lot of yard work done this fall. Also, my folks met at Kearney State back in the day and we lived in Arnold for a while. Small world!

The interesting part is there is sound with the drone footage which means it was added in edit and taken from a mic on another device.

No time for video games! Haha. flying the drone up on Bills farm seems to be one of my favorite things to do. It definitely makes for some pretty “picturesque” type shots!

@@ethan_stubbs Man I’ve really been enjoying your work, awesome job!

Correct. We used the GoPro to get audio that we dropped in later.

We didn't get that much, but we did get some and that really kicked these "rescue plots" into gear. Should be OK for the season assuming this hot spell breaks soon with another rain. Good luck and have a great season.

It is gorgeous Terry. I think that is what I love about it most. Even if the bucks never get big there I will always enjoy hunting it. It is 625 acres - part of it is owned along with my sister and her husband to keep cost down for us.

@bill-winke Yes sir!! Always been a big fan of yours since you and I were a lot younger!!! Lol. Just purchased 46 acres in North Central Texas and can't wait to get to work on it!!! Always learning something good in your videos so you and Jordan keep up the good work!!

It just takes so much water to make a difference that it is not worth it unless you have a really big tank. To put on the equivalent of one inch of rain on an acre of land you would need 27,000 gallons. So even on a small 1/4 acre plot you would need at least 3,000 gallons to make any real difference (that would be a bit under the 1/2 inch per acre equivalent). That would be a crazy amount of water to haul around in a 100 gallon sprayer! To answer your other question, yes, covering the seed does help it germinate better because when it does rain, it will be covered in dirt and will stay moist long enough to start putting out a root and growing. Good luck.

Thanks Dave. Yes, the soil scientists all say that lime (pH) is at least as important as the nutrient level. I guess the plants can't take in the NPK if the soil is not at the right pH for them. So the fertilizer does little good if the pH is off. Good job.

David, yes we won't forget you! Turkeys are my nemesis here and chipmunks that dig up the corn plants when they start to spike in the spring and eat the kernel before the plant gets established. Those are two critters hurting me most. Fortunately, I don't have raccoons here (at least not many). They can hammer a corn plot in only a few days if there are enough of them. I have also seen beavers (of all things) absolutely hollow out corn plots in just a few days. Have a great day.

We had none last year. Looks like a moderate crop this year - maybe 1/4 of the trees holding acorns and no tree has tons of them.

It looks good and then just fizzles right before it gets to the farm!

I think you could or maybe it single shank deep ripper. I need to get one of those. Good input.

Thanks John, we really appreciate it. That eagle is really funny. I think he is either bored or curious, because he is always checking out what we are doing. The other day he was sitting on a low branch right next to the pole barn. He sat their screeching and eventually flew off about 20 feet over our heads. Pretty cool stuff.

I love that idea! I'll add it to the list!

He has cost me a few hundred bucks this year in urea! I spread it hoping he is right and then it never rains.

The eagle knows best.

Thanks. Much appreciated. Water has never been an issue in the past. Talking to the guy that ran the cows here, and the guy running them on the neighboring farm, this is the first year they have seen ponds dry all the way up in many years. But, it is still good advice. A water hole on the ridge would be a great addition.

Nope, no video games for Carsen! He was getting some good shots with the drone!

Ethan said it. Carsen is getting very good with that drone.

Thanks for the support Lonnie. Have a great day.

Thanks Kurt. We are going to start switching over to hunting episodes now. Have a great day.

That is a good idea. Maybe I can talk Ben into buying one! Ben is now my go-to for anything I can't afford to buy. He buys it and I rent it from him! Works perfect.

Will definitely keep everyone updated on the farm. Maybe I will do one more Dream Farm Update Episode mid-season so everyone can see how each part of the farm is doing and what is contributing to the huntability of the place. Have a great day.

@@bill-winke thats a great idea and we all look forward to it!

You can definitely get them off the ground. There are devices you can use called nut rollers or acorn rollers that make it much easier to gather them. I don't have the time to gather my own. I buy them from guys who do it for a living.

Thanks Steve. Much appreciated. We are looking forward to getting cameras out here soon to find out what is really on the farm. I have no idea. Have a great day.

Pay the turkey tax if you want something to grow! Good luck.

Thanks George. I agree. I think that one with the thatch will go pretty well too. I will keep an eye on it and when it starts to jump I will add more urea to help it along. Have a great day and thanks for the useful input.

I have seen that planter and considered it for certain spots that we can't get equipment to but decided if we are going to hand plant we will just plant seedlings. Plus, the government programs will cover that expense. I got into some good ones that will really change this farm over the next four years. Have a great day.

Thanks. I appreciate. Long-term (once I get all the plots into shape) I won't do a lot of tillage here. The no-till system will be my go-to. Paul at PH Outdoors is going to send me a five foot drill on a wheel (tow) kit that I can pull with my little 38 hp Massey. That will be pretty cool too for the smaller stuff. Give everyone a chance to see something smaller and more affordable at work. Have a great day.

It has been tough keeping up with planting and replanting. Have a great day and thanks for the support.

@@bill-winke you too Bill, fall is upon us!

I will start in early September. Good luck.

Now that is a good question. I have done it too. It is very common. I guess you could strip spray with glyphosate (very narrow strips of herbicide - maybe a foot wide every every three feet). That would thin them and then I would add a bit extra fertilizer just to be sure That should save the plot. Good luck.

625 acres now. Feels even bigger.

The age old rivalry. Actually our son just graduated from ISU.

What are we up to now - the Big 20?

Something like that @@bill-winke

That does make it tough when they are so spread out. At least you know they will be in the timber and not in the fields. Good luck.

Thanks Allen. You can be sure they are always up to no good. I will pass that along to Jordan. Have a great day

That would definitely work. I may try a single shank deep ripper (sub soiler) I will probably just buy one.

Good idea. I will pass that along to Jordan. Thanks for the support.

Jay, yes, they are making the urea - or at least own stock in the companies that do. Have a great day on the farm. Best regards.

I like that. As soon as we get LSU in the Big Ten (the way things are going that may be soon) we will make the shirt - Just kidding. I will put the cameras out in about two weeks and then the updates will come every week. Have a great day.

Steve, I like to have about 15 to 20% in clover (long-term) and then about 30 to 35% in brassicas and the other 50% of my food plot acres in grains (corn, beans, sorghum). That is my ideal mix. I think you could substitute alfalfa for brassicas in some cases, but all the little spots close to the timber on my farm will usually be clover that I rotate out to brassicas every third year and then back to clover again. Diversity is important I think and having some foods that are green early (clover) and some that have carbs late (corn) makes for a good balance. Now to keep the herd density low enough that I can get my winter foods (grains) through the critical summer months. Good luck.

Yes sir! October 1 here in Iowa.

Agreed. From what I have seen the gulf stream (el nino and la nina, or whatever) are responsible for these macro-trends and hopefully that changes soon. I hate the time and expense of having to plant most of my plots twice. Good luck to you this fall.

I would say so, Jay. but be careful there. I have seen big oak trees die when you disturb the roots. Good luck.

Mike, she needs to make cool shirts for every state, but wow, our inventory would be really gigantic. Have a great day and thanks for the comment and support.

@@bill-winke Bill, my comment was meant to be more tongue in cheek, not serious,lol

Yes. But the log was laying right there. No drag harrow on the farm.

Yes, I will get those cut before next year. But interestingly enough, there are walnuts mixed into all my timber sporadically spaced out. There are oaks growing right next to them and browse all around. I wonder if there is something about timing of growth or density of walnut that affects its ability to repel other plants.

Idk that’s very interesting all that is growing near it. You may be on to something, maybe the larger the tree the stronger the chemical? Or maybe when it’s flowering?

Darin, that thing has been a real trooper. Cabela's gave that to me back in 2014, I think. Side story: They were making food plot equipment at the time and we were featuring their stuff as well as filming it, etc. Dick Cabela actually came to my southern Iowa farm and made a food plot, believe it or not. It was part of their top execs getting to play with that stuff. It was a great line and I used all of it, until the Bass Pro buy out and the Cabela's people had to clean up the balance sheet to make the company look more profitable for the sale, so the food plot line went away and never came back. I expected that Coleman ATV to die a long time ago, but it keeps on going despite how badly we abuse it. It is a generic Asian knockoff of a known brand that Cabela's wanted to sell cheap. They didn't want to use their own name on it - so they licensed "Coleman" for this low end line of ATVs. I am more than happy with it! It has held up surprisingly well.

@@bill-winke Thanks for sharing that story,was pretty interesting. I'm glad it's holding up well. I figured they would be a 2 or 3 year machine myself. I about fainted when I seen the prices of a couple atv's I'm interested in.

I will plant the clover next year into some of those spots that got brassicas this year. Some it was just timing. I will frost seed the clover this coming late winter if the ground is open enough. My goal has always been to have about 15 to 20% of my food plot acres in clover and the rest in a combination of grains (corn/beans/sorghum) and brassicas. That has been a good combination over the years. Have a great day.

Art, I think it starts immediately with the urea. In it's natural state, Nitrogen is a gas and really wants to return to a gas. I have used a product called Brazen on some of my dry fertilizer this spring that is supposed to stabilize the N from evaporating, but you need to buy it in bulk to get that applied. Not available on bagged urea at my coop. We used to be able to use ammonium Nitrate but the Oklahoma City bombing showed that this fertilizer (which was made into a bomb) can be misused. So they stopped offering it. I think that if you put straight urea on the ground, after five or six days without rain and with hot sunny days the N will be seriously depleted - not sure how much but I bet at least half. I think heavy dews in the mornings will help hold it, but nothing beats either tilling it in (incorporating into the ground) or a good rain shortly after application. Good luck.

I usually start in early September after the bucks break up their bachelor groups and start to disperse into their fall ranges.

Pretty high class!

Yes for sure. Good luck and I hope the rains came before the turkeys got it all!

Paul Hollis always ran RTP. He now owns the drill line outright and had to change the name. It's now PH Outdoors. Basically the same products with some small improvements.

@@bill-winke neat! Thanks for the update!

Thanks Mitchell. It was a really strange year being so dry so early. June was very dry at a time when the seeds/plants need it the most to get going. Have a great day.

I will put Ethan there next spring. That will fix the problem. I think that is one of the best turkey killing spots on the farm. Actually Ethan shot one there last spring.

Michigan State? Do they have a football team?

Haha ha sometimes I wonder that too. Iowa was tough last year! Now the big 10 is expanding , not real crazy about that. @@bill-winke

We did get some last night. Not sure how much. I think that should have been enough to carry us for a while though. I just throw the spreader wide open for fertilizer and then drive fast and let the ATV speed dictate the coverage rate. Thanks for the input and support. Have a great day.

Not this year. That is a really good idea for that ridge though. Would really get used a lot I think.

They will if we get enough rain in late summer. I will give that a try. Good suggestion.

I used it on one plot and will probably use it on at least one more next year. It does a good job getting it ready to seed if you using a tillage method. However, it doesn't move dirt quickly so it doesn't fill in dips in a bumpy field without a few passes. It does a good job lifting and breaking up the soil, but it puts it right back where it found it without moving it. I guess there are better ways to move the dirt - a land plane of maybe a heavy drag.

@@bill-winke Can you adjust the depth easily?

Not yet John. This is about when it starts to show up though. I will keep an eye out for it (a sharp nose out for it- actually) and report back on what I find. Have a great day.

The Stinky Brothers also known as The Masters of Mayhem😂

They really do smell bad. It is not just a casual name! You should what they swim in, what they eat (especially Bentley) and what they roll in. Nasty!

@@bill-winke Most dogs I know have a fascination for fecies in general🤢

About two weeks

Thanks. Much appreciated. CountryRoad got it right. That is what the agronmists have told me. In southern Iowa we used to spray 2,4-D with our glyphosate on bean ground to clean up the gly - resistant weeds and we had to wait two weeks to plant. Good luck.

@@bill-winke Thanks man! I hope your canoe trip went well.

@@countryroadsoutdoors7854 thanks a lot for the information!

Np glad to help out

Probably triple 19 if brassicas and something like DAP if clover. You don't need the nitrogen. Most co-ops will have that.

I considered that. I am not sure. I guess next time when I get to the farm I will know for sure as the rows will be standing out better after a couple of rains. If there aren't any obvious rows (only the broadcast seeds) in those areas then I know it was depth. If there are rows there then I know it was just a lack of moisture. I will report back.

That's a wolf alright. A stinky wolf!

Agreed. I have not seen them in corn, but I have seen what they do to oats up in Alberta. Have a great day.

I don't think so. Deer get used to dogs and they can tell when they are being chased and when the dogs are just casually there. Our dogs don't chase deer so I think we are fine in that regard. Our dogs were free ranging on our farm in Southern Iowa and one of my best stands was right next to the house (within 150 yards) and I know the dogs went through there often. Deer know when they are being targeted (whether by people or by dogs) and when the contact is just incidental and non-threatening. We need to remember that and always try to copy normal human activity when hunting an area that sees some human activity during the off-season. Have a great day.

Yes. I am signed up for another 15 acres again this year. Much to the disappointment of Jordan and Ethan who have to do most of the hard work of broadcasting them. It is a Moultrie spreader

Yes, that needs to be on the list. Good suggestion. Have a great day.

Thanks John. We will sure give it a try. I am guessing we will do OK. Good luck to you also.

Not yet. I will start running cameras in a couple weeks and will know a lot more then. Have a great day.

Nope, I will start in about two weeks and then things will start to get interesting. Have a great day.