This is some of the most valuable information land owners/leasers, deer hunters etc can get. No way to thank Jeff enough for this proven knowledge. My beans failed, over browsed down to the dirt quickly. Corn failed, drought. Cow Peas did great, eaten down to the dirt after 3 weeks. Brassicas, did great last year, this year floods then drought/heat causing 80%fail. Oats in August, major success. Rye here in S Missouri Sept. 12th, sprouting in all my plots. Last year Oats, Rye and Turnips saved me. I will follow Jeff's suggestion of reseeding on 3-4 week intervals with the Rye. I planted Rye on Labor Day, next seeding will be first week in Oct. Again, much thanks to Jeff for all the great help.

Love to see all the goldenrod around your plantings. Best spring&early summer brouse for deer. Thanks for post.

so clear, practical and informative... thanks!

Best video I've seen on food plots

Thanks for the plot tips! Our beans are browsed heavy and this will save our late season!

Congrats on 45k subscribers Jeff! Glad to see your KZfaq following, growing!

Always liked rye, will try the layering trick next year.

We layered in our winter rye on both parts Labor Day weekend just like you advised, I’ll be driving up north to check my property this weekend, I have very high hopes for this. Our plots are looking fantastic, can’t wait to watch the winner I fill in the gap‘s. Thanks for all the great info Jeff.And a quick pass on of information for Michigan hunters, make sure if you’re in the core CWD area, watch the antler restrictions. There are three counties North Central Michigan, where is the buck Hass to have for scoreable points on one side. Season is almost here!!

Planted winter rye this year using what you said on this video alone. Is growing perfectly here in SE Missouri Ozark foothills. Thanks!!

I've had beans from combine cast off start growing again after harvest in October/ November, deer love it bean sprouts, 2-4 inches.

Great minds think alike. Great bud.

Thank you sir that was awesome. I just started learning about what the plant wins if this was very helpful

Jeff the deer god ...his tips work and they work well dam well I thank that man every time i see an new vid this year looks way to good like one of thos deer hunting shows lol .....thanks again for all your tips sir thanks b safe and have an good hunt this weekend to all the hunters knock em down feed some belly's

Thank you for the video.

Thanks for more great info Jeff.

We put in tritical here in Fulton County Pa this year. Really impressive growth and coverage.

Hi, I enjoy your movies, came across your stuff this year when I decided to step up my food plot game from a single 5,000 sq feet plot to 4 small plots and 1 large one adding up to 110,000 square feet. Your videos have helped a lot because I was going to plant spring plot but after listening to your videos which make sense to me above all the other guys out there, I waited and did fall plots. So my plots or split into thirds (peas 1/3, oats 1/3, brassicas 1/3) on all my plots. I planted everything in early August. It was a dry dry month so I ran sprinklers to three of the smaller plots. Now it’s September and the rain is piling up. So as of now in four of the plots my brassicas are 1-4 inches but coming in thick with little sprouts everywhere but I’m worried from the drought if they will grow in time for the first frost. My oats and peas are growing great in all five plots, after watching this video I added rye grain to them. It was surprisingly cheap to do. But my large plot that I made for everything to filter to the brassicas are hardly sprouting cause I couldn’t water them that far away. So should I plant rye grain over top of that plots brassicas with rye grain or wait? First frost here in Spokane Washington area is usually mid October. And should I also hit the other plots brassicas with rye seeing I planted them what appears to be late. Where I live it’s dry dry in the summer. I did great on the peas, and oats it appears but not so great on my brassicas, when is a good time to plant those when you live in a dry climate. Thank you for your help and keep making these videos. Thank you.

Thank you so much Jeff! This will really help on my FP coverage when browsing gets too heavy

Good video,I’m just getting ready to spread my winter rye

Great Video!

Thanks great info! Another great video.

Hey man, let me start by saying thanks! for the time you spend spreading your knowledge. I come from a home of zero hunters, so I have done eveything worng, and that with the videos you put out haha. Anyways I never here you talk about NC North Carolina. You should show us some love some time. Thanks again from NC ××----->

Great info Jeff, I have my 100lb of rye ready to spread this weekend. I will need to find more to plant in a few weeks. I got the last 2 bags they had. We talked about my plot last week and how poorly it was doing to lack of rain. Seems like I just had to wait a week and get the answers. It's like you knew I was going to have this problem. Have a great day and thank you for sharing this valuable information with us.

Thank you Jeff all of these videos are great the info is invaluable, i will be doing much planting this year starting with switchgrass I bought the EARTHWAY bag spreader but I am not sure of what settings to use for all different seeds that will be planted

Great video..thx for the info

I planted rye last fall and found out the deer but the grouse are loving it this summer. I kicked up over a dozen in just a small half acre food plot.

Man, I want to be your hunting buddy. Good stuff Jeff.

Over got 12 bags ready to go here in Arkansas. Just waiting for cooler weather to start layering

Shout out from NE Pa. Absolutely spot on video for my plots. Dealing w/ low Ph and just got back from checking on my plots from 2 weeks ago seeding. They are looking awesome. Question I have... how do I keep turkeys out? I literally got 20 FEET away from 8 of them before they left my smorgaboard! 7 in another plot. I know I will regret those words during turkey season, but I fear they are devouring the seed. Hard frost hits me in Mid October. Not enough time to reseed. Thanks again for all your valuable and well presented info!!!

Jeff, I planted brassica in August here in Southern NY. The rain was crazy this year. We had about 7-8 inches of rain in two days due to hurricane in addition rains all month. The fields are so wet I can't even use my side x side to spray. The brassicas did grow about 6-8 inches but I have lots of bare spots due the water. I have standing water in parts of the plots. I ordered a 50lb bag of rye from Northwoods Whitetail and spread it over one acre yesterday. Hopefully it will grow. I couldn't culti-pack because it was too wet. The only issue so far is the bag of rye was $23.50 but the shipping was $31.50.🤔

Jeff i see you get really excited over food plotting.

Good vid. By the way I bought a HD Packer Maxx per your recommendation . The owner shipped it to Dittmer MO.

Awesome video!! Thank you so much for making us better hunters and land managers Mr. Sturgis!! We've got some really good plots of soybeans going (as high as your thighs), would this work if we broadcasted winter rye into the standing beans say in mid September to take advantage of the spaces opening up as the beans dry up? P.S. Had some AWESOME success with copying your idea of creating a mock scrape with a rope. Even peed in it like you said and had deer checking it out within 4 / 5 hours! Thanks again! Loving the content!!

CRAAAAAP... I mixed it in a few spots just trying to get rid of some seed from last year. Guess those won't be doin so good this fall.

Excellent video Jeff. But when you said 15-20 years, it may have been more. :)

Absolutely love your videos! My hunting buddy and I are planting our first food plot this year. Your videos have helped us build so much knowledge. Would clover be a good late season food supply here in eastern Ohio? First frost is generally between Oct 11th-20th. Or would be be better off going with rye or brassica?

I get confused watching all these videos. I thought one of your other videos said winter rye is no good? So much to learn and remember with food plots🤦🏼‍♂️!

I finally got full control of the huntin lease up the road from my house. It’s the one I talk bout huntin all the time. My neighbor actually paid the money cause he had horses on it. He sold the horses and gave up his part of it. Now I pay the money each month. I’ve got to put up some posted signs soon. The landowner let me hunt cause I helped him bush hog and work on the farm. Now I pay the lease. $50 a month for the 46 acres ain’t bad at all.

Hey Jeff. Thanks for another great video. I love cereal grains and have found them to be especially attractive in my area of southern Indiana. I'll be leaning a little harder on them this year as a result of drought costing me the bigger part of 3 acres of brassicas. The sad part is that I had the means to water the plots but never had the chance because of work and a torn rotator cuff. The deer in my area seem to really pound the grains from mid October to mid November but then it seems they prefer the brassicas to carry them through the winter months. That being said, if I have 40 days or so before first frost, would that be enough to replant an acre so of brassicas and get reasonable production? My thinking is that if I only replant an acre, I can water as much as necessary and even go as far as adding a little extra fertilizer to help push it as much as possible. I know the days getting shorter work against me as much as anything, but I have my soil ph at 6.9 and it gets full sunlight literally daylight to dark with no shady areas from trees or ridges. If I can salvage an acre in brassicas and recover the other 2 acres I've lost with grains, I'll sleep much better the next few weeks. Lol! God bless you and happy hunting! Thanks!

Another great video. I really appreciate your tips and advice. The one question I always wrestle with when using my 2750 seeder that I've used for years is where to set it for the various seed we are using. The chart that is on the bottom of the seeder is getting hard to read plus it does not have a recommended starting point for rye. any good ideas on proper settings or where to get a new chart or one that does have a setting for rye. We usually try to set it light and then keep going over the area until we go empty. Or have you done a video on this topic that I haven't found.

I just put on Fall Rye (fall vs winter not sure on the difference, google is no help) on the thin spots on my brassica plots last week based on some of your videos. I have been really enjoying your content. I have one very thin plot that must have had PH issues according to whitetail institute so had to cover the bare spots that the weeds didn't take over. I also spread it on my other brassica plot with a cheaper blend but it is doing really well. Did I mess it up by spreading out the rye or am I late enough that I might not stunt it too bad? Thanks for all the info you have been putting out there!

This is a lot of great information. The only thing that scares me is you go as far east as including New York. I live in central Maine. Will winter Rye work up here as well? And how about Brasica?

I planted several plots with brassicas this year and my biggest (main) food plot I put up an electric fence to help keep the deer out until late October but all the others are just getting hammered. With the late flooding we had here in MI I normally have AG fields about a 1/2 mile to the north of me but none of those have been planted so I think it put a LOT more deer back in my area which normally wouldn't be there. It looks like when your putting down the winter rye your using just a "throw and go" method? Can I just spread the seed and call it good? I would like to get my plots that were mowed down early with something in them to help me later in the year... could be a great year for us due to the fact that so many farmers around me were unable to plant and would like to do everything I can to get late season food on my property. Keep up the great videos, I watch them all and follow what your saying and tell all my hunting buddies that you are the "man"

Great info Jeff! what about barley?

Jeff, great stuff. Love your videos. When you say throw down 50 100 lbs of rye does that mean, no tilling? I notice alot of my oats are still on top of the ground but most is growing..is that why throw down so much?

Good info Jeff! We have our Sept top coating finished up. I woulda been happy with 18 dollars a bag. Here at the local co OP it was 26 dollars every 50 pounds this year. But hey, gotta have it. We are blending bin wheat in with it though . Seems to be working ok.

Hi Jeff, Thanks for what you do! I hate to ask but how far south do you recommend winter rye? I did my plots this week and am in Tulsa OK. I have never did rye before but your videos have convinced me. Im not too far south for rye am i?

Jeff what would you recommend food source wise when we are in a drought? I am in South Georgia and we have only had 0.03" of rain total for the month of September. Also soil moisture is a little over 5%.

Great video as always. I want to plant clover this year in a small kill plot should I put down clover first then winter Rye Thanks

Awesome stuff Jeff! I've got a couple plots coming in really well this year down in VA thanks to you. Quick question, when do you plant the buckwheat to be used in your no-till system?

That's tough price on rye grain for you this year. We got our rye for $8 per 50lbs here in west michigan.

Love it man. Your thorough as shit.

Dang, I payed 10.25 a bag for winter rye guess I shopped at the right place.

Jeff, if I have clover and chicory blend in about a 2 acre plot. They’re perennial. If I plant winter rye to give it some relief, how do I get the dead rye out the next year without damaging my clover/chicory?

Jeff, great video! We have a new property and we were not able to implement a full spray multiple times before our plant. We sprayed and planted two weeks ago and now we are seeing that we didn’t have a complete kill of the grass/ clover. With it being almost September do we keep layering or spray again and start fresh? Thank you in advance

Question- if you have alfalfa in bedding areas, could you seed in oats, rye grain, or wheat in it to have late season food in bedding pockets? Thank you.

If I had a straight food plot on the edge of the property and the neighboring property just opened up a 1.5 acre food plot just across the property line (almost like a lollipop shape as viewed from the sky) would you suggest changing the shape of the plot to try and direct deer movement differently to keep them on my property?

3 hours and still no 'Dislikes" you must be winning your critics over... I just put down about a half-acre of Winter Rye, $17 for 50 lbs. Prepping a new field for next spring.

Hey Jeff. I'm in Ontario. So if I'm understanding this right it would be good to plant buckwheat in the spring. Then lightly disc that under the end of July and plant brassicas in one section of my plots then plant winter the around the end of August. When the end of September comes along broadcast the winter rye over itself. And only plant the rye over the brassicas if they are eaten to the ground. Do I have this right? Thanks in advance!

Love your videos!! Will these dates be good for the Eastern Shore Maryland?? I planted radish and greens and they looked great...but the deer really touch them this winter!! The greens are still 2ft tall and green as poison and going to seed....do I till them up or leave them for a while longer? Thanks again!!

How do you keep the turkeys from eating all the rye seed everytime you overseed with rye?

Jeff can you plant winter rye and then mow it when it gets roughly 6 inches high to keep it hardy and whatnot??

Great stuff, can you recommend something for Georgia. Or do you have a clone, who specializes in Georgia? No much AG.

I planted a 1/2 acre food plot this year for the first time and the drought has just about killed it and the deer are eating it like crazy so I was wondering how much rye or wheat to put on it I can’t find any rye so probably going to be wheat

Hey Jeff thanks for all the info. Could you plant brassicas end of July, then overseed with cereal rye in September? We get really heavy browse pressure and wanted to make sure we give them enough food through winter. Thanks

What did you do so the turkeys or the birds didn’t come in and eat the rye seed since you didn’t till the ground and cover the seed? Would it be good to plant it in my beans?

I have some wheeler winter rye and was going to overseed into my food plot which didn’t grow well due to lack of rain. I see the tag on the seed says it has fungicide on the rye seed. Should I be concerned about deer or other animals eating it with the fungicide before it germinates? Keep in mind this is in the mountains and no Ag crops for miles. Also not the best acorn year so they are hammering anything that is put out. Just wanted to know your thoughts on it.

Can you plant winter rye year after year in the same plot? If not do you switch to brassica or something else.

I live in South Central Pennsylvania and we have had no rain except for a couple days two weeks ago. I got most of my plots in before the rain and are doing good even though we haven't had rain since. I have a couple other plots I did plant after the rain with wheat - oats and winter peas but the rain we were to get missed us and I'm afraid the seed will dry out or the turkeys will wipe out most of the seed. The seed was broadcast and then run over with a cultipacker. I was wondering if it would hurt to buy winter rye to broadcast and plant right before a rain if it ever comes? When do you think it would be to late to plant the winter rye?Thank you for your help and have a great day

Is there a certain fertilizer you put on that plot your talking bout now

I've learned so much from this content and really appreciate it but on a totally unrelated note, I know Jeff is/has been a PA hunter but I've been in a recent discussion about State Game Lands and tree stands. Maybe he or someone can help me. Are climbing stands, something i can take in to the woods when the sun comes up and out with me when the sun goes down, considered "damaging" tree stands? I'm afraid of leaving a ladder or hang with climbing sticks for fear of theft.

I overseeded my browsed brassica plot aug 25th with rye. At same time I added fertilizer for the brassica and rye as told by the coop (nitrogen and urea). After checking on it the other day all the rye grain seed was not growing and sitting on top of the soil. The ph in the plot at 5.2 is poor. I’ve added lime and plan to continue to work on the soil. But why didn’t the rye germ? Was adding 150lb of fert at the time of the 1.7 acre rye planting not a good idea? I’m just wondering what my mistake was. Appleton wi

Absolutely love this video your timing once again is spot on that being said off topic the box blinds are not passing the 100 yd test how can I fix this without spending lots of $ your thoughts

I hunt in east texas and are wanted to do layered rye plot. My question is, when is the best time to plant? I hear you talk about north states all the time. But little about deep in the south.

If I were to plant winter rye a couple of weeks early would it be okay to mow it once? I want to assure a thick plot. When planting around Sept 5th in eastern Ohio I did not end up with a thick plot. I also reseeded roughly 2 weeks later. Just curious due to not wanting the winter rye more than 6 inches in height.

Is there a time difference when to plant rye grass in the areas you stated verse Virginia and West Virginia? And also seed online versus seed at southern states or local co-op ? Thanks

Jeff, I hope you get this, where can I get winter rye from and what’s the difference between winter rye and rye grass?

Doing the no till method how and when do you terminate it?

I have found Rymin rye at the local feed store. Is this a good rye to plant in fall. Or would there be a better cereal rye to use.

I'm a gardener so deer in your plot is lovely but I need to smother out quack grass cancer hopping winter rye to help out?

do you time the layering of rye with a rain or can you spread it anytime on soil and the dew from the mornings will make it germinate? Ive been waiting on a rain to spread my rye and its not raining yet lol

Jeff, have you ever experimented with broadcasting winter rye into standing corn? If so, would you recommend it. If yes, is there an ideal time to do it?

Jeff with no rain in nearly 3 weeks how long before it's a bust and can I still plant when we get rain in the next 2 weeks. Winter wheat and ??

Hi, Can you use winter wheat instead of winter rye for layering? My hunting property is mostly in lower-laying land that holds more moisture (heavier soil). I thought I read rye and oats are more for less heavy soil. Thanks

Rye, Rye and more Rye. Winter rye has proven to be a deer magnet in attracting them to my food plots over the last 4 years - especially in December and January. I just top-seed my 2nd laying of seed yesterday as rain is in the forecast for today. Are you coming out with 5%er habitat t-shirts and hats anytime soon? Cris

Small 30-50 day fall radishes would work now with rye grain.

Can winter rye work for shaded forest roads and trails?

I planted Winter Rye a bit earlier (Michigan) and it's about 8 inches tall now. Should I mow it? If I do will it continue to grow? Thanks

Jeff, are you cutting the rye in after sowing, Or just too sowing and leaving it?

Hey jeff where do you get all of your seed from. Im in Oklahoma and alot of the coops and feed stores dont have much seed. Im wanting to get some winter rye, brassica, and soybean. Thanks?

I know I comment to much but do I need to make a mock scrape under the branch I hang up for a scent pole brother

What is your opinion of mix with Winter Hardy Oats, Winter Wheat, Winter Barley, Austrian Winter Peas, Tillage Radish, Purple Top Turnips, Rape Plus, Sugar Beets, Forage Collards, Impact Forage Collards, Crimson Clover and Oil Seed Radish? Also planting this mixture around Aug 22-sept05? thank you for your videos.

I’m guessing winter rye is different than perennial rye grass? I’m having difficulty finding it. Can you share a link of place I can order or maybe what store I can pick it up at? You guys are awesome. Thanks for all the good info.

Jeff, First off, thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and experience. I started watching your videos a few months ago and believe you have shed some light on why deer activity on our property seems to have diminished over the past several years. Our small parcel is in the big woods country of northern WI on the edge of the snow belt, so part of the problem may be reduced deer numbers because of the last few tougher winters. We have also been trying to feed deer all summer with clover and other summer food in out plots and not limiting our activity enough. We created our 3 small food plots within a 20ish year old aspen stand so there is doe/fawn bedding nearly surrounding the plots and getting in to work on them and not spook deer is tough. I do most of my hunting on national forest because I can find more deer activity there than our land... What's the solution to layering winter rye in these plots during September without blowing the deer out of our land? Thanks again!

hello, the rye that you are referring to, is that cereal rye? I use Fall Winter Spring from antler king which is a cereal rye and winter pea mix, that must be same/similar seed, yes? it most def is a workhorse... and woops.. i topseeded cereal rye onto brassicas.

Do wild turkeys like these food plots as well?

Jeff, where do you purchase your Winter Rye?

Hey Jeff love your info on plots , I have a few questions for you . I have one plot that is 30 yards wide and 400 yards long it has cutover one one side and planted pines on the other. How can I get brassica and some winter rye on a plot like that ? Do I divide it into section and plant different seeds in the sections ? Any way love what you do oh and I hunt in north Louisiana. Thanks very much

What bout Tn brother??? The best time to plant the rye and wheat I mean

Are you planting buckwheat even if you only are planting rye?