Jeff -

3 acres is big enough. Also, I was surprised when I
learned about Ph and Corn. You would like the soil to be slightly
acidic - 6.5Ph in a perfect world, but corn will grow well down to
5.5Ph, and I've done it with success several times. The key is
making sure you have enough Nitrogen available, at the right time.

As far as clover between the rows - Its possible but probably not the best way. Corn requires either cultivation (manual weeding) or spraying for weed control at some point. I prefer the cultivation for food plots actually because you can seed "something" at the last
cultivation (mid July in my area), spraying, usally makes it
tough to interseed other crops. Some people broadcast soybeans,
or climbing beans at last cutivation - and this can work well.
Generally perennial clover grows too slow to plant at last cultivation. The corn shades the plot too much, and the clover that does establish is too sparce to compete with the weeds that will definitely come the following spring. Annual clovers can work OK, but I've never tried them. I have used beans and peas, mixed in the corn planter at planting, so I could still cultivate, and that worked good, but the deer ate most of the plants before they got mature - even in the 5 acre planting I did last year. I've also used rye, broadcast over the corn at last cultivation (this is also the time you should lay down Nitrogen for ear growth- I would not do this unless you have very high N levels, as the rye competes directly with the corn - especially when its earing out. Keep in mind, that the rye will be too mature for a fall plot when planted this way - and could be a waste of time/money - depending on your plan.

Preferably, I would plant the 3 acre section, in corn - except for a 1/2 -1 acre plot of clover in the middle of the corn, ot at least extending into it. The weeds that grow in with corn, encourage bedding by deer during the summer - as they feed on the clover plot. A sprayed corn feild, generally will not get as much bedding activity from deer.

I Promise - I'll start the corn post this weekend - I'll list the top 5 most important things to consider when planting corn, plus tips, and questions I have.