Madeline

i was wondering if you guys think i could plan rr soy and corn in late summer so the soy stays green though the fall then mature and be could used in later winter!!!or do you think a early frost mite kill it !!!!! i also planted rr soy and corn this spring it is doing really good for little rain we have had!!!

IL-Cornfed

I would leave the corn out of the mix if planted late. The soybeans can and WILL still produce a decent crop and will indeed stay green weeks later than traditionally planted soybeans. I've tried this later planting myself and had impressive results. The only problem I had was that the decreased bean yield was hardly enough to sustain many deer after the local Ag crops were picked. It seemed once the corn came down in my area then my bean plot got smashed hard until it was nearly gone! I would suggest planting JUST the soybeans and then sometime in late August, broadcast a brassica or wheat/oats blend over it. This way you will have a consistent food source well after some hard freezes. It works! Good luck

Here's an Oct.2 soybean plot photo showing the heavy browsing. Note that at this early stage the deer were still hammering the leaves. They actually saved the bean pods until late Oct and into early Nov after they had been hit by a few frosts.

Large Lad

Madeline, stick with late maturing soybean. I have some late maturing Roundup Ready Forage Soybeans that can be planted late and still produce excellent biomass. I will send you a bag to try. PM me with your address if you are interested. The late planted corn may produce a very small cob, if the worms don't get it first. The soybeans will stay green until frost, but will still produce pods for the deer to munch on in late winter.

Madeline

thanks for the repy!!!!!!!!i have a lot of rr soy left so i mite try to plant them and see how they turn out!!

IL-Cornfed

I would still love to see some of these forage soybeans you speak so highly of ??? The price I was quoted wanted as much for S&Has they did for the $35per bag! At $70 per bag, there are a LOT of options out there! [&:]

I'm curious as to how late into the summer can we plant them? I have about a 1 1/2 acre plot that I still need to plant and was going to wait for a Fall planting but now I'm wondering if a Forage Soybean would work there?

Large Lad

PM sent to you ILCornfield.

Large Lad

The later you plant soybean, the later the maturity needed to reach maximum growth potential. This is most important in a food plot. Soybean unlike other crops have many different maturity groups. If you plant a southern variety in the north, it will mature much later than cultivars grown in that region and may get frosted on before fully mature. Farmers do not want that. If you plant a northern variety in the south, it will only get a foot or two in height and mature much earlier never reaching maximum potential. In my opinion, you should make the most out of your summer plot by utilizing the entire growing season until frost. I usually broadcast wheat into the soybeans prior to leaf drop and wait for rain to sprout the wheat. This leaves growing wheat in standing soybean stubble for both cover and food.