MK M GOBL

Here's a picture of the biggest plot I've every grown. 15 acres of soybeans. I couldn't get the whole plot into one picture. It's about 200 yards wide and over a quarter mile long. I've overseeded most of it with turnips within the past week and they are starting to germinate. I'll overseed it with more turnips, rye, and, winter oats towards the end of August. I can't hunt this plot until mid/late December so I need it to last a long time and be a good late season food source. So far it looks great!

MK M GOBL

I just realized that picture is a couple weeks old. Since then we've had rain and the beans are a foot taller. Most of them are 2 foot tall and thick.

This next plot is a first year ladino plot. It looks great and should be a great early season plot to harvest a few does.

MK M GOBL

Close up of ladino.

IL-Cornfed

VERY NICE! Those beans should be awesome during the season, better save me a stand!

farm hunter

MK-

How many 40 lb bags did it take to plant 15 acres (Maybe 7?)

Did you use an inoculant? I did the 1st couple times but I always forget. I guess once the correct bacteria is in the soil it stays for a while.

Also - Did you band in a fertilizer? If so what & how many lbs/acre.

15 acres is a big plot - do you harvest it?

Looks Great -
FH

MK M GOBL

20 bags of seed. I planted it at a population of 180,000 plants/acre.

I didn't use an inoculant because this was a clover field for the past several years. If I was planting into existing grass, I would have needed to inoculate the seed.

I fertilized last fall at a rate of 400 lbs/acre.

I won't harvest it. Like I said, I can't hunt it until December, so it has to last a long time. The plot is in Iowa, and I drew a late season tag that doesn't start until December 17th.

Dan O.

Nice pictures MK. I think Farm Hunter was referring to the fact that you need different innoculant for soybeans than clover. If the field was in clover it doesn't help if you plant soybeans. Actually the clover might not have been innoculated. It's cheap insurance to make sure that you add nitrogen to the soil from the crops. When the soybean plants are mature dig one up and you should see small balls (nodules) on the roots that the nitrogen fixing bacteria create. The more balls the better they are working.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AG152

Dan O.

farm hunter

Yes the pictures are very nice.I like the clover plot too -definitely top notch.

Thats one heck of a plot especially to leave. Is the soybeans Roundup Ready?The Inoculant may or may not be different that the clover bacteria. I thought they were different but I'm not sure. Since you put down 400 lbs/acre of a fertilizer it probably won't matter if the Beans are fixing Nitrogen or not for this plot.

Makes me want to try a 8 acre bean plot some time - (20 bags was more than I would have thought - obviously) We've got the field for it - I usually split it into 3 or 4 different plots. Let us know what kind of late season action you have!

FH

Dan O.

FH; Here's the quote from the U of Florida.

"clovers (white, red, crimson, and subterranean) are nodulated by R. trifoli, beans by R. phaseoli, alfalfa, black medic, and sweet clover by R. meliloti, lotus and lupine by R. loti, and soybeans by Bradyrhizobium japonicum. However, within some cross-inoculation groups only certain bacteria strains are compatible with the particular legume being grown. Therefore, a producer must select the specific strain (inoculum type) that is compatible with the legume being grown."

Adding innoculant is cheap insurance.

Dan O.

MK M GOBL

Well, I guess you learn something everyday. I've always thought the same bacteria worked for all legumes. I'll have to dig up a plant towards the end of the summer and see how much nodule development there is. I'm not overly concerned with the nitrogen gain though, as I have no intention of planting corn in this field. Next year it will be seeded down to alfalfa. I'm just glad my soybeans are healthy and growing well. They are getting more rain tonight and the turnips are about 1/2 inch tall. This has been a great year for growing a plot on this farm...lots of moisture.