Just thought I' d post something I learned while preparing the 2 acre soybean plot I did this year. Soybeans, like clover, need to be innoculated with a specific bacteria (different than for clover). Seed suppliers say that if a plot is innoculated one year, 4 years later the original innoculant is still good.

In fact, the initial innoculation can increase yeilds of seed substantially - by 30% or more, but in the next couple years after that - in the same field - innoculation is not needed at all - the bacteria needed for N fixation is still present.

Last year I seeded a test plot of 1/8 acre soybeans, and was fairly impressed with the grow on very acidic soil - and I did not inoculate. This year I planted 2 acres (1/2 planted close together - like it was broadcast ---- and 1/2 planted in 30" rows like corn - that I plan to cultivate). I inoculated this year and planted in a little better soil - just now the plants have emerged and I will post an update on my soybean experiment and results, and deer use this summer.

I' m more interested in Leafy Growth than seed production - so we' ll see how this planting goes - its in soil about 5.5-6.0 ph.

We have about 450# of iron clay pea seeds we are going to try and do something with this weekend. I may split a few plots and broadcast some feed grade soybeans just to see how they compare.

farm hunter; don' t discount the beans. I' ve seen a few deer munching on the ripe seed pods. They' ll make good companions for your corn and clover.

Dan O.

Timbercruiser, where' d you get the peas. We bought a couple hundred #' s, but due to export issues they were like $38/bag and most feed stores don' t have any. We' ve switched to RACKMASTER, because it' s so readlily available. It' s got your peas and soybeans in it.

We bought a bunch of them last year for $19.50 per bag. I heard they were higher this year. We can get feed grade beans for $7 a bag and they sprout pretty good.

Farm Hunter we plant about 4,000 acres of soybeans every year , we would like to fund a way to keep the deer out of them. We uuse inoculants each year. Our beans are $22.45 a bushel as they are roundup ready beans...

RonM; you might look into deer repellents or planting a more desirable sacrifical crop (clover, corn) to keep the deer out of the beans. Unfortunately; you need to do the opposite of everything we' re recommending to improve deer habitat. Why don' t you contact local hunting groups and put a good dent into the local deer poulation. Some areas issue pest licenses to take deer in the off season if that' s when the damage is occuring.

Dan O.