looking to get some thoughts on a good food plot in sandy soil. getting a soil test done this weekend but wanted to get some opinions on what works for you all. this is about a 1.5 acre flat sandy area. going to remove about 7/8 small pines. surrounded on 2 sides by swamps. located in western wisconsin (but i still hate the packers, just had to get that out there).

help!!!!!!

You should be able to grow almost any crop on that ground if is not "too" sandy. Dig down about 12-18 inches and you will probably see a clay layer if that area was wooded. I have some sandy ground in NW WI, and it has been very productive the last few years with the good rains we have had.

Alfalfa, chicory, and some clovers are drought resistant, but you will probably need lime (your soil test will let you know). Another strategy would be to plant a sping crop like oats for feed and weed supression, and then a fall crop like oats, peas and oats, brassicas, or winter rye to attract deer during hunting season and give them some feed over winter. If farmers in the area are growing corn and soybeans without irrigation, you should be able to grow them as well.

alfalfa/oats mixture, with some small edge stirps planted in perenials such as sunflowers, the alfalfa will do better if you wait untill late august, early september to plant, 30lbs of buffalo alfalfa, and 1&1/2 bushel of oats on a 1.5 acre site so seed will cost you in the neighborhood of $80.00 , but you will need to have the ground worked up, and ready to plant,

the crop will be up green and in use by deer season

alfalfa likes a sandy soil

the deer will migrate to it and use it all year long, and if it is cared for should last 3-5 years

if there are dairy farmers near by they would proably love to cut the alfalfa as hay, so you might work out a deal with one of them to help you get the ground ready to plant for the rights to the hay

Annuals like oats, wheat, rye. Have some others that will work well down here, but probably not up in WI/MN... as a matter of fact, you probably better forget oats and stick with winter wheat or winter rye. Oats usually die around 10 degrees. You might want to throw some brassicas in with it.

thanks everyone. Just got the plots planted. ended up planting about 3 acres. made the plot bigger than i originally planned. i planted a variety including oats, rapeseed, turnips, and chicory. I wanted to plant alfalfa but the 3 or 4 places i went to didn't have any. we'll see what grows...

when it was all said and done i put 20 hours on the tractor and countless more on foot. Those dang deer better appreciate it.