Rye

[Gofishleech]

When do you food ploters put in your rye down in northern mn?

[ANYFISH2]

The plots myself and my buddy put in on his land in Todd county( near Motley, not exactly northern MN) are being planted now. We try to get a good month of growth before first frost, but not so early that it get taller than 8".

[ANYFISH2]

Winter rye has been a much better option than rye grass, fyi.

[lungdeflator]

local farmer usually plants the rye about this time. By mid september theres usually 1-3 inch plants. All weather dependent i guess....

[PerchJerker]

I'm in northern MN, about an hour NE of Walker, and I like to plant my oats, wheat and rye grains in the 2nd half of August, although I have planted them in early September with good luck too. I plant grains only, no rye grass.

[Dotch]

Generally speaking rye grass doesn't do well on the sandier soils prevalent in the northern areas of the state. It's a good quality forage from a palatability and digestibility standpoint however and that's part of the reason some including myself in the southern part of the state have included it as part of an emergency forage given the right circumstances. Rye grain is tough and as far as overwintering capability it's about as good as it gets in that department for fall seeded grains no matter where you are.

[lakevet]

When do you food ploters put in your rye down in northern mn?

Winter Rye is a great crop to put in. Better at extracting nitrogen from soil than other cereal grains. University of Minnesota extension service has all the info you need online. The high quality grazing your herd will get going into winter will cut your cost of overwintering/feed costs resulting in more profit for your operation when you send them to market. Extension service has all you need as how to manage grazing winter rye. As any farmer feeding the world knows, being as efficient as possible with your operation is very important. Oh what a second, this is hunting not farming. The two keep getting more alike all the time.

Plant last week in august/first week in sept. This is influenced not only by how far north but also how far east or west you are in northern MN. It will germinate/grow later than that but since you want it to attract deer for hunting, sooner is better than later. The great thing about winter rye is if it gets tall from planting early, it can be grazed. If you are not into cattle you can also mow it. That fresh regrowth is very attractive to ruminants and way cheaper than much of the hyped seeds/crops. Plant it too late and you may not get much for your effort. Also much of what the University has researched for cattle and grazing can be applied to deer. That is where all the food plot companies got the vast majority of their info. And it is free and online. Or call your local experiment station like the one in Grand Rapids,MN. Have fun farm... I mean hunting.

Personally, we just manage our land for timber and fields for grass hay that a neighbor cuts. Surrounding properties are full of bare dirt 4 wheeler trails/cameras to be checked, food plots to be tended, etc. The deer hang out in our property to get some peace and quiet.

lakevet

[BLACKJACK]

Besides the fact that deer like it, the good thing about rye is that you can get multiple years out of one planting. The stuff planted now will come up next spring, providing the deer with some early green forage, it will head out in July like wheat or oats, then you can lightly disc it in late August, starting the cycle over again. I've had spots where I've done this for three years.

[certified jumbo]

both lakevet and black jack have it right.

winter rye is a underlooked deer food plot option. you can plant it late (early sept), it can be mowed or browsed and quickly grow back and it germinates in 4-5 days and grows quickly from there. it also stay bright green well after the frosts begin.

one important thing to remember is don't plant it to early. deer do not like rye as much when it reaches maturity. 3-5" high is perfect. if it get taller than 6" i would recommend cutting it if its early enough for it to grow back. you want it 3 to 4" during your prime hunting season.