This article was updated on March 15, 2022 Few things are more attractive in the deer food plot world than a solid stand of ladino clover, particularly when it is still there after the third…
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Frost Seeding Clover and Other Food Plot Species: When and How
Mar 1, 2022Kip Adams
This article was updated 3/1/2022 If you live in an area where the surface layer of soil freezes during winter, you can save fuel and equipment costs by frost seeding a portion of your clover…
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Do Brassicas Actually Get “Sweeter” After a Frost?
Dec 22, 2021Mark Turner
We’ve all heard it in one form or another – that deer select brassicas more strongly after frost because the starches turn into sugars, making the plant sweeter. At the University of Tennessee, we set…
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Break Down the Brassicas to Choose the Best for Your Food Plots
Aug 19, 2020Ryan Basinger
Although they have long been used as a livestock forage, brassicas came on the scene as a deer forage about 20 to 30 years ago. There are numerous species that belong to genus Brassica, and…
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Food Plot Species Profile: Oats
Jul 15, 2020Ryan Basinger
It’s no secret that cereal grains – wheat, oats, cereal rye, triticale – are popular choices for planting in food plots managed for whitetails. Cereal grains are highly attractive to deer, and they perform well…
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Annuals, Perennials or Both for Food Plots? How to Choose Wisely
Jun 24, 2020Ryan Basinger
One of the most basic characteristics of a deer forage that essentially lays the foundation of a food plot program is the time of year it is available and how long it lasts. When you…
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Austrian Winter Peas
Jul 28, 2016Ryan Basinger
Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum) is a cool-season annual legume that has long been considered a high-preference forage for whitetails. Due to its nitrogen-fixing ability, winter pea has numerous agricultural uses, and it is very…
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Radishes for Deer
Jul 18, 2016Ryan Basinger
Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are somewhat of a newcomer to the food plot menu for whitetails. Native to Asia, radishes are produced for a variety of uses but are primarily grown for food. In the United…
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Food Plot Species Profile: Berseem Clover
Sep 19, 2014Ryan Basinger
One of the primary reasons berseem clover hasn’t gained much traction since its introduction to the U.S. in 1896 is that it lacks winter hardiness. Likewise, its use as a deer forage has been limited….
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Food Plot Species Profile: Red Clover
Jun 30, 2014Ryan Basinger
If you don’t have red clover growing in some of your food plots, let me explain why you should. Dr. Craig Harper and I examined red clover in research plots in Tennessee for several years. We…
