Food Plot Seminar: The Release Process™ - Dr. Grant Woods

[@fergystuff]

Another video on the Release Process....excellent, more, more, more please! Salivate, Defecate, Urinate!

[@paulcrave3112]

I love listening to you talk about the release process.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Thanks Paul!

[@bpsreston1]

Thank you Doc for sharing the knowledge and wisdom that you have experienced through lots of success and some failures over the years. While I do not hunt but maybe once a year, my goal is to save up for some property that my children and I can implement what I have been taught from my main professor Dr Woods. May God bless you with a fruitful and rich 2023.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Thanks for the blessing and kind words!

[@patriciapatterson4442]

@@GrowingDeerTV -

[@michaelwilhelm562]

Love these seminars. Great information

[@keithhimstedt6870]

Excellent video! Thanks again Mr. Woods for sharing your knowledge.

[@sonsofthunder3100]

Great video, great information, great examples of healthy land management and conservation. I work with NRCS in South Carolina, and there are still some old ideas in conservation that are difficult to change in people's minds. One of my favorite college professors, Dr. Fred Provenza, would always say we need to have a paradigm shift. This video was spot on with that thinking. I'm still working my own paradigm shift in my land management too. How the team is doing well!

[@GrowingDeerTV]

We are all well and thanks for the kind words!

[@dannylake4357]

Love watching your video good to see your change of heart you were spraying poison on everything earlier videos

[@GrowingDeerTV]

I don't recall spraying poison ivy - deer browse that species.

[@GermanTree874]

The before picture is in the winter. The after picture is in the summer. Apples to Oranges.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Weeds and bare soil to a lush productive crop - season doesn't matter in that context.

[@raycooper931]

I really appreciate all the awesome content and appreciation for our LORD .did I understand correctly ? Or just read it in my self is the deer stomach content got micro that could be beneficial to the ground? Like a harvested deer

[@thehumblewoodsman127]

Very interesting!

[@williamhelm9902]

Great video. I am in central Louisiana and we have used a no-till drill for the last 2 Fall plantings. When you plant your Fall plots, do you crimp? If not, do the Spring/Summer crops die off? Not sure if we get cold enough to get those out of the way.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

William - If I can see my boots about half of the time when I walks through the summer plot just before time to plant the fall crop, I don't crimp. I simply drill in the fall crop. The drill will terminate some of the summer crop forage and allow enough sun to reach the ground for the fall crop to germinate and thrive. This keeps quality forage in the area and deer continue feeding in the plot. If the summer growth is so think that a fall crop likely won't establish well, then I drill the fall crop and then crimp the summer crop.

[@williamhelm9902]

@@GrowingDeerTV Thank you.

[@Grizzlife]

Awesome info!

[@scottschaeffer8920]

These principles need to be retrofitted to work on an actual production ag farm. There’s only so many hobby farms, these won’t save quail, honey bees or bobolinks range-wide. It’s started with cover crops.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

I agree! There are about 5% of the farms nationwide that use these principles and it's called Regenerative Ag in the production crop circlces.

[@Tinybear001]

Does Grant talk about the speciffic Seed Bland that he's using on that large field? Id like to try to mimic that.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

My presentation is on this channel and I used the Summer Release blend and Fall Release blend from GreenCoverFoodPlots.com

[@tigerintheboro]

I have decided to start this buffalo release process with a Genesis 3 and crimper. About a 4 acre field. The field has been a CRP field for quail and lease is over. How should I start for a spring/summer blend? I have seen in your previous videos that you recommend RR Beans so I can control the weeds. Is this still your recomendation? I was thinking of bush hogging it, spraying it, spraying it again about a month later, drilling BW, let BW grow 6 or so weeks, spray BW which will likely have lots of weeds as well, and replant BW, repeating this process 2 or even 3 times, and finally drill Fall or Plot Release, spray BW and weeds one last time, then crimp. Long warm season here in GA. I am trying not to have to "protect" the beans so they can form a canopy. My thoughts were that deer would not hit the BW near as hard and I could establish an all summer canopy and still be able to spray several times. Or would spraying a few times then go with Summer Release or Browse Pressure work to control weeds in the beginning. I will be getting soil tests and applying lime and fertilizer. I appreciate any feedback you can give me. Thank you Dr. Woods

[@GrowingDeerTV]

This sounds like a great project! Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) needs leaf surface area to be effective. One strategy is to use prescribed fire to remove the duff and then spray to to terminate what sprouts. Mowing won't kill most weeds, just like it doesn't when a yard is mowed. Deer do like buckwheat and how much they browse it will depend on what other food sources are nearby. Roundup. Ready soybeans are a good tool, unless as you indicated, deer browse then to an extent where they never produce biomass. So - Buckwheat may or may not suppress weeds. If you plant buckwheat, I recommend planting it thick. A blend would be better. I often use the Summer Plot Release at a heavy planting rate to suppress weeds. This will cost a bit more than buckwheat but will be much better for the soil and at suppressing weeds. Let me know how it goes!

[@jordanhudson5075]

Thank you so much, I am located right beside nine mile ridge in Arkansas “saddle” and I have looked all around the web for help and advice about food plots but no one has the type of soil that we have “rocks” haha so thank you so much for the information it gives me hope because your property looked just like ours does now, what is your advice on the start of the brand new food plot how do we start one as in the very first time food plot how do I create a seed bank for the seed to be able to come in contact with soil and be able to sprout and grow so they don’t go to earls and eat ! Thank you so much

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Jordan - First - we'll host a Field Event June 9-10th and should come tour and see our techniques! If the has just been cleared of timber, stumps removed, etc., I simply broadcast or drill the seed. I let the roots do the "tilling".

[@transamguy9073]

Man this guy seems to no his stuff. I cant wait to try some of these techniques. Thanks for the great info

[@scottgoddard7243]

Feel the same way about the dose

[@alanwhite4839]

Some Of us are in between hand planting and grain drills. We have a tractor, Bushhog, spreader, and a box blade. How can we implement your methods with our existing equipment? I don’t want to buy a green trail and a giant crimper.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Alan - There are lots of ways to spread seed, but any system that disturbs the soil (box blade, etc.) won't produce as good of results as this system. Few bushhogs spread the duff evenly. The heavy clumps can choke out the new seedlings and. the bare spots will likely produce weeds. I'm simply sharing techniques that work and realize not everyone will implement them. By the way, many NRCS offices rent no-till drills for very inexpensive rates.

[@alanwhite4839]

I’m Looking for alternatives to the roller crimper.

[@connersewell2296]

I’ve got a disk but I can’t afford a no till drill. What’s another way to seed without one?

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Conner - The seed needs to make good contact with the soil. One technique is to use prescribed fire to remove the duff so seeds can reach the soil and broadcast seed just before a rain.

[@brayevalentine305]

Is frost seeding a good thing for clover?

[@GrowingDeerTV]

It can be a good technique! If there's a lot of competition already established then the existing plants will most likely outcompete the new clover.

[@StubbsMillingCo.]

Permaculture and Natures 7 layers of Forest. You want to make things better, you want big deer, more species of animals? Learn Permaculture and Natures 7 layers.

[@cooterbrown1703]

Grant can you please help get a no till drill that is affordable for the common man?

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Cooter - Whew. Metal prices, shipping, etc., determine tractor, drill, etc., prices. Most NRCS offices rent no-till drills for great rates!

[@cooterbrown1703]

@@GrowingDeerTV yes im just not close to one

[@scottnovak966]

Happy new year to you and your crew Doc, As you know, I started the release process last year and of course, as you well know, we had a terrible drought but still had positive results. But I have a question that I need to ask, in all the videos I have watched, I see you address the natural way you have found to fertilize, weed control, and improve your soil to almost an unbelievable quality in our area (for those that don't know I'm in Taney county as well) But there is no much mention of a natural way to increase the PH in our soil through the planting of certain plants or crops. Is there a way to do this? as you know so well here in the Ozarks our PH levels normally run in the 5 and 6 range and I need to get my place up to the proper PH levels as well. other than pelletized or raw limestone liming is there a way to improve the PH naturally? thanks for all the great videos and info as well as the great support you and your team provide to help us deer farmers out. hope we all have a great planting season and God bless everyone. Thanks in advance and hope to visit soon.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Scott - Let's hope there's better growing conditions this year! The decomposing vegetation is basic - improves the soil as is earthworm dropping and that of other critters. These systems combined work. to balance the pH and have worked great at my place!

[@seth1137]

Out of curiosity, would these same techniques be suitable for farming? Particularly not using insecticide? This method seems great for wildlife, just curious if it would translate to farming in general. Every farm I see is like the picture you showed where the soil is bare at some point.

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Yes, absolutely! Fortunately there are some farmers in every state that use such techniques and this practice is called Regenerative ag. You can learn much more about it at GreenCover.com and checkout their blogs or search on Regenerative ag.

[@seth1137]

@@GrowingDeerTV thanks! I grew up in Alabama planting food plots in the fall the traditional way of bushog, plow/disc, seed/fertilizer. It was all I knew and the only equipment I had. I never planted anything in the spring because I didn't have a way to control weeds and had no knowledge on herbicide. I'd love to learn more about planting this way and hopefully invest in a no till drill. This may be a stupid question, would a bushog work in place of a crimper?

[@davidwalter6302]

What do you use to kill trees you want to get rid of?

[@GrowingDeerTV]

David - It depends on the tree species. A mix of 50% Garlon 3A, 40% water, and 10% Arsenal AC controls many hardwood species.

[@kristophstjames4143]

instead of a crimper, how would a cultipacker work instead? Mine is 7 feet wide and heavy

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Cultipackers are designed to press seed in contact with bare soil. Crimpers have a blade or fin every 8" or so and are designed to crush a plant's circulatory system. A cultipackers usually won't terminate vegetation in the dough seed stage like crimpers do and a crimper won't insure seed is in contact with barre soil.

[@kristophstjames4143]

@@GrowingDeerTV Thanks, I can try my chopper which I use for chopping brush, the blades are about 12" apart, so that may work, it's basically a crimper but larger in scale

[@thehuntersight7548]

This is Dr. Seabury explaining research with Huntr podcast

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Who is Dr. Seabury?

[@jasonw9423]

Heard you say you schooled at a Georgia. Go Dawgs

[@GrowingDeerTV]

I did - 88 to 90.

[@jasonw9423]

@@GrowingDeerTV I was there 88-92. We may have been on the same bus. E/W N/S or Orbit. 👍🤣

[@asd798]

Why don't you use the before and after photo un the same season? Bit of a misleading comparison

[@GrowingDeerTV]

This was about improving soil over time.

[@asd798]

@GrowingDeerTV I get that but you can't use two different seasons as a comparison for improving soil health

[@titanthegreat]

You teach people to use contrast photos for the thumbnail? Kinda weasely...🧐

[@GrowingDeerTV]

Really? You don't like seeing before and after?