OUTDOOR LOGIC WITH BIOLOGIC
A BRASSICA BREAKDOWN
DEER CANDY!
A LOOK AT WHICH BRASSICAS ARE BEST AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE SEASON AND UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS. BY T O D D A M E N R U D
In 1984, I started a food plot program on my home property. Back then, where I live, if you wanted to provide food for late season attraction or wintertime nutrition, corn was about the only alternative. Then, during the 90s, brassicas became all the rage – for good reason. They outcompete corn in almost every desirable characteristic – they produce much more food (tonnage) per acre; they are more palatable and digestible and they have far greater nutritional benefits. They are also accessible with moderate snow fall, and even when covered, stay green long into the winter. While corn can still have a place in a food plot program, brassicas are my “workhorse” from late August through the winter… or until they’re browsed to the ground. From the time Toxey Haas and BioLogic first steered “whitetail deer management” into the age of planting brassicas, we have been researching, learning more about them and understanding better how to utilize different brassicas to help us accomplish a wide variety of management goals. If you have enough ground to devote to your food plot program, most gamekeepers would agree that a well-diversified food program with an assortment of plants that will offer your herd what they need regardless of the time of the season or current conditions is
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Cooperative Farming News
the best. Some of the plants you choose would likely be perennials, but for the best in attraction during the hunting season, it’s hard to beat a food plot full of luscious late summer / fall-planted annuals. When it comes to annuals, brassicas are, in my opinion, the best deer food God has given us. They are my favorite plantings for numerous reasons; they are the most attractive, best producing (yield), most nutritious, easiest to plant, and one of the hardiest growing food plot choices we have. Combine that with the fact that they’re also great for the soil. What’s not to like? It used to be said that they only work well in the North. That’s untrue, they work the same throughout the South, but closely examining the palatability timeframe and conditions under which each variety of brassica performs best is more important in the South than in northern climes. Working for BioLogic has enabled me to learn a lot about these plants. Everyone who considers planting them should know a few things. Many years ago, before brassicas became a popular planting, we (BioLogic) ran into a couple instances of having to battle the “whitetails’ learning curve” - when you introduce a plant they’ve never seen before, it took them a season or two to become accustomed to it. However, that was