On our place this year I am planning on using base cereal grains around 75 pounds per acre or so and then adding some brassicas and clover to it. I've used some biologic here and there over the years and had decent success with it. I know there are different opinions on the topic, but is there any difference in a biologic brassica that is supposedly a "New Zealand" brassica and your normal turnips, rape or radish that you buy at your local co-op. Has anyone noticed a significant difference in the more expensive biologic (or other name brand brassica seed)? Any advice or past experiences is appreciated.

I never buy the expensive seed. Forage rape has done amazingly well for me. I’m trying radishes this year.

The rape is $31 for 50 lbs, which is probably the best bang for your buck.

Is most rape you find sold by itself going to be “forage rape” or just normal rape? I mean like the stuff you can buy from Riverside in 1 or 5 pound bags?

75lbs per acre and brassicas and clover sounds like you are planting a little heavy. How often do you put out fertilizer?

Yes. It’s the big turnip-looking brassica that’s pretty cold tolerant. It’s just a ton cheaper per pound to buy it by the 50lb sack. I think they add “forage” before the name to decrease the shock value of the name...

Yes, very unfortunate name. We have never had luck with rape, but I think we’ve been planting it too late.

Mostly what I find around me is dwarf Essex rape. Good stuff, but radish provides more tonnage. Radish have huge tubers for the deer to eat as well. Seems to me, the radish and rape don't require a frost to sweeten them up because the deer hit them early on. I always like to add some turnips for me and my deer. They hit them late in the year.

I agree with them not needing a frost. By rifle season, my beautiful leafy brassicas were all eaten up.

I have had success with planting co-op rape, radish, and turnips in mid September with a heavy dose of fertilizer. Then I come back with cereal rye and some crimson clover in October where there are bare spots.

What do you recommend? 50lbs per acre of cereal grain?

I would cut it back to 50lbs per acre since you are adding the brassicas. The clover won't matter because it's so slow to establish but the brassicas needs a lot on nutrients and if you plant to heavy your field will turn yellow and look stunted. If your in Thomasville you probably have sandy soil and lots of deer like me. I have learned to plant in late September to cut down on weed competition and I add nitrogen when I plant so whatever I plant gets a jump on the deer before the mow it down. If you were farming you would never plant more than what's recommended because it would stunt your crop and cause low yield.