Black Label Legumes & Chicory

Plant spring or fall

Plant 1/4 inch deep @ 15 lbs./acre

The chicory component was added to Jason’s longtime favorite clover varieties for both the North and South to make this clover/chicory mix dominate as a food plot offering. As a perennial forb, Chicory performs very well when planted with companion legumes such as clover and alfalfa. Chicory’s deep tap root enables it to continue to perform strong in the warmer “summer slump” months when clover is dormant. You couldn’t ask for a better complementary relationship. Their deep tap roots make chicory our clutch “go-to” player during drought conditions. A 15 lb. bag will plant 1 acre and when managed properly with a well-developed soil health program, this plot will produce for 10 or more years, as it has on Drop-Tine Farms in Pennsylvania. Deer will also dig up the roots during the winter months for their high energy, medicinal value, attraction and nutritional content. A larger 30 Lb. bag is available and will plant 2 acres.

If you knew of a high yielding forage that outperformed the famed alfalfa and was easier to grow wouldn’t you want to plant it for deer? It has been reported that forage chicory growth rates during peak growing periods can be upwards of 73 lbs. PER ACRE PER DAY! While traveling to visit with clients, Jason is constantly amazed with the level to which chicory is underutilized. It’s a fact that forage chicory has a greater mineral content and is more digestible than alfalfa: the queen of forage! If that doesn’t impress you consider that forage chicory yields are high (up to 6 tons/acre reported in Pennsylvania trials) and protein levels climbing over 30% are commonly reported in forage quality tests. A forage that has tremendous quality, digestible energy and high yielding potential that is also 95% digestible is an all-star in our book! Throw in chicory’s winter hardiness and the fact that research has revealed anti-parasitic properties in small ruminants I’m thinking Hall of Fame!

When you consider the fact that chicory contains high levels of minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur and zinc it’s no wonder why independent studies report exceptional animal performance as a result of feeding on forage chicory. All of these characteristics during the critical months when bucks are growing antlers and does are pregnant, fawning and lactating makes chicory a must have food plot product.

Nitrogen fixed by the clover component will be scavenged and stored by the chicory roots and maintained in the upper portion of the soil profile as organic nitrogen for future plants (Saving $$$ on future fertilizer bills).