Pennington's Wildlife Catalog of Seed for Wildlife Food Plots offers you a unique guide for establishing food plots to attract and hold wildlife. Each of the varieties or mixes in this book have planting information to help you establish productive food plots. To supplement these directions, we offer the following tips on basic planting practices:

• Always lime and fertilize, because most woodland soils are low in phosphorus and tend to be acidic. A soil test will tell you how much to use, and information on taking soil tests can be obtained from your local County Extension Office.
• Always prepare the soil by plowing, smoothing and firming the seedbed. Good seed-soil contact is essential for a thick, productive stand.
• Broadcast seeding by hand or with a spreader can produce good results if you are careful to cover most seed no deeper than 1/2 inch and use a log, heavy drag, or culti packer to firm the soil after planting.
• Select a site that is long and narrow with curves or bends to provide a sense of safety for wildlife. This is essential for deer and turkey. A rule of thumb is 1/4 acre of food plot to 10 acres of habitat.
• Avoid drought prone sites such as deep stands or shallow rocky soils. Southwest facing sites are hotter in the summer and tend to dry out faster than bottomland.
• A minimum of 50% sunshine is essential for a healthy, productive food plot. The reverse is generally true in the winter.
• Grow something in your food plots year round to provide adequate nutrition for wildlife. Plowing strips and planting into existing plots is an excellent way to extend the productivity of the plot and hold wildlife all year long.
• You may want to keep a record of each plot which can include planting and fertilizer information and number of animals observed or harvested.
• Wire cages placed in the food plots that keep deer from grazing will provide you with valuable information on how productive the varieties are and how much forage is being grazed.

These simple tips along with specific information on seeding rates and times should give you the basics to grow abundant year round food for your wildlife. Growing food plots is an economical and legal way to produce larger, healthier animals and increase your hunting success or wildlife sightings. Planting food plots for wildlife is legal in most areas of the United States if you follow normal agricultural practices. Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service Office and State Game Commission for specific information.

Pennington Seed is proud to offer wildlife seed to improve your wildlife habitat. Our varieties and various mixes have been field tested for many years on the Pennington hunting preserve and are the finest products on the market today