Agronomists, seed company representatives, and others often mention the importance of decisions pertaining to seed selection and purchase. Most forage/livestock producers would say they agree with this line of thinking. However, it is easy to forget about this (or, more likely, not give it as much attention as it deserves) when actually making a seed […]
Ragan & Massey is at the forefront of the forage seed and agricultural chemical industries. We offer 34 high-quality, innovative products under 12 proprietary brands that are available in over 3,500 stores nationwide. We’re proud of our lineup and guarantee our products’ effectiveness. But don’t just take our word for it, the proof is in […]
Food plots that attract plenty of deer and other wildlife take year-round effort. When temperatures drop, food plot maintenance shifts from planting and growing to planning and preparation.
For hunters that have never utilized a food plot, you’re missing out. A food plot is designed to draw deer, turkeys and other game to your property, i.e., your stand. But they are also very beneficial to the local game populations because of the supplemental nutrition they provide. This extra nutrition helps local game populations […]
It’s finally the off-season and you’ve waited a long time to put up the tractor keys in favor of a shotgun or bow. But before you settle in your tree stand, you may want to consider planting one more acre. A nutritious, palatable food plot attracts deer, turkeys and other game, while helping to maintain […]
With the 2019 – 2020 deer hunting season on the downslope, many hunters are still hoping to bag a buck. If you’re one of them, there’s still time to finish the hunting season strong with the help of PlotSpike. PlotSpike is Ragan & Massey’s high-quality forage seed that attracts deer to your food plot. Our seed is developed without fillers […]
PlotSpike is our premium blend of high-quality forage seeds for planting wildlife food plots. It is a leader in the food plot seed industry and has been providing seed to customers across the southern United States for more than 20 years. Once in a while, we get asked questions about this product and how to use it. We answered the top […]
Benefits of legumes or legume/grass mixtures can include biological nitrogen fixation, higher forage yield, more favorable distribution of forage growth, and higher forage quality that results in better animal performance. In pasture situations, clovers are by far the most commonly used type of forage legume. Depending on climatic conditions, soils, and sites, a livestock producer […]
Ragan & Massey’s PlotSpike is a high-quality product that attracts both deer and turkey all year long. We also have several varieties, like our Forage Oats, that are PlotSpike exclusives developed just for our customers that work with no fillers or unnecessary coatings. With so many quality varieties, how do you know which type is best for your food plot? Are you looking to get your food plot started fast? Try PLOTSPIKE® FORAGE […]
For those that love to hunt (and enthusiastically wait for deer season all year) there are a lot of factors that need to come into play to make the season the best it can be including producing a quality herd. Food plots provide necessary nutrition for deer, long into the winter. But food plots also work with […]
It is getting close to the time of year that’s more precious to hunters than any other – hunting season. For most experienced hunters a food plot is a must. Food plots not only draw game and wildlife to your hunting ground, they help herds stay healthy and control population numbers. Even though hunting season doesn’t start until […]
Year after year meteorologists and farmers predict the upcoming winter will be worse than the last – and it turns out to be accurate most of the time! But no matter if the winter or extremely harsh or mild, it always poses a risk to your livestock. The best way to prepare for the worst […]
PlotSpike is a leader in the food plot seed industry for its innovative, high-quality products that attract deer and turkey all year long. You may already know that Ragan & Massey is a member of the Louisiana Seed Association and the Southern Seed Association and that we source, pack and produce all our own seed. […]
No Thanksgiving table is complete without a huge, roasted-to-perfection turkey. As Americans, we love turkey so much that many of us will roast one numerous times throughout the year just to savor that Thanksgiving feeling. But the grocery store turkey that’s probably on your table is a far cry from the one that’s out in […]
Just like a great menu has a lot of options, so does PlotSpike. Our brand of forage seed, which we source, pack and produce ourselves, is nothing like a bad wedding offering of meat or fish.
The best fall food plots, the ones that draw in the most wildlife, are usually located in an out-of-the-way spot that has never seen any type of landscaping. One of the biggest tasks when planting a food plot is clearing the area of existing brush, vines, grass and weeds. The second being getting your forage […]
A food plot is a must-have for hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. Planted in the spring or fall, these areas full of grasses and seeds like forage oats, clover, rape and chicory, that attract wild game like deer and turkeys. Plots can range in size from as small as a garden to as big as an […]
We’re sure you’ve heard and read about other seed companies touting their seeds as “pre-inoculated” or “coated.” Inoculants, strains of naturally-occurring soil bacterial that improve nitrogen availability to a plant as it grows, can be beneficial; however, more and more of these “coatings” advertised by seed companies are really just corn starch or talc with […]
At Ragan and Massey, we get a lot of questions about how to fertilize for food plots: how much, how often, when to start, what to use. In an ideal world, you would have plenty of time to test your soil before planting, but this is rarely the case for most people, who often don’t […]
Another hunting draws near and with it hot coffee, a ready truck, and the long wait for sunrise. Those of us longtime hunters have learned a lesson or two from the blind and tree stand. Here are seven we thought of this morning.
It’s the time of year when we start fielding a lot of questions surrounding the best ways to establish and maintain a food plot. Most of our customers are surprised at how easy it can be to prep, plant, fertilize, and grow.
One of the best rewards in the fall is being able to trade early mornings in the tractor for early mornings in the treestand. We know we’re not alone as we gladly switch our work jeans for camo and blaze orange; harvest-turned-hunting season is one of our favorite times of the year.
Wild animals have always felt free to visit pastures, hayfields (and various other farm crops) anytime they want. In fact, some wild animals even alter their range in order to access certain crops more easily or more frequently. Farmers, including livestock and hay producers, regularly have the experience of seeing birds and animals of many […]
An adult deer can eat more than six pounds of food every day. So if your food plot isn’t producing, your coveted animals will go elsewhere. But planting a food plot isn’t always simple, and many who want to attract deer and other critters are hunters as opposed to farmers. Long story short, it’s important […]
Wildlife management has evolved greatly in recent years. Twenty-five years ago, the amount of acreage of wildlife food plots planted in the Southeast was much smaller than it is today. When such plantings were made, they usually consisted of cool-season annuals (often a small grain and/or annual ryegrass). These species are easy to establish and […]
Most plant species used in wildlife plantings are forage crops. Not everyone who owns property is interested in enhancing wildlife, but the extent to which food plots have been planted for wildlife has increased dramatically during the past 20 years. What is the objective that wildlife enthusiasts have in mind by making such plantings? Not […]