Have you seen the Hummingbirds yet???

By the middle of April the hummingbird migration

is into Ohio, Indiana and Illinois!!!

 

The Keys to Attracting Hummingbirds are to provide Food, Help for Nesting, and Misters (Water) for them to fly through.

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is often found between woodland and meadow.  However, it has adapted well to human development, but only if there is shelter, space and food.  Thus, it is frequently seen in suburban backyards with mature trees and shrubs, in wooded parks, and around farmsteads.

Hummingbirds are extremely loyal to feeding sites.  A hummingbird that feeds in your yard one year will return to that feeder the next.  As the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is so territorial, one key is to offer a lot of feeders.  No matter what kind of feeders you decide to use, remember the two Golden Rules:  Keep the feeder clean and the nectar fresh.  Hummingbirds keep their distance from fermented nectar.  Perhaps hummers understand that they need a clear head for their acrobatic flying.  Fermented nectar can support the growth of deadly molds.  If a hummingbird gets a taste of fermented nectar from your feeder, it will look elsewhere for a drink and remain suspicious of the offending feeder for a long time.

A hummingbird nest in not much bigger than a quarter, and often it contains just 2-3 eggs no bigger than small peas.  It’s typically hard to see, as it blends in well to the tree branch it’s attached to, and is made of fine animal or plant down and moss or lichens. 

Hummingbirds, like many birds, need and are attracted to water.

Fun Facts about the Hummingbird

*Hummingbirds beat their wings about 78 times per second.  During a display dive, their wings can beat up to 200 times per second.

*They take about 250 breaths per minute.

*Their hearts beat about 1,260 times per minute.

*They have 1,500 feathers.

*They consume half their body weight (1/8 lb.) in food every day.  That would be like an average kid eating about 40 to 50 pounds of food a day.

*During migration, they must fly 500 miles nonstop over the Gulf of Mexico to reach their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America.  To make the trip, they must eat enough so they weigh 1 ½ times their usual weight.

*They can fly at speeds of 60 miles per hour and can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways, and even upside down briefly, but they can’t walk.

*Average life span is 3-5 Years, Maximum 12 Years.

Create your “Hummingbird Haven” today!!!  Stop by Prairie’s Edge to see what we have to offer for feeders and nesting helpers!!!!

Sidewalk Sale in Rensselaer

Join us at Prairie's Edge on Saturday, April 28th, to take advantage of some EXCELLENT Clearance Prices on some of your FAVORITE products!!!

Sidewalk Sale Hours:

8:00 am- 2:00 pm

You won't want to miss this Sale!!!! 

Prairie's Edge Welcomes Purina Mills...

It is with great pleasure that we announce our Dealership with Purina Mills!!!

Prairie's Edge is now a Dealer for Purina Mills and we look forward to growing our business and being able to better serve all of our customer's needs.  No worries, we will still continue to carry all of the products that you have grown to love!!!

Save The Date!!  We will be holding an OFFICIAL Grand Opening on Saturday, May 19th from 8:00 am- 2:00 pm!!  At this Grand Opening you can expect lots of great savings, door prizes and a load of fun!!!

Did We Experience Alfalfa Winterkill?

Did We Experience Alfalfa Winterkill?

Following much warmer than normal weather in March the weather in the first 11 days of April has been colder for most of the Midwest, especially at night. Cold enough to possibly kill newly established fields. How do we know if stands are irreparably harmed? Let’s look at some data and charts to determine whether to plow up a field or not.

Newly Established Fields Newly established fields planted in the latter half of March may have emerged by April 4 when the very cold weather blasted our region. Alfalfa that has emerged is in great risk. According to the booklet How an Alfalfa Plant Develops published by the Certified Alfalfa Seed Council "air temperatures of 26° or lower for only a few hours can kill an alfalfa seedling when the second trifoliate leaf has just emerged." So newly emerged fields are at great risk. 

 What Do We Do Now? Wait. We will really know nothing until the air temperatures warm up into the 55°-60° range and the alfalfa starts to re-grow. At that time dig some plants to check the crown and tap root. Are they healthy looking? Or, are they moisture laden and "mushy"? Evaluate field to field and also within each field. Also evaluate the stand. The chart below is standard for evaluating the strength of your stand. While you are at it check for the presence of winter annual weed pressure. A poor stand that has weed pressure would be a great candidate to become a corn field!

 What if I Have A Poor Stand? If your alfalfa field has suffered winterkill or is a poor stand you should consider inter-seeding more alfalfa in right away, or wait until this fall to add more alfalfa seed. If you wait until fall to plant more alfalfa we still have plenty of time to add Feast II Italian Ryegrass to the newly seeded fields so you don’t lose yield or quality for the first season. Consider planting up to 20#/acre of Feast II. This August of early September go ahead and spray out the Feast II (after the second cutting) so you can re-establish more alfalfa. Add more grass after the alfalfa is well established.

What Can I Do To Help Prevent Future Winterkill Problems? Planting winterhardy alfalfa varieties may help. Maybe most importantly will be to keep your fertility levels (especially P and K levels) high. Well fertilized fields will have much stronger stands and healthier plants. In some years there may be nothing at all that will prevent winterkill.


 New Seeding Stand Evaluation Guide
Less than 10 seedling per sq ft = Poor
Between 10-15 seedlings per sq ft = Marginal
Greater than 15 seedlings per sq ft = Adequate

Stand Density-Established Stands
Stand density (Stems/sq ft) Action
>55 stem density not limiting yield
40-55 some yield reduction expected
<39 consider replacing stand

This is a great article that was written by Dave Robison,

Agronomist/Seed Marketing Manager for The CISCO Companies



It's about time that you had a NIGHT OUT with your girls!!!

Join us for a night at Prairie's Edge, on Friday, April 27th!  With Food, Drinks, Women, New Clothes and Boots- what could be better??? 

See Below, to find out how you can win a NEW OUTFIT, from HEAD to TOE- during our Women's Night Out Event!!!

We hope to see all of you WOMEN at Prairie's Edge on Friday, April 27th!!!



Dove Food Plots

Over the past 20 years, hunting of the mourning dove has become an extremely popular sport in Indiana.  Today the dove is the most hunted migratory game bird in the state.  To harvest them, many hunters simply hide out near a local water source, some near harvested fields, or others at a recently-cut corn silage field.  But there is a segment of the dove hunting community that takes the sport to another level, choosing to plant and manage fields specifically for the purpose of harvesting doves over them.  With a little planning, a small investment can turn into the best dove hunt you've ever experienced.

WHAT TO PLANT- Sorghum, millets, wheat, oats, corn and others have all been used with varying levels of success.  Most dove field managers, however, choose the sunflower as their primary option for dove field planting.  Part of the decision for what to plant is dependent on other factors, including soil type, expected weed competition, anticipated planting date, and more.  But when multiple food sources are available, sunflower fields normally out-draw all others.

WHEN TO PLANT- Dove season in Indiana opens on September 1, annually.  to have sunflowers mature enough for manipulation in mid-August, planting in late-April or early-May is best.  For species requiring fewer days to maturity, like millet, planting in June is possible.  Wheat, if chosen, is normally fall-planted, while oats are spring-planted.

WHERE TO PLANT- Fields as small as 2-3 acres can be used to consistently draw large numbers of doves, especially if located in key flight areas.  Small fields, however, have a tendency to limit shooting opportunities, both in terms of safe hunter density and proximity to adjacent properties.  Locating dove fields near a known dove roost or loafing site is beneficial.  Doves tend to fly significant distances between food and water sources, so planting food plots adjacent to water, while potentially useful, isn't required for overall hunting success.  Soils should be suited to the crop being planted, with appropriate soil moisture, as for most crops, being key.  Need for reliable access for tilling, fertilizing, planting, weed control, and food source manipulation should be considered as well.

HOW TO PLANT- Dove food plots can be installed using a multitude of tillage/planting techniques.  Pre-plant burn down of existing vegetation is recommended, using a non-specific herbicide such as Roundup.  Seeds may be broadcast or planted into prepared seed beds, or no-till drilled into existing cover.  Fertilization and pH management, based on soil test recommendations, is preferred.  Annual weed competition in food plots can actually augment food availability to doves, so extensive post-emergence weed control is often unnecessary.

SEED MANIPULATION-  Regardless of the crop that is chosen, or location of the field, manipulation of the food source is key to hunting success.  Doves feed from the ground, and prefer a "clean" field in which to forage, avoiding even heavy seed sources when ground depris is dense.  Where sunflowers are concerned, shattering the seed head is key, making simple bushhog-type choppers (which normally only chop the stalk) less than optimal.  Forage choppers of flail mowers often do the best job, separating large volumes of seed from the seed head.  Regardless, putting as much seed on as bare a soil as possible is the goal, regardless of the crop.

This information has been provided by the Purdue Extension, from the Dove Food Plot Bulletin.

At Prairie's Edge, we carry a variety of options for all of your Food Plot needs.  We are also equipped to do the project for you, whether you don't have the time or the equipment, we can fill in where you are not able to.  Give us a call or stop in for a quote on your next project...

Prairie's Edge

919 N. McKinley Avenue in Rensselaer

219-866-5613

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