What is a CRP food plot, and how do you plant one

Last updated 2026-07-26

what is a CRP food plot exactly

A CRP food plot is a wildlife food planting made on land enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a USDA program that pays landowners an annual rental rate to keep environmentally sensitive land out of row-crop production and instead planted to grasses, legumes, trees, or other cover ^[1]. CRP is run by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and contracts typically run 10 to 15 years ^[1]. CRP land itself isn't a food plot in the deer-hunting sense. Most of it is planted to native grasses, wildflowers, or introduced cover to control erosion and build wildlife habitat. But within many CRP practices, especially those tied to wildlife habitat like CP33 (Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds) or general CRP wildlife practices, FSA allows landowners to establish small food plots as a permitted activity, sometimes called a wildlife food plot or supplemental forage planting, subject to acreage caps and management rules set at the state or county level ^[2]. The practical version: if you have CRP acres and want to hunt them, you almost never get to just disc up a strip and throw in Winter Rye whenever you want. You call your county FSA office, ask what your contract allows, and get it approved in writing before equipment touches the ground. Skip that step and you risk a payment reduction or a contract violation ^[2].

can you legally plant a food plot on CRP land

Yes, but only within limits your CRP contract and USDA state office define, and usually capped around 5 to 10 percent of the enrolled acreage depending on the practice and state supplement ^{[2] [3]}. Many states cap food plots at a flat maximum, commonly 5 acres or a percentage of the field, whichever is smaller, under mid-contract management (MCM) guidance ^[3]. Mid-contract management is the USDA term for required maintenance activities on CRP land, things like disking, prescribed burning, interseeding, or approved food plot establishment, done partway through the contract to keep the habitat functional ^[4]. Food plots are often allowed as part of MCM specifically because a small planted strip breaks up thick grass monocultures and gives quail, turkeys, and deer better brood cover and forage edges ^[4]. The rules vary by state because each state FSA office issues its own CRP supplement with specific acreage limits, allowed species, and timing windows. Bottom line: your county FSA office has the actual number for your contract. Nobody else's answer overrides that document.

what happens if you plant a food plot on CRP without approval

You risk a partial or full loss of your CRP rental payment for that contract year, and repeated violations can trigger contract termination with repayment of prior payments plus interest ^[5]. FSA calls this an accepted use violation, and the agency's CRP handbook lays out the payment reduction schedule based on the severity and acreage involved ^[5]. This isn't a gray area worth guessing on. A five-minute call to your local FSA office, before you buy seed, costs you nothing. Skipping that call and getting caught during a compliance spot check costs you real money, sometimes retroactive to the violation date ^[5].

what is a food plot in general (outside of CRP)

A food plot is a planted area, usually a fraction of an acre to a few acres, seeded with forage or grain specifically to attract and feed deer or other wildlife. Outside of CRP, on private or leased ground with no federal contract restrictions, you have full control over species, acreage, and timing. Most hunters run two types: annual plots (clover, brassicas, cereal grains, replanted yearly or every few years) and perennial plots (clover and chicory blends that persist 3 to 5 years with maintenance). Annuals cost less to establish per acre in seed but need reworking every season. Perennials cost more upfront and need mowing and spot-spraying but hold up better through multiple hunting seasons. If you're planning your first plot, or replanning acreage that used to be in CRP, a food plot whitetail primer is a good starting point before you pick species.

do deer eat clover

Yes. It's one of the most reliable food plot species for whitetails across almost every region of the country. White clover and red clover both show up repeatedly in university deer-forage studies as high-preference, high-protein forage, often tested at 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative growth stages ^[6]. Clover's real advantage is season length. It greens up early spring, holds through summer if you mow it to knock back weed competition, and keeps producing into fall in most zones. That's a longer feeding window than almost any annual grain. The tradeoff is soil pH: clover wants a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 for good nodulation and growth, so if your soil test comes back at 5.2, you're not getting a good clover stand without lime first. For species selection and blend options, see deer food plot seed.

do deer like clover more than other food plot options

Deer generally rank clover among their top preferred forages, but preference studies show it competes closely with soybeans and certain brassica varieties depending on season and region. Preference shifts by season. In late summer, deer often prefer soybeans if pods are still green. In late fall and winter, brassicas like turnips and radishes become more attractive after a hard frost converts starches to sugars, sweetening the tops and bulbs . Clover holds steady across spring and summer better than almost anything else you can plant.

do deer eat sorghum

Deer will eat grain sorghum, especially the seed heads once they mature and dry down, but it's a secondary food source compared to clover, soybeans, or brassicas. Sorghum is more commonly planted as a screening or bedding cover crop, or as a wildlife food source for turkey and quail, than as a primary deer attractant . Where sorghum earns its keep in a deer program is late-season standing grain. A strip of grain sorghum left standing into December and January gives deer (and turkeys) a carbohydrate source when other plots have been grazed down. It's also drought-tolerant, which makes it a reasonable choice in sandy or low-rainfall ground where soybeans or clover would struggle.

do deer like honey

There's no real deer nutrition or wildlife biology basis for using honey as bait or attractant, and it isn't a food plot species. Deer aren't drawn to raw honey the way they're drawn to browse, mast, or forbs. If you've seen "honey hole" used around deer hunting, that's a hunting-spot term, not a reference to actual honey as bait. More relevant here: many states classify any sweet, scented, or mineral substance placed to attract deer as bait, and baiting rules vary sharply by state. Some states allow baiting outright, some ban it entirely, and some allow it only outside disease-management zones tied to Chronic Wasting Disease. Check your state wildlife agency's current baiting and feeding regulations before using any attractant, syrup, mineral block, or scent product in the field.

what are deer's favorite foods overall

Spring	New browse, forbs	Clover, oats
Summer	Soft mast, browse	Soybeans, clover
Fall	Acorns (white oak preferred)	Brassicas, cereal grains
Winter	Woody browse, residual mast	Standing beans, turnips, wheat	Acorn availability drives deer movement more than almost any planted food source in years with a strong mast crop, which is one reason plots sometimes get ignored in a heavy acorn fall . If your plot goes quiet in October, check the oaks before you blame your seed.

Whitetail deer preference research consistently ranks acorns (especially white oak group), soybeans, clover, and certain browse species like greenbrier and honeysuckle among their most preferred natural and planted foods, though preference shifts seasonally and regionally . No single "favorite" holds all year. Here's a rough seasonal breakdown based on university forage and browse studies: | Season | Top natural food | Top plot food |

when to plant food plots for deer

Planting windows split into spring plantings (May through June in most of the whitetail range) for warm-season annuals and perennials, and late-summer plantings (mid-August through September) for cool-season annuals like brassicas and cereal grains . Your exact dates shift with your zone: Deep South growers plant later into fall than northern states because of frost timing. Spring plantings cover clover, chicory, soybeans, and warm-season grain mixes, ideally after your last frost date and once soil temps hit 50 to 55 degrees F for good germination . Late-summer plantings cover brassicas, oats, wheat, and rye, timed so you get 6 to 8 weeks of growth before the first hard frost. That's what triggers the sugar conversion that makes brassicas attractive. Cooperative extension planting calendars, like those published by university ag programs, are built by USDA plant hardiness zone and give week-by-week windows specific to your state . If you want a plan matched to your zip code and soil test instead of a generic calendar, that's exactly what a Custom Food Plot Plan is built to do: a one-time $99 planting plan based on your zone, acreage, and soil results, not a guess pulled off a national chart.

when to plant oats for deer

Plant oats for deer in late summer, typically 6 to 8 weeks before your area's average first frost date, so most of the whitetail range falls between mid-August and mid-September . Oats germinate fast and can be grazed within 3 to 4 weeks of planting, which makes them a good early-season attractant while slower brassicas are still bulking up. Oats aren't cold-hardy the way winter wheat or cereal rye is. A hard freeze in the teens or lower will usually kill oat forage back for the season, so in northern zones oats function as a fall-only plot rather than a food source that carries into winter . If you want late-winter standing forage, pair oats with wheat or rye in the same blend so you get fast fall growth plus cold-season persistence.

when to plant turnips for deer

Plant turnips for deer in late July through early September, giving them roughly 90 days before a killing frost so bulbs have time to size up and tops build sugar content . Turnips need that frost exposure. Before a hard freeze, the tops are bitter and deer often ignore them; after several freezes, starches convert to sugars and both the greens and bulbs become highly attractive . This is why turnip plots that look untouched in October sometimes get hammered in December. It's not that deer changed their mind. The plant changed, chemically, in response to cold. If your season ends before that frost-sweetening happens in your zone, turnips alone are a weak choice; pair them with a grain or clover for early-season activity.

how do you plan a food plot on CRP or leased ground the right way

Start with a soil test, confirm what your CRP contract or lease actually allows, then match species to your planting window and soil results, in that order. Skipping the contract check is the single most common mistake on CRP acres; skipping the soil test is the most common mistake everywhere else. Your soil test lab is the authority on lime and fertilizer rates for your specific field, not a blog post or a seed bag label. Get the test done through your state's land-grant extension soil lab or a private ag lab, follow their lime and fertilizer recommendations exactly, and treat any general planting guide (including this one) as a starting framework, not a replacement for those numbers. For equipment and method basics once you've got species and timing sorted, see deer food plots and domain food plot seed for seed selection across regions.

Frequently asked questions

What is a CRP food plot?

A CRP food plot is a small wildlife planting allowed within certain USDA Conservation Reserve Program contracts, usually capped at 5 to 10 percent of enrolled acreage under mid-contract management rules. It requires FSA approval before planting; unapproved plots risk payment reductions or contract violations under USDA's CRP handbook.

Can I plant a food plot on land I have enrolled in CRP?

Only if your specific CRP contract and state FSA supplement allow it, typically as part of mid-contract management with an acreage cap. Contact your county FSA office before planting; approval and limits vary by state and by which CRP practice code your land is enrolled under.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, especially mature dried seed heads, but it's a secondary food source compared to soybeans, clover, or brassicas. Sorghum works better as late-season standing grain or screening cover than as a primary attractant plot species.

Do deer eat clover, and is it a good food plot choice?

Yes, clover is one of the most reliable food plot species, often testing at 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative stages. It needs soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5 for good growth, so a soil test and lime application usually come before planting.

When should I plant food plots for deer?

Warm-season plots like soybeans and clover go in spring, roughly May through June after your last frost. Cool-season plots like brassicas and cereal grains go in late summer, mid-August through September, timed 6 to 8 weeks before your area's first hard frost.

Do deer like clover better than other plot options?

Deer rank clover among top preferred forages, but preference shifts by season. Soybeans often win in late summer while pods are green, and brassicas take over in late fall once frost sweetens them. Clover's advantage is consistent use across spring and summer.

When should I plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 6 to 8 weeks before your area's average first frost, usually mid-August to mid-September across most of the whitetail range. Oats grow fast and can be grazed within 3 to 4 weeks, but a hard freeze in the teens kills the forage back.

When should I plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips late July through early September, giving them about 90 days before a killing frost. Deer often ignore turnip tops before frost because they're bitter; after repeated freezes convert starches to sugar, both tops and bulbs become much more attractive.

What exactly is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage or grain, usually a fraction of an acre to a few acres, seeded specifically to feed and attract deer or other wildlife. Plots split into annuals like brassicas and grains, and perennials like clover, each with different cost and maintenance tradeoffs.

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single year-round favorite. Acorns, especially white oak, soybeans, and clover rank consistently high across university forage studies, but preference shifts by season. Heavy acorn years can pull deer off food plots entirely, since natural mast often wins when it's abundant.

Do deer like honey?

There's no real evidence deer are drawn to honey as a food source or attractant; it isn't used in food plot planning. Many states also regulate sweet or scented substances placed to draw deer as bait, so check your state wildlife agency's rules before using any attractant product.

What happens if I plant an unapproved food plot on CRP land?

You risk a partial or full loss of that year's CRP rental payment, and repeat violations can lead to contract termination with repayment of prior payments plus interest, under USDA's CRP compliance rules. Always confirm allowed acreage and species with your county FSA office first.

Sources

1. USDA Farm Service Agency, Conservation Reserve Program overview: CRP pays landowners an annual rental rate to keep sensitive land out of production, contracts run 10 to 15 years
2. USDA FSA Iowa State Office, CRP mid-contract management guidance: State FSA offices set specific food plot acreage caps and allowed species under CRP supplements
3. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Guide: White Clover (Trifolium repens): White clover is a high-preference, high-protein forage species used widely in wildlife plantings
4. Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Wildlife Food Plot Establishment Guide: Clover, soybeans, and cowpeas rank as top-tier summer deer forages in preference studies
5. University of Missouri Extension, Wildlife food plot species guidance: Grain sorghum functions primarily as screening cover and turkey/quail food, secondary as a deer attractant
6. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, White Oak Mast Production and Wildlife Use: Acorns from the white oak group rank among the most preferred natural deer foods and mast years affect food plot use