Reference
Food Plot Seeding Rates (Pounds per Acre)
Broadcast and drilled seeding rates for 36 common deer food plot crops, with season and deer preference. Tap any crop for its own calculator that turns these rates into exact pounds, bags, and lime for your plot.
How to use these rates
A seeding rateis the pounds of seed per acre that produce a healthy stand. Multiply the rate by your plot's acreage to get total pounds — for example, 5 lbs/acre on a half-acre plot is 2.5 lbs of seed.
Broadcast vs. drilled:broadcasting (spreading on top, then cultipacking) needs a bit more seed than drilling, which places seed at a consistent depth. Use the broadcast column unless you have a drill. In a blend, cut each component's rate so the mix isn't over-seeded — small seeds like clover and brassicas are easy to overdo, which stunts the stand. The seed blend calculator does that math for a custom mix.
Clovers & Legumes
| Crop | Broadcast (lbs/ac) | Drilled (lbs/ac) | Season | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladino White Clover | 4–6 | 3 | cool-season | High |
| Red Clover | 12–15 | 9 | cool-season | High |
| Crimson Clover | 20–25 | 13 | cool-season | High |
| Alfalfa | 15–20 | 14 | cool-season | High |
| Soybeans (forage type) | 70–80 | 50 | warm-season | High |
| Cowpeas / Iron-Clay Peas | 70–90 | 45 | warm-season | High |
| Lablab | 25–30 | 18 | warm-season | High |
| Sunn Hemp | 30–40 | 18 | warm-season | Medium |
| Austrian Winter Peas | 50–70 | 40 | cool-season | High |
| Clover + Chicory Perennial Blend | 6–9 | 5 | cool-season | High |
| Partridge Pea | 10–15 | 6.5 | warm-season | Low |
Brassicas
| Crop | Broadcast (lbs/ac) | Drilled (lbs/ac) | Season | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forage Brassicas (generic blend) | 6–10 | 5 | cool-season | Seasonal |
| Purple-Top Turnip | 4–5 | 2.5 | cool-season | Seasonal |
| Forage Radish | 8–12 | 7 | cool-season | High |
| Rape | 6–8 | 3.5 | cool-season | Seasonal |
| Kale | 4–6 | 3.5 | cool-season | Seasonal |
| Sugar Beets | 8–10 | 7 | cool-season | High |
| Brassica Blend (5-way) | 6–8 | 4.5 | cool-season | Seasonal |
Cereal Grains
| Crop | Broadcast (lbs/ac) | Drilled (lbs/ac) | Season | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cereal Rye | 120–150 | 75 | cool-season | High |
| Winter Wheat | 90–120 | 75 | cool-season | High |
| Oats | 120–150 | 75 | cool-season | High |
| Triticale | 100–150 | 88 | cool-season | High |
| Grain Sorghum / Milo | 10–15 | 6.5 | warm-season | Seasonal |
| Corn (field corn) | 15–20 | 10 | warm-season | High |
| Fall Grain + Brassica Blend | 75–100 | 60 | cool-season | High |
| Japanese Millet | 20–25 | 13 | warm-season | Low |
| Browntop Millet | 20–25 | 13 | warm-season | Low |
| White Proso Millet | 20–30 | 13 | warm-season | Low |
| Egyptian Wheat | 10–15 | 6.5 | warm-season | Low |
| Pearl Millet | 15–20 | 10 | warm-season | Low |
Forbs & Other Greens
Cover & Other
| Crop | Broadcast (lbs/ac) | Drilled (lbs/ac) | Season | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflowers | 20–25 | 18 | warm-season | High |
| Switchgrass | 6–8 | 5 | warm-season | Seasonal |
| Chufa | 30–40 | 25 | warm-season | Low |
| Sesame | 3–5 | 2.5 | warm-season | Low |
Methodology & sources
Rates are compiled from the National Deer Association species profiles, University of Tennessee Extension (PB1874), the Mississippi State Deer Lab, and NC State Extension forage guides, cross-checked against seed-company recommendations. Where sources disagree, university extension data is used. These are planning figures — always confirm the rate printed on your seed bag. Reviewed May 2026. See our full methodology.
Tools for an even stand
Hitting the rate is only half the job — even coverage is the other half. A handheld broadcast spreader works for small plots; a tow-behind spreader covers acreage fast; and a cultipacker presses broadcast seed into the soil contact it needs to germinate.
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Calculator
Turn any of these rates into exact pounds, bags, and lime for your plot with the food plot seed calculator.