PREPARATION
Start with a clean, weed-free seedbed by spraying or tilling existing vegetation. Create a firm, smooth seedbed with excellent seed-to-soil contact. Avoid leaving the ground excessively loose, which can result in small seed being planted too deeply.

SOIL TEST & FERTILITY
Conduct a soil test whenever possible and adjust soil pH to approximately 6.0–7.0. Apply fertilizer according to soil-test recommendations. For best results, use Backwoods Fuel™ Brassicas + Clover at planting to support rapid establishment and vigorous leafy forage production.

PLANTING RATE
Broadcast (Prepared Seedbed): 10 lbs/acre
Broadcast (No-Till): 12-13 lbs/acre
Drill: 5 lbs/acre
When Used In Blends or Overseeding: Reduce the rate according to companion species and desired Trophy Rape population.

PLANTING DEPTH
Plant approximately ¼–½ inch deep. When broadcasting, spread evenly over a firm seedbed and lightly cultipack or roll afterward. Avoid disking the seed deeply into the soil.

TIMING
Plant approximately 60–90 days before your area's average first frost. This provides adequate growing time for Trophy Rape to establish and produce substantial leafy forage before colder temperatures slow vegetative growth.

MOISTURE
Plant into adequate soil moisture or immediately ahead of dependable rainfall. Although established Trophy Rape has good drought tolerance, adequate moisture during germination and early establishment remains critical.

OVERSEEDING & BLENDING
Trophy Rape can be incorporated into custom blends or overseeded into compatible cereal grain, clover, and brassica plots. It pairs well with turnips, radishes, mustards, clovers, forage peas, wheat, oats, and cereal rye.
When adding Trophy Rape to another planting, reduce the standalone rate to prevent excessive competition.

MANAGEMENT
Monitor browse pressure, weed competition, and fertility as the stand develops. Avoid excessive plant density; individual plants need adequate sunlight, nutrients, moisture, and growing space to maximize leafy forage production.

ADJUSTING FOR PLS & GERMINATION
Recommended planting rates assume 100% Pure Live Seed (PLS) and 100% germination. Actual seed quality varies by lot. To determine an adjusted planting rate, divide the recommended seeding rate by the PLS percentage multiplied by the germination percentage, both expressed as decimals. Adjusting for PLS and germination ensures proper stand density and maximum forage production.

Straight Shot™ Trophy Rape is a single-species forage rape designed for hunters who want to plant a dedicated leafy brassica plot, increase forage production in an existing food plot, or build their own custom cool-season blend.

Trophy Rape produces rapid-growing, high-volume leafy forage that provides deer with highly digestible, protein-rich nutrition. Its combination of forage production, cold tolerance, and strong regrowth makes it an excellent component of fall and winter food plots.

Trophy Rape is a cool-season annual brassica. It establishes rapidly, produces abundant leafy vegetation, and completes its life cycle within one growing season.

For maximum forage production, plant approximately 60–90 days before your area's average first frost. Use your Backwoods planting zone as a starting point and adjust for local frost dates, soil moisture, and current weather conditions.

Plant approximately ¼–½ inch deep. Trophy Rape is small-seeded, so avoid burying it too deeply. When broadcasting, spread evenly over a firm seedbed and lightly cultipack or roll afterward.

Yes. Trophy Rape can be planted as a standalone brassica plot when your primary objective is producing a large amount of leafy forage.

Absolutely. Trophy Rape is an excellent Straight Shot™ option for increasing the leafy brassica component of an existing plot. It can be added to compatible cereal grain, clover, or brassica plantings where adequate seed-to-soil contact is available.

Yes. Its small seed makes Trophy Rape well suited for overseeding compatible food plots. Broadcast where sufficient exposed soil is available and plant immediately before dependable rainfall whenever possible. Reduce the rate when adding it to an established stand.

Trophy Rape pairs well with turnips, radishes, mustards, cereal grains, forage peas, and clovers. It is particularly useful when you want to increase leafy forage production without adding another bulb-producing species.

No. Trophy Rape is grown primarily for its above-ground leafy forage. If you want substantial bulb or root production, pair it with Bucknip™ Forage Turnips, Winter Rush™ Turnips, Sweet Tooth™ Sugar Beets, or another root-producing species.

Yes. Deer can browse Trophy Rape before frost. Cold weather can affect plant carbohydrate concentrations and palatability, but deer do not have to wait for a frost before utilizing the forage.

It can. Cool temperatures and frost can change carbohydrate concentrations within brassica plants, which may increase palatability. However, deer utilization varies by property, available food sources, browse pressure, and previous exposure to brassicas.

Under favorable moisture, temperatures, fertility, and seed-to-soil contact, Trophy Rape can establish rapidly. Meaningful leafy forage can develop within the first several weeks, with substantially greater forage production as the stand matures.

Trophy Rape has high forage-production potential, but actual tonnage varies significantly with fertility, moisture, soil conditions, planting density, growing time, and browse pressure. For that reason, we recommend positioning it as a high-tonnage forage species rather than guaranteeing a specific yield.

Trophy Rape can produce protein-rich forage, but crude protein varies with plant maturity, fertility, growing conditions, and sampling method. Specific nutritional values should be treated as potential rather than guaranteed forage analysis.

Yes. Cold tolerance is one of Trophy Rape's strengths. Established plants can continue providing valuable forage after temperatures fall and many warm-season food sources have disappeared.

Established Trophy Rape has good drought tolerance compared with many cool-season forage species, but that doesn't eliminate its need for moisture. Adequate moisture during germination and early establishment is still critical.

Yes. Brassicas respond strongly to proper fertility, particularly when high forage production is the goal. Conduct a soil test whenever possible and fertilize accordingly. Backwoods Fuel™ Brassicas + Clover is the recommended Backwoods fertilizer pairing.

Target approximately 6.0–7.0 pH for best performance. Proper soil pH improves nutrient availability and helps maximize establishment, plant vigor, and forage production.

Absolutely. Excessive seeding creates competition for sunlight, moisture, nutrients, and growing space. Follow the recommended standalone rate and reduce the rate when Trophy Rape is incorporated into another blend or existing plot.

Its vigorous leafy growth makes Trophy Rape a strong forage producer, but extremely heavy deer pressure can keep young plants browsed down before they reach maximum production. Increasing planted acreage or adding complementary forage species can help distribute browsing pressure.

Yes, under favorable conditions Trophy Rape can continue producing leafy vegetation following moderate browsing. Regrowth depends on plant maturity, growing conditions, fertility, moisture, and how severely the plant has been browsed.

You can, but repeatedly planting brassicas in the same ground isn't the best long-term strategy. Rotating forage families with cereal grains, legumes, or other crops can help reduce disease and pest pressure while improving overall plot diversity.

Both are leafy cool-season brassicas. Trophy Rape has heavy, high-volume leafy forage production and cold-season performance, while Wild Craze™ Mustards provide fast-growing mustard forage for hunters wanting another leafy species in their custom blend.

Trophy Rape is primarily grown for abundant leafy forage. Bucknip™ Forage Turnips provide both leafy tops and developing bulbs, making Bucknip™ the better option when you specifically want an above- and below-ground food source.

Trophy Rape gives you one straight forage brassica and complete control over how much goes into your plot. Brassicas + Bulbs™ combines multiple complementary brassicas and root-producing species into a complete pre-designed blend.

Straight Shot™ gives hunters individual food plot species in practical food-plot quantities. Plant Trophy Rape straight, increase the leafy forage component of an existing plot, overseed a thin stand, or build your own custom blend—without purchasing and storing a large agricultural bag.