When the Rain Doesn’t Come: A Letter of Hope to Food Plotters

W. Carrol Johnson, III, PhD                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Agronomist and Weed Scientist                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Whitetail Institute of North America

This autumn has been a tough one. My own food plots have been a disaster due to prolonged drought, and I know I’m not alone. Across the eastern and central U.S., many food plotters have faced the same harsh reality: the rain simply didn’t come.

What follows is a letter written to me, but it could just as easily be written to you. If your season didn’t go as planned, take heart. There’s hope in the lessons we carry forward.

Dear Carroll,

This is a recap of our earlier discussions about the drought conditions affecting your food plot and how to proceed going forward.

Your food plots are located in southern Georgia, where sandy soils are the norm. Based on weather data from September 1 to November 19—an 80-day stretch—you received only 1.6 inches of rainfall. And that rain came in dribs and drabs, just enough to settle the dust. As you’ve often said, “we are always a week away from a drought.” This year proved that saying true.

With soils so dry, you made the right decision to delay planting Oats Plus until moisture conditions improved. Unfortunately, those conditions never did. Had you planted at the normal time, the investment in fertilizer and seed would have been wasted. The crop simply would not have survived.

As painful as it is to look at bare ground, it’s better than watching a food plot fail completely. By holding back, you cut your losses and saved your seed for next year. Just remember: store that seed in cold, dry conditions to preserve its viability.

From a professional Agronomist’s perspective, your plan was sound. Nothing could have been done differently. The outcome would have been the same.

A Georgia Extension Service peanut Agronomist once said, “If it doesn’t rain, it does not matter.” That wisdom, shared with drought-stricken peanut growers, applies equally to food plotters.

Don’t let this season shake your confidence. Stick with your proven food plot management plan. Your experience has taught you what to plant and when to plant. Trust that knowledge.

Yes, conditions may arise that no one can anticipate or control. But remember: the rain will return. And when it does, your preparation and patience will pay off.

Food plotting is a long game. Some years are abundant, others are humbling. This season may have tested your resolve, but it did not erase your wisdom or your future success.

Hold onto hope. Next year’s rain will come, and with it, the green fields you’ve worked so hard to grow.

Kind regards, Me