An EXTREME Product for Extreme Conditions

In a perfect world, we would all be planting our food plots in areas with rich, heavy bottomland soils that receive at least thirty inches per year in rainfall.  For those of us in that category, well, we can count ourselves lucky.  Since 2004, however, those of us who don’t enjoy those luxuries can be lucky too. That was the year the Whitetail Institute first introduced a revolutionary forage blend for areas that received lower rainfall or highly drained soil – Imperial Whitetail Extreme™. 

Most areas in the eastern United States enjoy at least thirty inches per year in rainfall, which is sufficient to sustain most forages commonly planted for deer.  Even so, some soils are so highly drained that even with ample rainfall, many forages can struggle.  Once across the Mississippi River you’ll find that average rainfall levels drop off dramatically.  Add to this the unexpected droughty conditions that Mother Nature has thrown at many of us over the past few springs and summers, and you can see the source of demand that prompted the Whitetail Institute to develop Extreme— an incredibly drought-resistant perennial forage blend. 

Extreme provides deer with a highly attractive, nutritious, cold- and heat-tolerant perennial forage in areas thought before to be completely unsuitable.  Most forages require – at a minimum thirty inches per year in annual rainfall.  Extreme will tolerate as little as half that – only fifteen inches per year.  Also, soil pH, the most critical factor that a planter can influence to achieve optimum performance from a forage, should be at 6.5 or higher for most forages, and some will struggle if even slightly below this level.  Not so with Extreme, which will tolerate soil pH as low as 5.4, a level unheard-of before Extreme was introduced.

The driving force behind the Whitetail Institute’s research and development is and always has been customer demand. We pay close attention to the comments and requests of our Field Testers and directly incorporate that feedback into our continuing efforts to upgrade existing products and develop new ones.  Nowhere is this more evident than with Extreme.

Before the introduction of Extreme, our in-house consultants regularly received calls from Field Testers asking us to develop a perennial forage blend that would tolerate extremely difficult growing conditions.  We received calls from Oklahoma and Northern Idaho asking for a low-rainfall forage, from Central Florida and Texas asking for a forage that would tolerate sandier soils, and from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan asking for a forage that would tolerate low pH soils that would not hold lime well.  These customer needs set us on our way to research and develop a forage blend that has truly opened up areas of North America previously inhospitable to perennial forages for deer.

When developing Extreme, however, we knew that tolerance to low rainfall and low pH wouldn’t be enough.  Yes, the forage would have to tolerate rough conditions, but it would only meet our rigorous standards if it were highly nutritious and attractive to whitetails as well.  Extreme is a high-quality, protein-rich food source that provides necessary nutrition to deer on a year-round basis, and includes the protein critical to trophy rack production, doe lactation and overall herd health. 

Perhaps our greatest surprise, though, was realizing how incredibly attractive Extreme really is.  We knew deer would eat it, but our research showed that Extreme’s attractiveness even rivals that of the number-one food plot product in the world, Imperial Whitetail Clover. 

When asked to look back over the past few years since the introduction of Extreme, Institute founder and president, Ray Scott, commented, “Before 2004, we had been quietly working for some time on a low-rainfall, lower-pH perennial forage blend.  As always, we were determined not to release Extreme before we had absolutely proven that it would perform up to Institute standards.  As soon as Extreme entered the testing phases outside our offices, we quickly found that what we had seen in our own, in-house testing was being seen all over the U.S. by our Certified Research Stations under real-world conditions. The deer were absolutely tearing into the Extreme.  We knew it was a winner, and it was hard to contain our excitement and keep it under wraps until we had finished testing it.”      Scott continued, “Once Extreme hit the market, demand was incredible, especially with Field Testers who lived in lower-rainfall areas of the country.  Ever since then, the calls have poured in from our Field Testers, telling us how well the Extreme was performing and thanking us for developing it as an option for folks in tough planting situations.” 

“Extreme™ is not meant to replace Imperial Clover, Alfa-Rack or any other Institute perennial blend,” says Scott.  “You should always choose the right forage blend for your particular soil type, drainage and rainfall.  If you’re in good soil and get ample rainfall, then you have a broader range of choices in the Imperial line of products.  If you don’t, though, try Extreme because it continues to offer top-notch nutrition and attraction in areas where it’s difficult to grow other forages.”

Extreme will also grow in areas with normal annual rainfalls of up to 60 inches as long as it’s planted in soils that drain.  Also, while Extreme can withstand lower pH levels than other perennial food plots, it performs even better at levels from 6.0 to 6.5.  “We’ve been pleasantly surprised, though,” says Scott “to see how many Field Testers who do receive ample rainfall and have good soils are choosing to plant Extreme.  As a matter of fact, many customers with good planting conditions who already have other Institute forages such as Imperial Whitetail Clover and Alfa Rack Plus are planting Extreme, just to give their deer variety.”           

After years of testing at hundreds of sites, Dr. Wiley Johnson and the Institute gave thumbs up to the seed blend in 2004 and made it available to food plot managers all over North America.  Dr. Johnson described Extreme in more detail when it was released.  “The primary component of Extreme is an evergreen forb.  This is a very durable plant that produces a deep tap root, which allows it to thrive in harsh climatic regions and grow up to 15 inches tall while maintaining high palatability.  Along with the evergreen forb, the seed blend includes hardy varieties of chicory and clover.

“It not only delivers protein, it’s extraordinarily attractive to whitetail,” Dr. Johnson continued.  “As a matter of fact, at test sites around North America, deer crowded into Extreme food plots during all seasons.  And many Field Testers observed deer in the food plots at all times of the day as well.  Other wildlife, like turkeys, geese and rabbits are also highly attracted to the product.”

Planting dates for Extreme are similar to those for Imperial Clover and Alfa-Rack.  Most areas can be planted in the Spring or Fall with a few exceptions.  A 56 lb. bag of Extreme plants approximately 2.5 acres.  There are also 28 lb. and 5.6 lb. bags available.

And like Imperial Clover and Alfa-Rack, Extreme can last up to five years without replanting, providing vital protein to whitetail herds season after season.