In the 8-minute YouTube video below from DIYFOODPLOTPRO, Wes Steele explains what to do when conditions are dry but the calendar says to put your food plot seed in the ground. Hunters who plant food plots for whitetails face this dilemma regularly.

I struggled with this question on my western Wisconsin food plots only a week ago. My hunting area had received only one-third of an inch of rain throughout August, meaning the brassicas I planted in late July failed miserably. And I was hoping to rescue those three food plots by planting cereal rye.

I purchased the rye seed (four 50-pound bags) and was ready to plant, but should I broadcast it on powder-dry soil and hope for future rains, or should I sit back and continue waiting, hoping to time a significant rain?

Because the forecast showed an all-day rain coming on August 29, my buddies and I took off work on August 28, drove two hours to our hunting property and then quickly broadcasted the rye seed on the bare soil (photo top right). Thankfully the various weather apps we have on our phones were correct and our area received 1 inch of rain — yes!!!!!!

As Wes said, “So many times during the fall we get everything ready to plant and then we get into a massive drought, and we end up wrestling with what to do next.” His video covers the entire process of planting when conditions aren't perfect. Check it out so you don’t make an expensive mistake.