To "waterfowlkiller" and "Norm"-I agree with both of you. However, I've had such a problem with quackgrass and Canadian thistle and giant foxtail that they will overpower anything that isn't just as agressive. Ergo the question of a suitible nurse crop until they are well established, especially the first season. I have another area of switchgrass(3 acres) that is going to pot because I can't burn it here. I now do landscaping for a living and have gone through the (forb), "native wildflower" things many times with clients and the results have been miserable. When we bought this wornout piece of property (130 acres) 20 years ago (should never have taken it from the Indians) I saw one pheasant hen the first winter. We now have up to 200 pheasants in our windbreak next to the house during rough winters-I attribute this to food plots, shrub planting and dense grass cover. Have tried establishing quail several times (have excellant quail habitat, but the redtail hawks, coyotes, fox, coons and skunks wipe em' out. Gonna try quail eggs under my broody banty hens this spring, if sucessful they may stay closer to the farmstead. Anyhow I digress,gonna try a combination of swithcgrass, reeds canary grass, some forbs, giant bluestem with an annual ryegrass cover crop-Thanks for your help-Postbeetle.