260 ha permanent pasture

[Linds1988]

I have an opportunity to go back to the family farm, the farm is currently run as a sheep farm. I'm considering converting to an arable rotation and significantly decreasing the ewe flock. Soil type is a heavy clay loam that has been drained. Would direct drilling cereals in the first year into sprayed out permanent pasture be to big of a risk?

 

[martian]

What part of the world is the family farm in? With cereal prices where they are, you might well be better off keeping it in PP and going down the Joel Salatin line of stacking more livestock on it

 

[Gone Shooting]

Er be carefull about destroying PP - think you need permission

 

[Badshot]

It's fine spraying off pp, as long as it been improved with fert over the years and isn't some really nice species rich meadowland.

 

[mikep]

At the moment buy a dog and a stick and take any bunney hugging you can get.

 

[Linds1988]

We are in New Zealand, arable guys here are doing a lot better than what any sheep or dairy farmer is doing. Maintenance fert has been applied every year, soil testing rotationally.

 

[kiwi]

As long as you have good spray programme for grass weeds plus treat for grass grub you should have the ideal soil structure to start direct drilling with. maybe start some of it with a non cereal break crop if worried about the above.

 

[Linds1988]

Yea would probably have peas and osr in the rotation so wouldn't all be cereal