Oats and Barley Rotation

[brandnew]

Hi,

Pretty much brand new to farming so please don't rip me to shreds!

I grow barley and oats for cattle consumption. Currently have 4 arable fields in either barley or oats. Is it feasible to rotate consistently between these two crops over these fields or should I be putting in another break crop / swapping out to create pasture? I have temporary grazing fields in clover and grass cover at the moment, should I be swapping these over with the barley and oat fields?

Thanks in advance for advice!

 

[le bon paysan]

So being barley and oats no problems there. Just try something different after barley like a short term summer cover crop like a little forage rape or turnips or mustard. Different family of plant in the ground. Plough in and start again or rotate a grass field with a cereal field each year.

 

[brandnew]

Thanks for your reply. It was meant to be winter barley on the oat fields from last year but couldn’t drill for the weather - now putting the spring barley in. So you’d recommend putting a grass or clover cover over the barley fields and swapping the barley to my current temporary grazing fields to freshen the rotation up?