Sheep grazing barley

snipe

Member
Location
west yorkshire
got some forward barley, when you walk through it you can see the cloud of mildew coming off it. Would grazing it with sheep benefit the crop in any way.
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
Asked my agronomist the same question . He gave a resounding no. Said grazing wheat or oats was ok but barley a big no. I forget the reason he gave but it sounded right at the time !
 

e3120

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Mine told me it was risk of damaging the growing point. I imagine it looks/smells quite like yours.

Nonetheless, I have a field of new seeds with plenty of volunteer barley in it, that's just been hard grazed so we'll see. Quite a lot survived in the past that way, but i suppose you'd have been disappointed in it as a crop.
 

Gedd

Member
Livestock Farmer
got some forward barley, when you walk through it you can see the cloud of mildew coming off it. Would grazing it with sheep benefit the crop in any way.
We have done it in the past as long as the grounds dry no paddling secret is get them on and off as quick as possible and dont over graze
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
A good way to spread harvest then,

My agromist dosen't like sheep PERIOD but he says they spoil the pre em cover which makes sense.
Even tho its dry and im short of keep I'm not tempted on our soil because they will cap the surface .

To the op a Quick and even grazing and only on light ground would be my advice.
 

Goldilocks

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Oxfordshire
Did a trial for a couple of years running.Fenced off a small block and put sheep on in Feb/early march for a fairly severe graze ( but only on for 4 or 5 days at hefty stocking rate and when soil conditions dry ) Ate all diseased leaves nicely and crop came back well. Was slightly shorter than rest of field all season and at harvest ( could have reduced growth reg spend but was a small block in the middle of a big field so it just had inputs same as rest ) In both years was no discernible effect on yield ( measured on combine yield meter )
If I needed to graze barley would have no hesitation in doing so . ( have not needed to because always have a vast area of cover crops to graze with my sheep ,but gives confidence that I have a backstop of early spring tucker if I ever get widespread cover crop failure )
 

Agrobi

Member
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Would have been a sceptic in the past because of raised growing point but had a go with a grower on some early drilled cassia back in Dec. 6-7acres, 50 sheep for a week. With a run back grass field next door. Results are fantastic, little hoof damage, no mildew, well tillered and growing away again in the mild conditions. This field had a cheap residual herbicide in the autumn as we talked about trialling this at the time. Annual meadow grass was the only target.
I am impressed, I think the secret is to mob it with high stocking rates so they move across it in a group eating as they go. Too few and you risk them concentrating on an area and leaving field patchy. Field of cassia ungrazed next door is leggy ugly and full of mildew & ryncho.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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