- Location
- Devon
We have 14 acres of zoom and trying out 16 acres of sovereign, looking promising, will try and get some pics soon!
Zoom forage brassica
- Thread starter neilo
- Start date
- Location
- Devon
Took these today sovereign kale, drilled with a subsoiler seeder, the yellow rappa stake should give an idea on height, will post some of zoom in a minute too!
- Location
- Devon
@itsintheblood
here is zoom in comparison to sovereign above, zoom was 10 days later been drilled, zoom below and sovereign last post above
here is zoom in comparison to sovereign above, zoom was 10 days later been drilled, zoom below and sovereign last post above
- Location
- Devon
Funnywaytmekalivin
Member
- Location
- Northumberland
Cracking crop. When will it be getting its first grazing? Considering 5 acres for next year, how early can it be drilled and how early can it get its first grazing?
- Location
- Devon
My mate grazes it so I leave him to do as he pleases, the sovereign went in behind winter barley near end of august not sure exactly, the zoom was 10 days later behind spring barley, not sure if we will be growing any more the greening may bugger the job up!!
South Downs Farmer
Member
- Location
- Sussex, UK
Looking good @devonshire farmer , unbelievable crop of kale for late August sowing!! What fertiliser/sprays?
20 acres of Caledonian kale for dry suckler cows here (drilled May 9th) and 30 acres of Swift hybrid + Barkant stubble turnips for store cattle and store lambs (drilled July 18th after winter barley). Will try and take some piccies this week!
20 acres of Caledonian kale for dry suckler cows here (drilled May 9th) and 30 acres of Swift hybrid + Barkant stubble turnips for store cattle and store lambs (drilled July 18th after winter barley). Will try and take some piccies this week!
- Location
- Devon
It had 100kgs an acre of 21-8-11 and was sprayed with shogun, drilled with a cousins v-form with a stocks seeder on, 10 outlets on 3.5m machine grouped in twos behind legs, was worried it was to far spaced but think it looks ok now.
South Downs Farmer
Member
- Location
- Sussex, UK
What are the kale stems looking like? Do you think they're any thicker for having more room compared with a tighter-sown crop?
- Location
- Devon
Very much the same, if you get a good crop the stems tend to be strong and sheep will struggle with them but will be ploughed come march anyway! Slightly smaller than your finger which I would say not bad considering the height its at
- Location
- Cornwall.
Both crops are looking great you have done a good job growing them. One thing to point out is that a re-growth and second graze is expected from the Zoom mixture and quite possibly a third.
One thing to point out is that a re-growth and second graze is expected from the Zoom mixture and quite possibly a third.
- Location
- Devon
Yes I think the lad that's having the zoom will move in shortly, and hopefully get a 2nd or 3rd go!Both crops are looking great you have done a good job growing them.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
My zoom/turnip mix is on it's second grazing now. Drilled in mid-June, first grazing in mid-August (kept 600 weaned lambs for a fortnight of light grazing), back into it a fortnight ago.
I have a 5ac field of straight Zoom elsewhere. Drilled the same time, grazed with 400 dry ewes for a week in late August, just to take the top off it, and leaving it to make a whole heap of keep for 170 ewe lambs after Christmas.
Grazing it earlier than last year has certainly kept the leaves cleaner & healthier.
itsintheblood
Member
- Location
- south west in over the knap
It had 100kgs an acre of 21-8-11 and was sprayed with shogun, drilled with a cousins v-form with a stocks seeder on, 10 outlets on 3.5m machine grouped in twos behind legs, was worried it was to far spaced but think it looks ok now.
Both looking very good crops , what kg per acre was it drilled at , and what's the cost difference between the two , do think that the kale would provide more food than say drilling with turnips?
I would normally expect it would take a good few weeks for lambs to really start to do on it
@Great In Grass excuse my ignorance but would a hybrid such as zoom ( a rape/Winifred hybrid as I understand ) still be able to be incorporated into a arable rotation which already included oil seed rape ?
- Location
- Devon
The sovereign was drilled at 1.5kg to the acre, @Great In Grass will know the price but think it worked out to about £16 acre and zoom at 4 kg to acre at £3 something a kg so similar cost wise but I am hoping the sovereign is going to be a bit more winter hardy!
itsintheblood
Member
- Location
- south west in over the knap
We grow sweedes as winter keep here , why are they so expensive compared to turnips and kale , they do provide a lot of keep but are nearly 10 times price of turnips etc
itsintheblood
Member
- Location
- south west in over the knap
How would a acre of sweedes compare to zoom etc on kg dry matter / protein and ME levels ?
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Gents...I need advice. First time growing brassica's. Barenburg sheep graze mix with kale, rape and turnips sowed mid july. Should have been grazed in August but didn't have stores at the time and we don't have breeders. Anyway, with the good autumn is has carried on growing but the heavy rain has started to put a bit if it down. Was planning on grazing it post Christmas, but should I buy more short keep lambs and graze it now?...or if it goes down will it rot or keep till January?
- Location
- Cornwall.
Not sure if I have protein/ME figures but Limagrain give some figures in their forage crops booklet.
- Location
- Cornwall.
Barenbrug state regarding this mix "This mixture produces a palatable, flexible sheep mixture that is hardy enough to graze into the spring." I'd like to see more stubble turnips in the mix for post Christmas grazing, I'd be tempted to graze it soon.