DD on livestock farm

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
Point proven where I checked the drill just outside the gate
IMG_20200705_094348.jpg


Goes to show that those brassica will germinate in any amount of turf and stuff.
 

pine_guy

Member
Location
North Cumbria
Broadcast some on some WB stubble last year, admittedly in the pouring rain. Went away for a weeks holiday, expecting to see a green field. Could find a plant ?‍♂️ Hell of a crop of volunteers in my min till SB this year ?‍♂️
 

Samcowman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
I have an old pasture field that’s really not performing soil samples ok ph ok. Has a creeping thistle problem. My thoughts are for next year to either take silage off of it in May. Spray off them direct drill a fodder crop into it for grazing end of August to then be reseeded once grazed. It would all be direct drilled. Or I would graze it hard early and get the fodder crop drilled early May as I wouldn’t be missing much by not silaging the field. In preparation I would spread a load of muck on before drilling the fodder crop.
 

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
I have an old pasture field that’s really not performing soil samples ok ph ok. Has a creeping thistle problem. My thoughts are for next year to either take silage off of it in May. Spray off them direct drill a fodder crop into it for grazing end of August to then be reseeded once grazed. It would all be direct drilled. Or I would graze it hard early and get the fodder crop drilled early May as I wouldn’t be missing much by not silaging the field. In preparation I would spread a load of muck on before drilling the fodder crop.
Spray then cut for silage works quite well, brassica likely the easiest if going into turf imo.
Prilled lime in with the seed wouldn't hurt (see the 2 Simons thread).
 

Samcowman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
Spray then cut for silage works quite well, brassica likely the easiest if going into turf imo.
Prilled lime in with the seed wouldn't hurt (see the 2 Simons thread).
I’ve done a small field this year. Planted a week ago with turnips,fodder rape, oats and peas to see if I can grow a crop to keep the cows out longer but the tools have had a good feed off of the peas and now the flea beetle has moved in on the rape seedlings so not feeling good that positive about it at the moment. Thinking a fodder crop to feed in August will be better for growing or finishing cattle than grass that always struggles at that time of year.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I’ve done a small field this year. Planted a week ago with turnips,fodder rape, oats and peas to see if I can grow a crop to keep the cows out longer but the tools have had a good feed off of the peas and now the flea beetle has moved in on the rape seedlings so not feeling good that positive about it at the moment. Thinking a fodder crop to feed in August will be better for growing or finishing cattle than grass that always struggles at that time of year.

Flea beetle are usually an even bigger problem in early sown brassicas ime. Need to be on it with insecticide as soon as you see shot holing damage, or risk losing the lot over a few days.

I redrilled 5ac of maincrop turnips a fortnight ago, after flea beetle had thinned it out so much (even with spraying). Seems to be much lower pressure from them after late June, but can still devastate a crop, especially if growing conditions delay establishment like this year.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
How do you use fodder beet? Do you have to lift it?

Quite a few are strip grazing it with cattle and/or sheep now, following the lead of our NZ comrades. Over there they have been doing lots of research and trials into utilising it as a grazing crop, and the uptake has been quite spectacular in the last decade or so.

In the UK it is the latest, fashionable crop to grow for winter grazing, but it certainly isn't without it's issues. Thankfully the Kiwi's are a great source of info in overcoming those issues.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
View attachment 898456
First ever attempt at Swedes. Direct drilled with Moore mid June.
How are you getting on with the amount of grass coming back?

I take it the glyphosate didn’t quite work.

I waited to put a foliar feed of boron,TE supplement and a dose of Falcon to try to eliminate the grass coming back in ours.

Bottom half of the field I have done suffered with a combination of some flea beetle damage,slug infestation and some poor patches which came not so well.

Are you going to go on with a foliar boron to prevent the swedes rotting?
 

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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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