New ley and turnips

warksfarmer · May 5, 2021

Got a field due to go into temporary grass this coming autumn for 3 years. I want to take a first cut ideally June 2022.
I’m toying with the idea of spinning the grass seed on in August when the wheats harvested and then direct drilling some turnips. Then putting 50kg N on with the view of putting sheep onto the turnips early January for about 6-8 weeks. Will the grass survive being trampled by the golden hoof when grazing the turnips? Will they graze the grass to nothing? Or will the grass smoother out the turnips?

Or is this a stupid idea?

steveR · May 5, 2021

I did a Wynnstay mix of IRG and Fodder brassicas, that worked well, other than the cattle mauling the land as I could not get my sheepman on the farm! So no cattle in future on my heavier land, is the outcome!!

Get the grass mix right I would imagine is the secret...

neilo · May 6, 2021

steveR said:
I did a Wynnstay mix of IRG and Fodder brassicas, that worked well, other than the cattle mauling the land as I could not get my sheepman on the farm! So no cattle in future on my heavier land, is the outcome!!

Get the grass mix right I would imagine is the secret...

I’ve used a similar mix a couple of times. The rape/kale hybrid is usually only in at 5% inclusion (by weight) and even at that I think less vigorous grasses would struggle.

As to whether it would survive grazing in the winter,I guess that would depend how wet the winter was, and what you term as ‘grazing’. If you graze it bare then I expect it would bugger the grass. If you just take half of it, as seems to be popular with arable cover crop growers, then it would certainly survive, as would the turnips, which would bolt to head in March...
I guess a sniff of any blw herbicide would take them out if there’s no clover to worry about.

deere 6600 · May 6, 2021

neilo said:
I’ve used a similar mix a couple of times. The rape/kale hybrid is usually only in at 5% inclusion (by weight) and even at that I think less vigorous grasses would struggle.

As to whether it would survive grazing in the winter,I guess that would depend how wet the winter was, and what you term as ‘grazing’. If you graze it bare then I expect it would bugger the grass. If you just take half of it, as seems to be popular with arable cover crop growers, then it would certainly survive, as would the turnips, which would bolt to head in March...
I guess a sniff of any blw herbicide would take them out if there’s no clover to worry about.

Any reseeds we do i chuck in some stubble turnip rape mix to eat off with our lambs in the backend they eat a tanner and sh!t a shilling defo worth it

New ley and turnips

warksfarmer

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steveR

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neilo

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deere 6600

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