Maincrop Turnips

kfpben

Member
Location
Mid Hampshire
The farm shoot has been cancelled due to lack of birds and we aren’t in a wildlife agreement until 1st Jan so I have c.20 acres of various game covers and wildlife strips around the farm available now to do some proper farming with.

I’m thinking of putting maincrop turnips in. Any thoughts or tips? I grow stubble turnips every year but have never grown maincrop before. Do they finish lambs well? I imagine they grow a hefty amount of dry matter?
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I grow a few acres of Massif main crop turnips every year (not Green Globe as far lower yielding and less palatable ime), to spread risk a bit.

They are more vigorous plants than swedes, but less than stubble turnips, so need protecting from flea beetle when they’re small.
Once established, they grow like the clappers, but we have found that they leaves can get diseased in the Autumn, just as they should be filling the bulbs. The first frost kills the disease and they grow fresh leaf again, but bulb filling time has been lost by then.
I sprayed them with a fungicide at the first sign of disease last year (spread from neighbour’s OSR I suspect?) and it transformed the crop, and eventual yield.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Thanks Neil- if a crop is sown in early June would it be good to graze in say October? Or better to wait until Christmas?

It would be good to graze by October, but they are more frost hardy than stubble turnips, so can be left to grow on longer safely.

I sow mine in July, to reduce the fly risk more (but often still have to spray), and don’t start grazing until Christmas. Just under 5ac kept 230 ewe lambs, in-lamb and empty, well (without bales or grass run back) for 8 weeks this Spring, with the empty ones still on for the next 4 weeks.
 

Stewartry hill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Galloway
I grew green globe last year grew well enough and yield on but I'll said they were unpalatable and he was right .more so as the yes went on .started eating them late novmber.won't growth again
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
I grew green globe last year grew well enough and yield on but I'll said they were unpalatable and he was right .more so as the yes went on .started eating them late novmber.won't growth again
Stubble Turnips go unpalatable if sown to early and grazed to late , cows always seem to eat them up mind , had your sheep eaten roots before, if not they hardly touch any roots until tops have gone , I could graze beet and swede tops with ewe lambs compleatly off for machine harvesting and they would hardly touch the roots
 

Stewartry hill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Galloway
Stubble Turnips go unpalatable if sown to early and grazed to late , cows always seem to eat them up mind , had your sheep eaten roots before, if not they hardly touch any roots until tops have gone , I could graze beet and swede tops with ewe lambs compleatly off for machine harvesting and they would hardly touch the roots
Right enough started fine lambs donewell as time went on they slowed down .cleaned up with cows.nothing wasted but latter lambs could of done better
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Ordered a mix this morning that’s mainly maincrop Massif with splash of kale and forage rape mixed in. To go into PP soon. Christ, folk said seed was getting scarce. Nearly collapsed when I found it was £12/kg! So near enough £20/acre in seed! But no use arguing, need the feed for the sheep come Christmas. Sure it was £11.80/acre last time I grew this mix! 😰 on the bright side their fast growing mix of ST, FR and hybrid was £11/acre ish. Still double what it was not long ago but it does sound better!🤣
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Ordered a mix this morning that’s mainly maincrop Massif with splash of kale and forage rape mixed in. To go into PP soon. Christ, folk said seed was getting scarce. Nearly collapsed when I found it was £12/kg! So near enough £20/acre in seed! But no use arguing, need the feed for the sheep come Christmas. Sure it was £11.80/acre last time I grew this mix! 😰 on the bright side their fast growing mix of ST, FR and hybrid was £11/acre ish. Still double what it was not long ago but it does sound better!🤣
Would you not be better putting the Massif in on its own , they big croppers but hate competition, 1.25 kg acre being plenty , just a thought no more , I put 1.50 kg in last year and was to thick
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Would you not be better putting the Massif in on its own , they big croppers but hate competition, 1.25 kg acre being plenty , just a thought no more , I put 1.50 kg in last year and was to thick
It’s not the best ground. And won’t be seeing a great amount of fert too force growth so was thinking a bit higher seed rate wouldn’t be a bad thing. 1.6-1.7kg/acre. I know what you mean about on its own, but I have had failures before and at least I’ve had a bit of something too graze in the spots where the turnips didn’t take
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Would you not be better putting the Massif in on its own , they big croppers but hate competition, 1.25 kg acre being plenty , just a thought no more , I put 1.50 kg in last year and was to thick

+1. I put Massif on it’s own, at 1kg/ac max. If it gets ideal germination conditions, that’s too thick. If flea beetle managed to thin them out, it’s too thin. A good compromise ime, and can always broadcast some stubble turnips on after if we have a disaster.
 

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