- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Keep things simple always as it’s easy to complicate mixes for the sake of it.
Fodder rape works and works well to be fair.
Fodder rape works and works well to be fair.
Permanent pasture to winter barley - cover crop?
- Thread starter ffukedfarmer
- Start date
- Location
- Ceredigion
Yes they all laughed at day when he came to Wales and ploughed both ways, how many Plough one way now ,They are, there's always one that leads a thread off in a completely different direction.
I agreed with you Forage (Hybrid) Rape is the answer.
Kernowkid
Member
We’ve got about a 15ac permanent grass field that was last ploughed in the war. Grass is crap and needs a re seed. Problem is it’s like the roof of a house.
My plan was to plough it one way down the hill. Work it get some sand on then put to forage rape in June/July. Graze this winter then reseed. Can’t get a combine on it otherwise would of done spring barley.
How would other people do it?
My plan was to plough it one way down the hill. Work it get some sand on then put to forage rape in June/July. Graze this winter then reseed. Can’t get a combine on it otherwise would of done spring barley.
How would other people do it?
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Could you Direct drill brassicas on it?
- Location
- Ceredigion
I would plough it and put grass on like I've been doing for 50 years but that's me , others have said one day I will get cought out, , I have no use for rape
Kernowkid
Member
You could but we don’t have a direct drill and don’t think think many contractor would go near it. Got a lot of tracks cattle have made across it so would be good to iron them out
ollie989898
Member
A brassica crop will basically do away with the leatherjacket and frit fly risk. Wireworm have a much longer life cycle. I've never seen wireworm alone wipe out a new ley though. The seed density is much much higher to stave off an attack. Cereals are partly more resistant for this reason.
Fodder crops are a good opportunity to clean up problematic weeds.
- Location
- Essex
Curious as to why no- one has suggested a mix with some or all of the above in?
Polycultures generally do much better plus you spread the risk of one species failing or not doing so well.
Polycultures generally do much better plus you spread the risk of one species failing or not doing so well.
ollie989898
Member
It's a forage crop. A bit of kale is easy to manage, there are herbicide options and the seed is dirt cheap. The second you go putting X,Y and Z in it you have none of those benefits.
ollie989898
Member
You can do what you want with permeant pasture provided you complete an EIA or can demonstrate that the land is not actually PP in the eyes of the ministry because you have been spraying it, fertilising it liming it, harrowing it, etc.
- Location
- Essex
A forage crop doesn't have to be only one species. Plenty of relativity cheap options to mix in, if only one or 2 kg per ha. Spring oats always do very well in this type of situation.
ollie989898
Member
But if you do that, you lose all the benefits I wrote above. Not sure I would want spring oats in a forage mix if I was intending to put a cereal crop in later, either.
- Location
- Ceredigion
One of the many fields I burnt off and drilled to grass last September, cutting next week , don't have time to fuff around with break crops
- Location
- West Kent
I reseeded this field last September, half came beautifully the other half was a disaster. The standard seed rate of 15kg got eaten but where I backed up it came nicely.
Attachments
- Location
- West Kent
Thanks for all the replies. Hybrid rape seed ordered.