AB9 Winter bird food on arable - Can you graze?
- Thread starter FHfarms
- Start date
- Location
- Oxfordshire
After winter yes I do not see why not, grazed ours in March this year, feed value is rubbish but saves a topper pass
Mixedupfarmer
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Be Ok if it has plenty of brassica in (ie a 2 year mix which you decide to use as a one year)
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Yes I am changing my mixes this year to have some more species to last further into the spring because of this
- Location
- Sunny Cornwall
Toying with idea of AHL2 winter bird food which is v similar to AB9. Apply for 95% of parcel area and put bales out on other 5%. Graze late Feb - March to allow early turnout and still claim payments.
Thinking take cut of silage off field and drill brassica heavy 1 year mix late May/early June, with bales put out at same time. Feed value won't be great but think would suit sucklers and shorten housing over winter.
Not sure what best seed mix would be to tick boxes of scheme but still get eaten in spring.
Thinking take cut of silage off field and drill brassica heavy 1 year mix late May/early June, with bales put out at same time. Feed value won't be great but think would suit sucklers and shorten housing over winter.
Not sure what best seed mix would be to tick boxes of scheme but still get eaten in spring.
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Kale/clover heavy I would imagine. Remember you will still have to produce a good amount of seeds over winter so will need some winter kill
Mixedupfarmer
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Bung some mustard and millet with it, the rest kale, stubble turnips, radish, etc
- Location
- Ceredigion
SAM 2 would be a better option for grazing although it does not pay as much
- Location
- England
This thread is about AB9....
- Location
- Ceredigion
Has anyone grown Texsel Green in a cover crop , loves to flower it seems and grows at lower temp than other stuff , , grazes well it seems ? Should work well as bird food
Mixedupfarmer
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
What’s the seed cost?
- Location
- Ceredigion
Just over £3 kg , full rate 2kg acre, I know very litle about it apart from its very quick off the mark , and will soon run to flower after 4 weeks if not grazed , frost hardy, im going to sow some next week to see what it does
Unlike a lot of brassica it does not need to go through a winter to produce seed
Last edited:
Do you have Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle in your area? If so, please report back if this plant is attacked.
- Location
- Ceredigion
No here to be honest ,I'm very careful with crop rotation
But anyone who does then like most if not all brassica it will be attacked
- Location
- Ceredigion
Sown it today
Part will be grazed and part left to see how long seeding to flowering , hopefully we get some rain
- Location
- Essex
Mustard will be twigs by the end of Feb in most years. I put a kilo of turnips in and graze after the end of Feb
- Location
- Ceredigion
Maincrop Turnips will graze until mid April, stubble Turnips will go woody and unpalatable by March especially if sown early
Mixedupfarmer
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Put a bit of DAP on this year
paul&mandy
Member
- Location
- surrey/west sussex
I've got about 30 acres that's partly failed due to lack of rain. Probably going to re drill and add some turnip seed into the mix to bulk it up. Barely had any rain in the 7 weeks it's been drilled. Anything else I should add to bulk it out this late that conforms to both C's and sfi versions of ab9. Have both. Be handy to graze it off and add some organic matter. Thanks
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