Alternative dairy protien sources

[westfield]

Has anyone been looking at concerntrate replacements for in parlour feeding? We're a 320 grass based autumn calving system grazing for 10 months a year ideally so not relying heavily on concentrates, after seeing cake prices set to rise through 2021 and been reading lately about china's demand on soya and forecasts show they'll be using up to 80% of the worlds supply within 4 years!
We're also veg growers and grow cereals purely as a rotation but would rather avoid them as the margins are so poor. Grain is sold off farm and straw kept, I've been looking in to combinable beans as a protien source combined with wheat but I'm aware there's going to be a fair amount of costs after drying, storage
and processing. Has anyone else got any experience or knowledge in this subject?
Cheers

 

[davidroberts30]

Short term red clover silage or lucerne if your ground will stay dry enough?

 

[westfield]

Short term red clover silage or lucerne if your ground will stay dry enough?

We're already growing red clover/pg silage leys on a 4 year rotation seems good stuff but can get stemmy later in the year as it flowers

 

[Derrick Hughes]

As above
Lucerne or Red Clover

 

[davidroberts30]

We're already growing red clover/pg silage leys on a 4 year rotation seems good stuff but can get stemmy later in the year as it flowers

What's your cutting interval?

 

[Fergieman]

Protected rape meal.

 

[westfield]

What's your cutting interval?

4/5 weeks, later in the year it starts heading and flowering much quicker

 

[Jdunn55]

How much protein would you be needing? Grazed grass in the spring, summer and early autumn should have enough providing theres clover in the leys then in the late autumn and winter feed the red clover and lucerne silage, should be more than enough protein imo? You could also grow some forage rape for grazing as a break crop which would be high protein.
I'm starting up this year as spring calving and am planning on feeding a 12% protein nut in the parlour, graze red/white clover legs for as long as possible on a 30 day rotation, then once winter hits feed red clover silage and graze 3kgdm of forage rape per day for November and December before they go dry. The total ration shouldnt be above 18% protein as you would just be chucking your money down the drain imo