Barley and vetch

[clbarclay]

Due to unintended experimental results, the fss SB this spring had a some vetch mixed with it, which had carried over from the previous cover crop. One of the result has been that a mobile grain cleaner using sieves couldn't seperate them. Never mind that its all planted now and while its predominately SB growing there is also some vetch coming as well.

The simplest option for conventional think is to spray out the vetch as a weed, however this is hardly the conventional thinking forum. Has anyone tried companion cropping these two?

The options I have though of so far are:
Spray out the vetch sooner and let the SB get on with it.
Spray out the vetch later and see if it is any benefit to the SB.
Don't spray it out and find an effective method of seperating them post harvest.

 

[Simon Chiles]

Due to unintended experimental results, the fss SB this spring had a some vetch mixed with it, which had carried over from the previous cover crop. One of the result has been that a mobile grain cleaner using sieves couldn't seperate them. Never mind that its all planted now and while its predominately SB growing there is also some vetch coming as well.

The simplest option for conventional think is to spray out the vetch as a weed, however this is hardly the conventional thinking forum. Has anyone tried companion cropping these two?

The options I have though of so far are:
Spray out the vetch sooner and let the SB get on with it.
Spray out the vetch later and see if it is any benefit to the SB.
Don't spray it out and find an effective method of seperating them post harvest.

Spraying out the vetch sooner is by far the simplest solution. Depending on the seed rate ratio of vetch to barley you do run the risk of the vetch swamping the barley and the whole lot going flat if you leave it. However if you did harvest it all together you'd need to reglone the vetch ( and barley) so what market have you in mind for the barley and also do you have a use for the vetch seed? It wouldn't be difficult to separate the two with the right equipment, whether it was financially viable would be another matter.

 

[clbarclay]

Seed ratio is around 15 barley to 1 vetch seed, so estimate 10% vetch, drilled at 230 kg/ha.

We are primariy market for the barley is feed. It is Optic but we stopped chasing malting/milling premiums some years ago.

If it could be separated economically then I would put the vetch back into cover crop mixes.

 

[Mark C]

If you kept the two through till harvest would you not have a high protein barley / vetch blend that would be a good cattle feed?

You might find someone to take it as is if they grind their own

After reading this I was thinking of trying a small field like this next year and getting it analysed as we feed all our own barley.

 

[Great In Grass]

If you kept the two through till harvest would you not have a high protein barley / vetch blend that would be a good cattle feed?

You might find someone to take it as is if they grind their own

After reading this I was thinking of trying a small field like this next year and getting it analysed as we feed all our own barley.

Rocket fuel, I have many customers who grow a similar mix but with added pea content, doesn't seem to analyse as well as it feeds out though.

 

[mikep]

Rocket fuel, I have many customers who grow a similar mix but with added pea content, doesn't seem to analyse as well as it feeds out though.

Oats were treated as they analysed for years until people took their heads out of their derriers and realised analysis is not God.

 

[RTK Farmer]

This in a remaining vetch plot in my cc trials block. 3lts of Touchdown (glyphosate) fail to kill it all at one of the timings. It's in Propino malting barley so needs to come out at some time. There is some clover in preceding plot as well. Wonder if it will affect barley N at harvest, should take some samples.

 

[Mr.Humus]

I am by no way an expert in grainhandling technique. But at least in germany there is a huge amount of knowledge around organic farms how to handle thinks like these. Maybe you should try to get hold at some of these guys in your area. At least I would try to give away some sample`s of your seeding-mix to people who have experience of this. What I know about it is that its really hard to seperate rye from vetch. You can do it but then it can get expensive. But still , rye is no barley...

Regarding vetch for feed: nobody really wants to pay for, as they have this high content of alkaloids. We did grow winterpeas "efb 33" with quite some succes. Nobody wants it because they are darker then the modern peas-varieties. The chicken and pig-farmers because of the alkaloids, the milk-guys instead buy lupins/beans for reason of the higher proteincontent.
If you really want to seperate it for seed, you should sort that out now, otherwise could be ending as an cheaper selling barley as you intended to... otherwise good idea !

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

Due to unintended experimental results, the fss SB this spring had a some vetch mixed with it, which had carried over from the previous cover crop. One of the result has been that a mobile grain cleaner using sieves couldn't seperate them. Never mind that its all planted now and while its predominately SB growing there is also some vetch coming as well.

The simplest option for conventional think is to spray out the vetch as a weed, however this is hardly the conventional thinking forum. Has anyone tried companion cropping these two?

The options I have though of so far are:
Spray out the vetch sooner and let the SB get on with it.
Spray out the vetch later and see if it is any benefit to the SB.
Don't spray it out and find an effective method of seperating them post harvest.

Hhmmm, leave it, spray it off with some sunshine in a can before harvest and you have yourself a ready made cover crop mix to sell?? Or am I bonkers thinking this not really knowing how vetch grows and seeds?

 

[Robigus]

Due to unintended experimental results, the fss SB this spring had a some vetch mixed with it, which had carried over from the previous cover crop. One of the result has been that a mobile grain cleaner using sieves couldn't seperate them. Never mind that its all planted now and while its predominately SB growing there is also some vetch coming as well.

The simplest option for conventional think is to spray out the vetch as a weed, however this is hardly the conventional thinking forum. Has anyone tried companion cropping these two?

The options I have though of so far are:
Spray out the vetch sooner and let the SB get on with it.
Spray out the vetch later and see if it is any benefit to the SB.
Don't spray it out and find an effective method of seperating them post harvest.

Did you try it over gravity separator? I would have thought that vetch were a fair bit denser than barley. They always seemed like little glass beads at harvest.

 

[Roy_H]

Many years ago they used to grow that mix intentionally ( Plus oats) and cut it green and then make it into hay as a form of wild oat control. Was it a good feed ? Well probably. Was it effective as a wild oat control? Nah!