Norfolk Hill Farmer
Member
If the Op wants to take money from the CSS , they will need to keep within the rules of the cover crop option they have agreed to .
Cover crops for sheep on an arable farm
- Thread starter roseshep
- Start date
If the Op wants to take money from the CSS , they will need to keep within the rules of the cover crop option they have agreed to .
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I like to find a way to make the govt schemes pay, whilst concentrating on my farm & sheep. Very happy here to get paid £200/ac by Glastir to grow root crops for winter sheep grazing.
Unless I'm mistaken, @roseshep is trying to find a mix that fits the govt criteria for a 'cover crop', whilst being good sheep tucker too. Seems a far more sensible attitude than sticking two fingers up to them...
What code?
Its been said that the sheep are better on the turnips, the work is also more cost effective on the turnips .On another thread this has also been pointed out ( by a sheep farmer indirectly ) .
Not spraying or fertilizing for "glastir " would I suspect have a potential opportunity cost/loss in terms of risk/ yield loss etc of £200 per acre ,then of course there is the risk of not complying fines etc . Depends wether you want farm or be farmed I suppose .
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Why would I not use fertiliser on a root crop for Glastir? I'd use a stale seedbed in preference to pre-emergence sprays anyway, which is cheaper and just as effective IME.
As I posted, if you can get a system that provides good sheep tucker but also fits into the spec for an enviro scheme (as the op is looking for I think), then who's farming who?
I get on well with turnips, forage rape, vetch, radish and volunteers. Have dropped clover as it doesn’t produce enough growth. May add some oats in next year to fill in the gaps and add some cheap bulk. Will hopefully also green up again and protect the soils surface after the sheep have moved on.
- Location
- Fife
Subsidy tail wagging the agricultural dog. Again.
- Location
- Fife
Clover, vetch, cereal volunteers and oil radish are what I'm feeding my ewes. Some cereal volunteers and a few sunflowers also.
There was some buckwheat, but it's died off with the frost. Not a lot of bulk, utilising less than 1,000kgDM/ha. But I'm keeping them moving (3 day paddocks). They're doing very well on it.
It's grown for arable (soil) benefit. Sheep grazing is very much a secondary consideration.
There was some buckwheat, but it's died off with the frost. Not a lot of bulk, utilising less than 1,000kgDM/ha. But I'm keeping them moving (3 day paddocks). They're doing very well on it.
It's grown for arable (soil) benefit. Sheep grazing is very much a secondary consideration.
The government guidelines? Aren’t the just guidelines? plant what you want and keep claiming and write down the correct thing on the form to claim
For all they know the other seeds in the mix may have failed but your stubble turnips have done really well, do they check what you planted? and that’s if the man actually knows what a stubble turnip is
- Location
- Ceredigion
Aren't the sheep very much a part of the benefits of growing it, rather than a secondary thing though?
- Location
- Fife
I’m not understanding you. Try again.
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Did you find turnips to shade and compete some of the other crops out?
You say its no value to you , and want to graze it for free , but must have some value ,
our oil raddish ,was grown to hold the seed bed structure for beet ,will spray it off ,this week and direct drill beet into it ,mid march
- Location
- Fife
I have to fence it and move the sheep every 3 days to conform to the landlord's soil health requirements.
Sheep being there save the landlord topping it. And put dung on. The crop is grown for arable benefit.
It's not that it has no value, it's that we are working in cooperation to achieve our goals. My management of the stock in synergy with the arable farmer's soil health goals is where I add value.
- Location
- Essex
Just put 1kg of turnips per ha in the mix.
roseshep
Member
No not really, they definitely didn't grow the same amount of leaf but did have good bulb size. Swedes on the other hand really didn't like the competition and where pretty much non existent. It was a very mixed crop and although the bulk wasn't really there health wise sheep looked great on it. We had an annual rye grass in it to and after grazing over winter it came back and we where able to lamb on it, so in that case it was brilliant.
Your statement "It's grown for arable (soil) benefit. Sheep grazing is very much a secondary consideration"
Isn't the sheep part as much of a benefit to the soil as the crop being grown is? Rather than it being a "secondary consideration"
Or have I completely misread you?
- Location
- Fife
Ah ok. I get you.
In my eyes yes. But many arable farmers think they're doing me a favour allowing me to pay them for grazing their cover crop.
Many would rather burn diesel topping than let sheep on for free. Their trainset their rules. If I don't like the rules I just don't play.
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I need to take more of a leaf out of your book. I get too desperate for ground and turn into a Teddy bear when I'm in front of most land owners
that's slowly changing though 
I like what I see of what you do with sheep and your system. Similar to what I'm trying to do with cattle, only I'm doing a rubbish job of it!!