DD on livestock farm

Joe

Member
Location
Carlow Ireland
Ah right, for silage?

We've followed brassica and beet with cereal no bother. You may need some cultivation to sort any compaction though.
There is usually some surface capping here so do a shallow run with short discs first

no I’m thinking combine and treat to store for feed I do have some mad ideas at times
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
no I’m thinking combine and treat to store for feed I do have some mad ideas at times

Fella at Western Seeds was trying very hard to sell me his Combi-Crop idea. He reckoned the mix meant that very few fungicides or fertilisers were needed, just a pre-emergence herbicide and shut the gate pretty well (which is probably all that is available to use anyway?). It wouldn't fit here as I sell 90-95% of my cereal output, and I think you'd probably want forward sales agreed on anything unconventional.

http://westernseeds.com/combicrop.html
 

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
It is growing @Chae1
IMG_20201009_151251.jpg
IMG_20201009_141205.jpg
 

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
Next try out in beet establishment here is going to be strip tillage.
As usual we aren't going to buy a machine just for the job but how we've found a solution that will work with what we've got.

We did but some cousins micro wing legs and made a strip till cultivator. Will be used in April into oats, stubble or grass and then we'll drill beet into the rows with the Moore, also run a guttler ring front press so it will be on too.

Had a try out today.

 

BSH

Member
BASE UK Member
no I’m thinking combine and treat to store for feed I do have some mad ideas at times
I havent done a three way mix before but a friend did it regularly a few years ago and combined it. Worked pretty well. He was certified organic at teh time. I have done two way mixes from Western seeds and they have worked reasonably well. Some years the peas do better than others. It is only really for home use or sale to a neighbour, as I dont think there is any sort of market for it otherwise. Have also grown the variety mixes from Westeern seeds as part of a low input spring cereal HLS option and they also work well.
 

ImLost

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Not sure
Please excuse my ignorance, arable isn't really my thing usually.
But would there not be a risk of the different species ripening at different times?
 

Stuart J

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
UK
Next try out in beet establishment here is going to be strip tillage.
As usual we aren't going to buy a machine just for the job but how we've found a solution that will work with what we've got.

We did but some cousins micro wing legs and made a strip till cultivator. Will be used in April into oats, stubble or grass and then we'll drill beet into the rows with the Moore, also run a guttler ring front press so it will be on too.

Had a try out today.


Jamie, why do you feel you need to change your beet establishment method? Is the moore on it's own not versatile enough?
 

scholland

Member
Location
ze3
Jamie, why do you feel you need to change your beet establishment method? Is the moore on it's own not versatile enough?
The strip till will let us go direct into grass.
We hope to have much stronger companion crop to drill beet into, strip till will reduce any root zone competition.
We do see beet bulbs with numerous roots rather than 1 strong tap root so there is some compaction there to sort out.

We will find out next year if the strip tiller makes a difference or not, as usual I'll post the result whatever it is.
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
Please excuse my ignorance, arable isn't really my thing usually.
But would there not be a risk of the different species ripening at different times?
Do you mean the combi crop?

Barley and peas together can be got together well enough to harvest with the combine, with a bit of luck anyway.
Early ripening barley and latest ripening peas if they can be got as seed.
But Bit random yes and you are right in thinking that , its the biggest challenge with it I guess. Depends how risky it will be to lose one or the other.
Some people grow other things together though and use pre harvest glyphosate to ripen the crop punctually, thats not my thing though.

They always grew 'dredge corn ' though didnt they? In the old days...
 

d-wales

Member
Location
Wales
Has anyone successful drilled fodder beet for grazing?

I tried looking back through the past messages but there is loads 😅.

I've dd'ed Swedes for the past few years and they have done really well. So want to bite the bullet and try beet straight into an old grass sward.

Thanks
 

d-wales

Member
Location
Wales
As in burn off the grass first, then DD into the sward?
Yes. Exactly that.

Contractors got a Moore unidrill, he does my Swedes with it and I can't see why it wouldn't work with beet.

It's being grazed so doesn't need to be precision drilled.

It would save a load of hassle in ploughing, working down and hopefully stand up better in the winter when grazed
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
Yes. Exactly that.

Contractors got a Moore unidrill, he does my Swedes with it and I can't see why it wouldn't work with beet.

It's being grazed so doesn't need to be precision drilled.

It would save a load of hassle in ploughing, working down and hopefully stand up better in the winter when grazed
There is/was a member here from Scotland with experience of DD fodder beer, but the name escapes me at the moment.... Not sure if he drilled into old swards.
 

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