fodder beet drill direction

[Northumberland]

For grazing in situ on a 10 acre rectangle feild does it want to be drilled for short rows or long rows.
Short rows means less length of elect fence to move every couple of days but will need a couple of rows or long rows and just one row?
Cheers

 

[d-wales]

For grazing in situ on a 10 acre rectangle feild does it want to be drilled for short rows or long rows.
Short rows means less length of elect fence to move every couple of days but will need a couple of rows or long rows and just one row?
Cheers

Probably depends on how many animals you want to graze it.

If there are a lot of animals, then grazing down the long side is probably best.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Long rows.


It's not the length of fence but the width thats more to move.

 

[Mutch]

Slope in field needs considering, run -off?

 

[Bury the Trash]

also long work is always better for the drill and sprayer man.

moving a fence over 1 or 2 rows a t a time is so easy and quick as you dont have to wind up the wire just move the end post without the reels on ...get a bit of slack then move the posts across as you walk up through to the other end of the field ..then move the reel post across in line with that ow stab in and tighten reels up ..

 

[Fatlamb]

We never Split a field up just turn stock into them in big mobs , nothing is ever wasted and gets grazed bare.
there’s enough work to do without moving fences

 

[neilo]

We never Split a field up just turn stock into them in big mobs , nothing is ever wasted and gets grazed bare.
there’s enough work to do without moving fences

That wastes enough in brassicas, but in beet it would be a disaster. The sheep would eat all the tops first, contains all the protein and minerals, then be left with just the roots, a very low protein feed low in calcium and phosphorus (especially). The seriously low protein would suppress intakes, so the sheep wouldn’t perform at all, even if they were left there long enough to clean it all up.

 

[Mutch]

That wastes enough in brassicas, but in beet it would be a disaster. The sheep would eat all the tops first, contains all the protein and minerals, then be left with just the roots, a very low protein feed low in calcium and phosphorus (especially). The seriously low protein would suppress intakes, so the sheep wouldn’t perform at all, even if they were left there long enough to clean it all up.

Maybe very small fields and lots of sheep????( Benefit of the doubt!!!!)

 

[neilo]

Maybe very small fields and lots of sheep????( Benefit of the doubt!!!!)

Could be. I was told that anything over 3 days in a fodder beet break and you start to run into problems.
I know mine didn’t do as well when I gave them a big break over Xmas, and neighbour has been running into problems with fortnightly breaks.

 

[Bury the Trash]

hmm, small fields , welcome to my world...

more pertinent to that point is'how big should the break be per ewes x days grazing or can a brassica ie a cabbage/calibrase (spelling) be drilled every other drill sort of idea.......

or what is the best supplimentary / complimentary feed for say late pregnant ewes grazing beet. (other than soya?

 

[neilo]

hmm, small fields , welcome to my world...

more pertinent to that point is'how big should the break be per ewes x days grazing or can a brassica ie a cabbage/calibrase (spelling) be drilled every other drill sort of idea.......

or what is the best supplimentary / complimentary feed for say late pregnant ewes grazing beet. (other than soya?

I would think any high protein brassica would be a good compliment to drill in alternate rows. Not sure how the beet would cope with the competition though, and herbicide options would be (even) more limited.

 

[Bury the Trash]

I would think any high protein brassica would be a good compliment to drill in alternate rows. Not sure how the beet would cope with the competition though, and herbicide options would be (even) more limited.

How bout Drill half the field with fb then later on sow brassica in the other half and fence across instead of up and down the rows

 

[neilo]

How bout Drill half the field with fb then later on sow brassica in the other half and fence across instead of up and down the rows

I find it job enough putting a fence between the rows without excessive shorting, let alone across them.

I put late N on last year, which gave us a lot more top (protein).

 

[Bury the Trash]

I find it job enough putting a fence between the rows without excessive shorting, let alone across them.

I put late N on last year, which gave us a lot more top (protein).

did that show a difference? certainly easy enough to do.. trouble is the constant wet was a poor year as a trial for anything i guess.

 

[neilo]

did that show a difference? certainly easy enough to do.. trouble is the constant wet was a poor year as a trial for anything i guess.

The kiwi ‘experts’ are suggesting a lot higher (double?) levels than we usually use over here, and split over the growing season with the last application in a September/October. All UK agronomical advice has been based on growing sugar beet previously, rather than a fodder crop to feed in situ.

A job to know if it made much difference here, given the season. Sheep were doing OK until those storms started rolling in on a weekly basis, which led to condition falling further and faster than I have ever seen, in late pregnancy. Not great, but at least the beet was there to eat. The stubble turnips here had been going backwards and disappearing since October, and the swedes that survived slugs & flea beetle last summer weren’t enough to keep many head.

Hopefully next winter will be less extreme......