We grow them but tend to get them in early so well established if it drys out. First year this happened last year had an okay yielding crop and this year is just poking through now.
Forage crops
- Thread starter Jim75
- Start date
cattleman123
Member
- Location
- devon
Taking the plunge and planting 26acres of keeper kale..main reason is that it will give me lots of feeding options, can feed pre xmas or in Jan Feb if keep gets short.
cowcrazy
Member
- Location
- SE Cornwall
What's the highest yielding variety for grazing with cattle during the winter?
- Location
- Cornwall.
There are no independent trials for kale but Caledonian consistently tops the table in LG trial data, Clubroot tolerant too.
Would you like details PM'd?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Here it's Sovereign from agricom nz
Grows cracking leafy crops that flower very late.
13TDM/ha easily with minimum N inputs
Seems to be the choice for cattle beef and dairy
- Location
- Cornwall.
Oops, I forgot that one, too busy trying to find a trials list. We have Sovereign from DLF.Here it's Sovereign from agricom nz
Grows cracking leafy crops that flower very late.
13TDM/ha easily with minimum N inputs
Seems to be the choice for cattle beef and dairy
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
I reckon it takes some beating. One of my friends/mentors grazes on a per dm basis; his Sovereign grew equally as much DM/ha as his 2nd swede crop beside it by September. Is going back away from the beet as his opinion is it's too hard on the soil, I do tend to agree (but will stick to the topic)Oops, I forgot that one, too busy trying to find a trials list. We have Sovereign from DLF.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Beet's a forage crop if grazed in situ, so you've not strayed OT.
Why do you think it's hard on the soil particularly, unless you are driving about with heavy harvesting kit in the winter?
I have put a small area (5ac) of Brigadier in this year, on one of the patches that was destined for swedes. It will be purely as a grazing crop, but I will need to move stock off if it gets really wet as a heavy'ish field. I'll still have my usual mix of swedes and stubble turnips, and another field of beet, to fall back on if it does get that wet...... I hope. Time will tell if it was a(nother) stupid idea.
- Location
- Cornwall.
Sovereign was new here in 2014.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It's really just the intensity of grazing on the sort of soil he has, NeilBeet's a forage crop if grazed in situ, so you've not strayed OT.
Why do you think it's hard on the soil particularly, unless you are driving about with heavy harvesting kit in the winter?
I have put a small area (5ac) of Brigadier in this year, on one of the patches that was destined for swedes. It will be purely as a grazing crop, but I will need to move stock off if it gets really wet as a heavy'ish field. I'll still have my usual mix of swedes and stubble turnips, and another field of beet, to fall back on if it does get that wet...... I hope. Time will tell if it was a(nother) stupid idea.
He bought the front half of my old family home farm, which hasn't seen much "improvement by plough"
and I know you know what I mean. Nothing but moleploughs and lime for my old man!45+ years of zero till and sheep...
Grant moved in and planted kyros and brigadier- it yielded up to 47TDM in one patch...
bulbs almost as big as a young black lab.Which means big heavy cows on previously perfect natural soil structure getting about a shadows worth of area a day.. it has been in grass for 5 years and will need about another 40 to properly recover.
No amount of bagged fert will fix that extreme pasting!
Now he's affording to be far less intensive as the loan is much less, so brassicas.
Different soil types than our NZ clays would cope far better, and with sheep it's perfect. Big heavy moo moos out for weeks though...
Having said all that, imagine all the deep minerals that are now cycling as a result of those big beet. Money in the bank is good.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
I haven't got many "dairy farming days" pictures still on my phone but
this was 2015 on the very south coast, about 5 miles north from the southernmost bit of the mainland with Sovereign kale, 1 hit of 100kg urea/ha, second crop after grass. Probably a fat 12 ton crop by eye
Sorry I didn't have TFF then so I didn't take all my pictures sideways
this was 2015 on the very south coast, about 5 miles north from the southernmost bit of the mainland with Sovereign kale, 1 hit of 100kg urea/ha, second crop after grass. Probably a fat 12 ton crop by eye
Sorry I didn't have TFF then so I didn't take all my pictures sideways
cowcrazy
Member
- Location
- SE Cornwall
Yes PM details please.
TelesnaAg
Member
- Location
- Portland, Victoria - Australia
What protein is in soverign kale? Do you have some hay or straw in paddock?
Ant...
Ant...
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
We had 2 bales of baleage per break
800 square metres of kale @12TDM
90-100 cows per break depending on condition score
Unsure of CP though sorry Ant.
- Location
- Fife
How long would a break last?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Just a daily break. Just like pasture really, you tell from the residual as to how they're doing, if they're eating it "to the boards" then they need more.
It worked out 5kg of bale and about 7kg of crop factoring in wasteage, which of course you can't get around. (12kg/DM/cow/day intake)
If you notice the cut fencelines, I'd go in weekly with the tractor and mow tracks with a topper/slasher and lift up the bales and cut the bottoms out (and take the net off the bottom 8 inches or so) then you don't end up with heaps of shite wrapped around the rotorspike.
Thats how it was planted, a discing and then a rotospike with airseeder unit, very cost effective. About £450/ha???
Cheap drymatter. Wintered 720 cows and 160 r2s 160 r1s and 30 jersey bulls in total.
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- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Always had two fences up in front, roll up one and put it up on the way back.
When the wet weather hits, put up a backfence so they don't roam and make mud. Just like pasture but taller!
When the wet weather hits, put up a backfence so they don't roam and make mud. Just like pasture but taller!
- Location
- Fife
I've found this to be a useful/interesting document. Don't know how applicable it is to you guys down under...
http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/booklet-outwinteringinpractice.pdf
http://beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/booklet-outwinteringinpractice.pdf
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Don't be a stranger @unlacedgecko
I have a feeling you'll land on our sunny shores one day, only too happy to share our ideas on outwintering etc.
Much as I need to learn more about my "inwintering" from you guys who have done it for eons.
Sent a dairy cow off to winter somewhere here costs about $32/week so there's an opportunity to make a new piece of land pay for itself, precisely what I want to do if I can lease some extra land!
I have a feeling you'll land on our sunny shores one day, only too happy to share our ideas on outwintering etc.
Much as I need to learn more about my "inwintering" from you guys who have done it for eons.
Sent a dairy cow off to winter somewhere here costs about $32/week so there's an opportunity to make a new piece of land pay for itself, precisely what I want to do if I can lease some extra land!
- Location
- Easter ross
Kale/rape/st mix that was sown last few days of July. Photo taken a month ago.
Original plan was to put lambs on it but 45ac of flea beetle ravaged stubble turnips has forced us to have a wee rethink. Some lambs may appear on it but majority will be kept for the ewes in run up to lambing. Had a walk through it this morning and a bit of damage appearing here. Maybe it's too far on to hurt it and just cosmeticall
Worst picture is from the outside 2m and is a lot worse there compared to the inside of the field. Anyone?
Worst picture is from the outside 2m and is a lot worse there compared to the inside of the field. Anyone?