forage rape

[som farmer]

seeing as we seem to have an earlyish spring, how soon do you think we could start sowing hybred rape for y/s grazing ? can any one recommend a spray to take out fat hen ? we have been quoted £50 acre, which seems a bit steep

 

[ollie989898]

What sowing rate are you using?

I always said May but the hybrids have a bit more get up and go. Mid April then? You need warm soil so they germinate and get up and go. Watch for pigeons and slugs.

From memory the only legal option for kale/forage rape is pyridate which burns up fat hen nice.

 

[dinderleat]

Stale seed bed high seed rate enough moisture you should be fine

 

[More to life]

Go early grow kale I’d go soon as a good seed bed can be achieved

 

[ollie989898]

Stale seed bed high seed rate enough moisture you should be fine

Stale seed bed works by getting the weeds in question to grow first. With fat hen that won't grow until the sun really comes out he won't have the time if he intends to drill early. You will get the 'winter weeds' like cleavers and speedwells that are germinating but not the pesky sorts that infest the maize etc.

There are a couple of other options but not the kind folk would post here.

 

[Beef farmer]

Feed value of hybrid rape compared to grazed grass? Contenplating sticking a load in before an autumn reseed here and grazing fresh cows on them for a few hours each day.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I can't remember the variety but I've had a whole field set seed on an early sowing. It looked like a field of OSR in full flower by early July.

I won't go untill the last week of April at the earliest.

 

[Durry cows]

Just been to look at my “trial” forage rape broadcast after maize first week of October as a soil holder/conditioner. Seed from @Great In Grass will be sheep grazing before going back to maize in may

 

[Beef farmer]

View attachment 777768 Just been to look at my “trial” forage rape broadcast after maize first week of October as a soil holder/conditioner. Seed from @Great In Grass will be sheep grazing before going back to maize in may

Not got any cows/heifers to eat it off now for a month?

 

[Durry cows]

Not got any cows/heifers to eat it off now for a month?

It’s away from the farm, will have a think...would want haylage to feed with it no?

 

[gone up the hill]

View attachment 777768 Just been to look at my “trial” forage rape broadcast after maize first week of October as a soil holder/conditioner. Seed from @Great In Grass will be sheep grazing before going back to maize in may

View attachment 777768 Just been to look at my “trial” forage rape broadcast after maize first week of October as a soil holder/conditioner. Seed from @Great In Grass will be sheep grazing before going back to maize in may

What variety was that Durry cows?

A good crop you have there.

 

[Durry cows]

What variety was that Durry cows?

A good crop you have there.

Will have to check back was going to be interval but that had sold out so went with this instead...not had any fert or sprays, tickled with power Harrow then broadcast and rolled, pigeons have had a good feed in other places but it’s coming back well

 

[Great In Grass]

Will have to check back was going to be interval but that had sold out so went with this instead...not had any fert or sprays, tickled with power Harrow then broadcast and rolled, pigeons have had a good feed in other places but it’s coming back well

It was "Rampart" a LG variety and it is looking good.

 

[ollie989898]

That looks good and after being after maize is impressive. Would be great if people could do that every year.

Direct drilling could work just as well.

 

[phil the cat]

View attachment 777768 Just been to look at my “trial” forage rape broadcast after maize first week of October as a soil holder/conditioner. Seed from @Great In Grass will be sheep grazing before going back to maize in may

Looks good! Can you remember the drill date of it? Our maize was off for early September this year

 

[Durry cows]

Was first week of October got sheep on now @ 50p/week increasing OM/ held the soil over winter before being mucked and back to maize in may

 

[Fergieman]

We have grown a mixture of Kale,rape and stubble turnips for a lot of years for feeding sheep on through the winter. It is established after w barley is harvested. This year we put in extra due to the forage shortage and we didn't need it all for sheep so out wintered some bulling/incalf heifers on it which has worked well. So thinking about putting some in every year for out wintering hfs on. What would you grow for hfs being in mind it will be sown end of July/start of August. (they left the turnips till last)

 

[phil the cat]

Looking at the limagrain guide and similar it’s probably too late to establish much else. You could drop some bales of wrapped silage at regular intervals and roll a field ring to them? Seems popular for cattle on forage

 

[som farmer]

we sow some hybrid rape well into sept behind maize, as long as it gets its roots down ,it will do nothing much until now, cattle will be strip grazing it this week, only do 3or4 acres incase it doesn't work!!!!!!

 

[Cows 'n grass]

We have grown a mixture of Kale,rape and stubble turnips for a lot of years for feeding sheep on through the winter. It is established after w barley is harvested. This year we put in extra due to the forage shortage and we didn't need it all for sheep so out wintered some bulling/incalf heifers on it which has worked well. So thinking about putting some in every year for out wintering hfs on. What would you grow for hfs being in mind it will be sown end of July/start of August. (they left the turnips till last)

I had a very good crop of interval forage rape from an August sowing this year.