- Location
- Hertfordshire
I’ve got some forage rye, drilled a short while ago and now emerging. What stage of growth will I need to let it get to before I graze it for the first time and how hard (or not) can I graze it?
Forage rye
- Thread starter The Ruminant
- Start date
- Location
- Devon
Interested in this too.
Is it any good for sheep? Or too coarse?
Is it any good for sheep? Or too coarse?
Keepers
Member
- Location
- South West
I hope it’s good for sheep
Over 40ha gone in for winter grazing, later drilled than hoped so will be later to graze
- Location
- Devon
Better growth over winter than westerwolds?I hope it’s good for sheep
About the same all other things being equal.
I would sooner have westers . If given the choice
For them bit softer leaf overal and will come back better for consecutive grazing ime.But Rye is good stuff for sheep , more palatable than rape/ kale /less nitrite
Rye Good for bit winter protein and bigger amount of forage first grazed so best to sttip graze , well I would anyway, even if it's fairly big breaks.
Real Good larder store if sown in reasonble time.
I woukdnt want let it get to long legged coarse for sheep , anyway...but even then it s very nice to have late winter early spring
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
To expensive? I was quoted around £50/ac for seed (whereas Westerwolds would be £3/kg iirc), which stopped my interest in it's tracks.
not far off if upwards of 15kg /acre is used gives better ground cover at higher rates
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
whats latest sowing date if you wanted to graze feb?
Best that one already has the seed or order it asap and to get it in now...
We always used to call it ryecorn
We always used to call it ryecorn
- Location
- Ceredigion
Spoke to a farmer this morning who sowed Westerwolds in November and had a good crop .
Price no more that £2-40 kg, less for a good amount
i thought he meant rye..? anther month will be ok for wester, as long as it dont deterioate weather wise
down here anyway as long you dont want it till early spring
- Location
- Ceredigion
He didn't say - must have sold over a 1000 acres of Westerwolds and still going . Not sold any Ryei thought he meant rye..? anther month will be ok for wester, as long as it dont deterioate weather wise
i call it westerwolf's
mvf blend it with Italian which makes it a bit cheaper . very simple thing to grow ,weve got some still to sow plenty of time yet. gonna have to be as the corn aint finished cutting yet...
- Location
- West Country
How long do you leave the westerwolds/irg in for?i call it westerwolf's
Barely 12 months max for wester I suppose having said that the blend with ir I last used was down for nearly 2& half yrs
btbf by the end it had got infiltrated by bits and Bob's like meadow grass and white clover that migrated in or come out of seed bank...I may as well left it in tbh as the peas that replaced it were just about a right off this
- Location
- Cornwall.
Newer varieties of Westerwolds will go 2 years easy maybe three, cheaper than IRG too!
- Location
- Ceredigion
What did you pay. Italians are normally a bit morei call it westerwolf's
cotswoldcs
Member
- Location
- Bang In the heart of the Cotswolds
We grow quite a bit of forage rye for sheep. We usually don't graze until Feb/March but then we are high up and it doesn't really get growing much over winter. I've read that you mustn't let it get too advanced going into winter so if yours gets 4-6" tall I'd recommend grazing it once and then let it recover.
- Location
- West Somerset
What are people paying for forage rye seed, thinking of putting 20 acres in
Keepers
Member
- Location
- South West
it was put in due to the agronomists recommendations, wanted something that could be fertilised and grow on rapidly to produce a lot of bulk for strip/block grazing.
Last year we had westerwolds/vetch mix which worked well enough but the westerwolds went yellow quickly but weren’t able to put enough nitrogen on due to vetch being in the mix.
This year the first field is done to pure Rye with a lot of fert to get it going and get bulk, the 2nd field is Rye and vetch with only a couple of kgs of fert due to the vetch being in. But will be grazed later when the vetch has matured and produced the nodules on the roots
The third field is a Slower growing diverse mix which will be grazed last of all
The lambs and ewe lambs have a turnip kale mix instead