Grazing legumes

Are there any options for grazing legumes that would fit in an arable rotation after wheat and before potatoes? One place where I have turnips/rape isnt wanting brassicas due to a club root issue in his OSR. Grazing for in lamb ewes between Dec and march.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Probably not (apart from on the South coast maybe). Legumes don't tend to grow when it's cold, so not much use after WW. Other than brassicas, I think your only options are IRG or forage Rye.
 

sherg

Member
Location
shropshire
They will eat and fatten well on mustard, is it the same family as chicory? I think its supposed to act as a bit of a worm suppressor and I think it might help with nematodes as well so in theory they should drill it for you and the keep should be for free!
 
Probably not (apart from on the South coast maybe). Legumes don't tend to grow when it's cold, so not much use after WW. Other than brassicas, I think your only options are IRG or forage Rye.

Those were the only two I have come up with. Just takes a bit of stomaching when turnip seed is only a few £ an acre. Unsure of a stocking rate as well. Wouldn't have thought it would be 10/ac for 3 months which is a rough guide for turnips.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
They will eat and fatten well on mustard, is it the same family as chicory? I think its supposed to act as a bit of a worm suppressor and I think it might help with nematodes as well so in theory they should drill it for you and the keep should be for free!

Isn't mustard killed out by the first frost? The mustard in my 'wild bird seed margins' certainly was, as per the plan.
 

spin cycle

Member
Location
north norfolk
They will eat and fatten well on mustard, is it the same family as chicory? I think its supposed to act as a bit of a worm suppressor and I think it might help with nematodes as well so in theory they should drill it for you and the keep should be for free!

will lambs really eat/fatten on mustard???:eek:
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Those were the only two I have come up with. Just takes a bit of stomaching when turnip seed is only a few £ an acre. Unsure of a stocking rate as well. Wouldn't have thought it would be 10/ac for 3 months which is a rough guide for turnips.

Would depend on the winter I'd have thought. This year, it would be growing well just now. IMO, the only way IRG or Rye pays it's way, is when you get several early bites before it's taken out. Early Spring is when it comes into it's own, if the landowner wants it ploughed out early, then it's not worth the seed cost, imho anyway.
 

sherg

Member
Location
shropshire
will lambs really eat/fatten on mustard???:eek:
Yep the in laws graze lambs on mustard and they reckon they do alright not as good as on turnips but alright
Isn't mustard killed out by the first frost? The mustard in my 'wild bird seed margins' certainly was, as per the plan.
Not sure about how winter hardy it is we don't seem to get much in the way of frost these days though
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
I'm grazing some ewe lambs on a GrowMax ley which was undersown on some barley.

17 ac is holding 300 lambs for 20 days. And the cells grazed so far are showing excellent regrowth for the landlord's horse haylage.
 

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