Grazing SW6 winter cover crops

[BenAdamsAgri]

Are you able to graze winter cover crops as part of a mid tier CSS sw6 option??
Does grazing count as cover crop destruction? Or do you have to start grazing in mid jan?

States:

• establish a quick-growing cover crop by 15 September that will provide a dense cover and protect the land from soil erosion and runoff
• destroy the cover crop in late January or early February, a maximum of 6 weeks before establishing the following spring crop. When weather conditions delay establishment of a spring crop, the cover crop can be left until mid-March.

Do not:

• apply any fertilisers or manures

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Don’t think so as that would be applying manure

 

[Jimfandango]

Yes, I'm pretty sure grazing counts as crop destruction. The definitions are a bit vague but I think that is to give you some leeway for your own discretion. If you do something just record it with photos, dates and such. Don't for fks sake turn sheep on it in this weather or they will have you.

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

Yes, I'm pretty sure grazing counts as crop destruction. The definitions are a bit vague but I think that is to give you some leeway for your own discretion. If you do something just record it with photos, dates and such. Don't for fks sake turn sheep on it in this weather or they will have you.

We’re not currently in css just looking at options. We always graze our covers so is a bit of a pain.

 

[Flat 10]

Don’t think so as that would be applying manure

No it wouldn’t. If grazing is applying manure than the world is completely mental.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

No it wouldn’t. If grazing is applying manure than the world is completely mental.

That’s what I was told by catchment sensitive farming officer when I looked at options for original agreement if I remember correctly, but it was the first year the scheme was available and so it may have been clarified differently since.

 

[Flat 10]

Seems very unlikely as grazing isn’t counted as applying manure for NVZs is it? Or am I wrong? Doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Seems very unlikely as grazing isn’t counted as applying manure for NVZs is it? Or am I wrong? Doesn’t make sense to me.

Didn't have any of this option in the end as all our fields have ditches around them so are ineligible. I would get an email confirming it could be grazed if looking to do this.

 

[Flat 10]

Didn't have any of this option in the end as all our fields have ditches around them so are ineligible. I would get an email confirming it could be grazed if looking to do this.

I think the opposite. Unless it’s forbidden you can do it.

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

Didn't have any of this option in the end as all our fields have ditches around them so are ineligible. I would get an email confirming it could be grazed if looking to do this.

Doesn't say anything about ditches making in ineligible

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

[QUO

Doesn't say anything about ditches making in ineligible

Sorry, I got that bit wrong, that was on AB13 brassica forage crops, not on SW6.It does say however, on the 2016 agreement option details for sw6 that you "must destroy the cover crop by cultivation" , so excluding grazing, but the word cultivation has been dropped from the latest agreement options list, so I am not sure if it is allowed or not.

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

People wonder why we don't want to take up these schemes

 

[Dan Powell]

I'm currently destroying my SW6 cover crops with autonomous, self replicating mowing robots.

They're amazingly effective, but today a fault occurred in their programming and a few broke through the fence.

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

I'm currently destroying my SW6 cover crops with autonomous, self replicating mowing robots.

They're amazingly effective, but today a fault occurred in their programming and a few broke through the fence.

Did you pack in DD or will you drill straight into the aftermath?

 

[Dan Powell]

Packed in the no till for now. Too many slugs with the rotation we had. We went organic, but keeping an eye on ELMS for no till options. May go back but with more grass and no rape.

 

[Brisel]

I've seen SW6 grazed from the end of January. Doesn't mean it's allowed but I did ask the farmer about it as we were considering the same thing, though in the end our grazier didn't like our SW6 species mix of phacelia, linseed, vetch & berseem clover. Buckwheat too but this was long gone within a week of the first frost. He didn't like phacelia as the lambs wouldn't thrive on it.