Grazing Vetch

[Jerry]

I put some vetch in few weeks back after wheat.

It’s had bugger all rain till recently but had taken. Not sure if it’s thick enough but there are still seeds germinating now.

Plan is to graze lambs in it early winter.

What’s the best grazing strategy? Does it re sprout after grazing at all?

 

[hendrebc]

Seeing as no one has answered I'll have a go because I'd like to see how you do with it it seems like it would be a good high protein forage crop for early on.
I think from what I've seen vetch is a one hit wonder and won't grow back. I know it's sometimes used as a cover for reseeds and things then a cut of silage taken off it. So I assume it wouldn't grow back?
Now hopefully someone who actually knows the answer comes to correct me.

 

[dowcow]

I've grown it a few times, but never in the autumn and after cutting late summer we plough and reseed with grass. I'm curious to know how it would do over winter though... Winter barely and Vetch wholecrop would be wonderful if it is possible.

 

[Jerry]

It us a total experiment to be honest.

@Great In Grass did some research with the seed house so this is a spring variety that was used as it was thought it would get away quick.

I’m hoping to graze from middle of October till Dec, though I’m unsure about frost hardiness.

I spun it on with the quad and one thing I noticed straight of was if I tried to spread it more than 10m the disc on the spreader shattered the seed.

 

[dowcow]

It was an experiment for us when we first grew it with some barley and peas... we didn't even know what vetch would look like to be honest, but it is working well. After 3 years, we have started putting a lower amount of vetch in as it grows so vigorously here, and have been putting more nitrogen on for the barley as the N the vetch and peas provide only becomes available to the crop following after harvest. This year was the first year the vetch didn't do so well, most likely due to the drought or maybe due to the barley being so much stronger.

We are just going to drop the peas altogether as after three years, we haven't had a single year where they haven't given up sometime in June after looking so well for the first month or two. Might go back to higher rate of Vetch and see how it does with the higher rate of N that worked so well for the barley.

The great thing about it is the weed free stubble that is left behind, without the use of any herbicide whatsoever, when there's neighbours wholecrop cereals sown at the same time that had a sprayer go through a couple of times and after cutting is left with a field full of weeds.

 

[dowcow]

We also found out that wild vetch grows naturally in the hedgerows around here and always has done. You only find it on the sides of the hedge where the cows don't graze though, as the cows eat any that they can reach.

 

[cotswoldcs]

We've had a few years growing Vetch and Rye as a cover crop and now have 21ha in the ground mainly for EFA purposes. In our experience it grows very little over winter and sadly doesn't like frost/snow.

Whilst it could be grown and grazed it doesn't do much until April. Admittedly we're nearly 900ft above sea level on the Cotswolds so in sunny Devon it might be totally different! (Yours looks way better than ours does now!)We leave ours until the spring and either graze or make silage from it. We can afford to leave ours until Late April- Early May as it will precede fodder beet or kale and this is where it really has a place in our arable rotation. The Rye makes use of any residual nitrogen in the soil and the vetch fixes nitrogen for use when the crop really gets going. It will grow over 4ft tall and produces a lot of green matter. We produced a massive crop of silage this year.

The sheep go wild for the vetch and will preferentially graze over grass silage. Quality is also good. Our vetch and rye silage (2017) was 11.3ME, 8.6CP, 70.9D-Value. Westerwolds & vetch (2015) was 10.7ME, 13.7CP, 66.7D-Value. Not analysed this year's yet.

If you can leave it in the ground until April and take a cut of silage or graze then I think you will be really impressed. If you're going to be utilising it this winter I think you'll be disappointed. I guess if like me you're growing it for EFA then count it as a bonus and get what you can from it.

Sadly I don't think it will regrow much after grazing, certainly not in winter.

Unless you're growing it for EFA I think I'd look at something else becasue at £0.80-90/kg it's too expensive. Stubble turnips are way cheaper. IIf you're going to be grazing Oct-Dec considering adding some fast growing Westerwolds or similar with it or instead of it.

 

[Agriclegend]

I'm experimenting too. Vetch, Rye, westerwold after maize. Planted couple weeks ago but nothing came due to dry seedbed. Rain last couple of days and things are starting to emerge so it will be interesting to see how it grows.

 

[Jerry]

We've had a few years growing Vetch and Rye as a cover crop and now have 21ha in the ground mainly for EFA purposes. In our experience it grows very little over winter and sadly doesn't like frost/snow.

Whilst it could be grown and grazed it doesn't do much until April. Admittedly we're nearly 900ft above sea level on the Cotswolds so in sunny Devon it might be totally different! (Yours looks way better than ours does now!)We leave ours until the spring and either graze or make silage from it. We can afford to leave ours until Late April- Early May as it will precede fodder beet or kale and this is where it really has a place in our arable rotation. The Rye makes use of any residual nitrogen in the soil and the vetch fixes nitrogen for use when the crop really gets going. It will grow over 4ft tall and produces a lot of green matter. We produced a massive crop of silage this year.

The sheep go wild for the vetch and will preferentially graze over grass silage. Quality is also good. Our vetch and rye silage (2017) was 11.3ME, 8.6CP, 70.9D-Value. Westerwolds & vetch (2015) was 10.7ME, 13.7CP, 66.7D-Value. Not analysed this year's yet.

If you can leave it in the ground until April and take a cut of silage or graze then I think you will be really impressed. If you're going to be utilising it this winter I think you'll be disappointed. I guess if like me you're growing it for EFA then count it as a bonus and get what you can from it.

Sadly I don't think it will regrow much after grazing, certainly not in winter.

Unless you're growing it for EFA I think I'd look at something else becasue at £0.80-90/kg it's too expensive. Stubble turnips are way cheaper. IIf you're going to be grazing Oct-Dec considering adding some fast growing Westerwolds or similar with it or instead of it.

Thank you. That’s very useful.

One reason to try it was the fertility build it can give for following crop. Spring barley will follow and I like that in by end of March ideally.

We are almost in the coast at near sea level. So can have mins and often wet winters. Mind you we can get frosts if minus 10 or more as well.

It’s got away well given until now it’s had very little rain. It seems to have a very active root system so has put roots down neatly 6 inches already.

I will keep a close eye and we may graze pre Christmas if there is enough bulk. Half the field has stubble turnips in with it as well, should have been over all the field but I ran out of seed and never got back to put more on.

If I change my cropping idea I might leave it to April and put maize after it. If I do that could put feb lambers on it so they should milk well and lambs will be eating well as well.

 

[Jerry]

One potential problem is there is a flush of chickweed in places plus a bit of fat hen. but doubt there is anyway to control that.

 

[cotswoldcs]

Will chickweed and fat hen 't produce any seed to cause problems this time of year?

I'l see if I can get some photos of mine for you to compare with. As I said before you're vetch looks way better than mine! I assume you're not growing it for EFA? Why not grow stubble turnips for your lambs?

 

[Jerry]

Will chickweed and fat hen 't produce any seed to cause problems this time of year?

I'l see if I can get some photos of mine for you to compare with. As I said before you're vetch looks way better than mine! I assume you're not growing it for EFA? Why not grow stubble turnips for your lambs?

No. Not efa.

Wanted to try something different and add N for following crop.

I have the field next door to this one with a straight stubble turnip crop. Identical soil.

That will be cropped the same as this one next year so a side by side comparison to see if the vetch has brought anything to the Party.

Fat hen can set seed here in autumn. I’m hoping the chick weed will get trodden in.

 

[jemski]

Wild vetch grows here in the meadows and the sheep go mad for it. It only grows in the summer, and always grows back in exactly the same spots every year, but I never see it after the autumn.
Not sure if this helps at all.

 

[Great In Grass]

It us a total experiment to be honest.

@Great In Grass did some research with the seed house so this is a spring variety that was used as it was thought it would get away quick.

I’m hoping to graze from middle of October till Dec, though I’m unsure about frost hardiness.

I spun it on with the quad and one thing I noticed straight of was if I tried to spread it more than 10m the disc on the spreader shattered the seed.

A winter vetch would have given very little growth pre-Christmas. The first frosts will probably nobble the spring vetch but by then hopefully, it will have done its job.

Winter Vetch can be successfully sown with a winter cereal Triticale and Wheat being the most popular for wholecrop normally planted through October and November., harvested through the following May.

 

[hendrebc]

A winter vetch would have given very little growth pre-Christmas. The first frosts will probably nobble the spring vetch but by then hopefully, it will have done its job.

Winter Vetch can be successfully sown with a winter cereal Triticale and Wheat being the most popular for wholecrop normally planted through October and November., harvested through the following May.

The winter vetch sounds like it would be good for a late spring grazing?

 

[Great In Grass]

The winter vetch sounds like it would be good for a late spring grazing?

Yes, great soil conditioner/improver too!

 

[organicguy]

We grow winter fetch and oats to cut for arable silage and followed with a barsteward fallow. Not tried grazing in the autumn but the earlier it is cut in the spring the more it regrows. I assume its is something to do with flower initiation. If cut early it remains vegetative and so regrows.

 

[CopperBeech]

We grazed a load of oats and vetch last winter with 500 Romney’s belonging to a member on here. They did well.

 

[organicguy]

We grazed a load of oats and vetch last winter with 500 Romney’s belonging to a member on here. They did well.

But did the oats and vetch grow back?

 

[CopperBeech]

The vetch did grow back initially, but once it got real cold stopped. The Oats did well and we got a couple of grazings out of them and probably could have had a third.