Grazing winter cereals with sheep

[Pigless]

Got approx 200 acres of cereals Oats, Wheat and possibly Barley which are looking well, thinking of grazing it back to help tillering and maybe reduce aphid pressure? We have are own sheep and are in a coastal position in Cornwall so nice and mild.
Never done this before so any advice as to latest timings or if it does more harm then good would be gratefully recieved. Thanks

 

[andybk]

yes we have on and off for many years , importantly dont overstock , only need light pressure , have somewhere to get them off if it gets very wet or will poach shelter areas , dont graze too tight later in winter either feb on , in return they will help push soil back in around roots from frost , remove diseased plant matter and weeds and add some fert , thats before tillering , There is a important bud (head) that comes up through early spring dont graze this or will compromise crop , Many agronomists dont like or understand it (chem commission) but done right works very well

 

[Wooly]

I graze mine.......sometimes have been known to overgraze it..........but always appear to grow back ok and saves some growth regulator and one pass with the sprayer.

I'm not sure there is a best way to do it. I've tried big mobs of sheep on for a short time, to small amounts for a long time and from grazing wheat from February to the end of March.

The big advantage is that they are your sheep so if it does get very wet, then at least you can take them off for a few days.

 

[Pigless]

Thanks for the replies, think i will put them in when it dries up a bit and aim to get off by end Feb seeing as we may be slightly forward down here.

 

[neilo]

You need to take care. I tried doing half a field of WW once at home, with a big mob of sheep grazing it lightly for a few days, then off. We reckoned that half yielded about half a ton/ac less than the ungrazed half. Didn't try it again.

I'm told barley is more susceptible to grazing damage, as the growing point is higher up the stem.

 

[Bury the Trash]

We have given oats a good hammering before, with respect to the type of ground and capping/poaching ....read making a mess.
There is far more at risk with eating off wheat and barley nowadays i think.......

Used to be a considered part of management long time ago and it was mentioned as a tool at college if i remember rightly....... back then we didn't use so many different sprays and arable was less specialist more integrated , well around here anyway.....

....quite whether some varieties of each are more suitable / tolerant than others ...and/or have changed over the years is another matter ....
Just to add watching out for growth stages is v.important ...even if there is luxury canopy owing to mild winters....

 

[bankrupt]

Used to be a considered part of management long time ago

Neighbour of ours let out 30 acres of forward wheat to a local grazier at one shilling (5p)/head/week, everything having badly lodged previous year.

300 sheep stayed on until April 10th.

Net result - £90 income and total crop failure.

1964.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Neighbour of ours let out 30 acres of forward wheat to a local grazier at one shilling (5p)/head/week, everything having badly lodged previous year.

300 sheep stayed on until April 10th.

Net result - £90 income and total crop failure.

1964.

don't get me started about the rabbits........

 

[bankrupt]

about the rabbits........

They don't like triticale much, fortunately, and nor do neighbours' sheep.

 

[yellow belly]

an estate in chilbolten hamshire used to do this the farm manager was the designer of the ridley rapper

 

[Clive]

@dontknowanything did this a year or so back - I don't think it was a great success IIRC ?

 

[Devil's advocate]

Neighbour of ours let out 30 acres of forward wheat to a local grazier at one shilling (5p)/head/week, everything having badly lodged previous year.

300 sheep stayed on until April 10th.

Net result - £90 income and total crop failure.

1964.

But almost everyone pro grazing agrees get the sheep off mid late Feb is vital.

I don't know but can imagine the pre em spray cover will be compromised.

 

[dontknowanything]

@dontknowanything did this a year or so back - I don't think it was a great success IIRC ?

It wasn’t, but I think the seed rate was too low

PS was about 3-4 years ago now!

 

[gone up the hill]

It will work if you do it right!

Key is NOT to roll the land post drilling, if you have done this do NOT put sheep on it.

Second main key is to get them off it by middle of Feb at the latest.

Also as above take them off if its wet but if dry you are as well to stock the land with a lot of sheep and graze for a short time than with a few for a long time.

 

[dontknowanything]

It will work if you do it right!

Key is NOT to roll the land post drilling, if you have done this do NOT put sheep on it.

Second main key is to get them off it by middle of Feb at the latest.

Also as above take them off if its wet but if dry you are as well to stock the land with a lot of sheep and graze for a short time than with a few for a long time.

Ours were off by December, only on for less than two weeks. Not rolled either.

 

[gone up the hill]

Ours were off by December, only on for less than two weeks. Not rolled either.

You can put them on too early as well.

Another thing I should have added and that is you have to go very early with the fert if you have grazed it.

 

[Wooly]

Just to contradict everyone, our sheep won't go on our wheat until march. Always take them off by April 1st.

 

[Steel]

Do you have specific grazing wheats.
In Australia we have several grazing varieties which seem to recover very well and trials often sowing yield reductions if they are not grazed.
I would not be grazing my other wheat varieties.

 

[Pigless]

I don't know of any grazing varieties of wheat, heard of double take variety of triticale in nz for grazing. I have Mascani Oats, Avatar,Edgar and Graham wheat.
After reading all the above I will try grazing some oats and a small amount of wheat to see what happens.Thanks for the information

 

[Matt]

Grazed cereals here. Year it didn't do very good was year we grazed barley and it stayed dry after put first lot of fert on in spring was a bit late putting fert on too.