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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
Regen Ag Crops & Agronomy
Long term cattle / cropping rotation
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<blockquote data-quote="The Ruminant" data-source="post: 9170" data-attributes="member: 487"><p>Dan, thanks for the feedback. I will hold my hands up and say I have never tried it - and therefore wouldn't turn the whole farm over to it without a lot of trialwork! However, I have sat them on damp blotting paper and they've grown, I've spilt seed onto damp concrete (!) where it's grown and nothing gets planted in nature, it just lands on the soil....! Broadcasting in mid-June would have two benefits (but isn't without risk). The first benefit is that there's likely to be enough moisture underneath the canopy to chit the seeds, the second benefit is that the plants will have a long enough growing season - both pre- and post-harvest - to produce a decent amount of dry matter. The risk is that, put it in too early and the crop will be so tall that combining is difficult<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" /> If they're being broadcast, you have very low establishment costs therefore can afford to raise (double) the seed rates to mitigate the number of seeds that won't chit, or will be eaten or will die etc</p><p> </p><p>It's a good point about red clover. My thoughts were that it would be a small proportion of the total mix and so risks of bloat would be low but (given Martian's comments below) it might be a good idea to switch to white clover. I'll give Ian Wilkinson at Cotswold Seeds a call to discuss the mix with him.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Good question. In part it's because I'm trying to balance the financial side - cash crops are more profitable than grass crops overall (although the fertility building and structure building nature of the grass has its own inherent value). I am also beginning to believe that some clovers get established faster than others - again I need to verify this with Ian Wilkinson, but his website indicates as much. I do think the longer you leave them beyond two years, the more nodulation and thus N fixation you get, but again this is a compromise rotation. It might not work! Ideally, I would like to leave the ley in place for three or four years but until I have more experience of the returns from mob-grazing cattle on such breaks, I'm not brave enough to go beyond two years.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Thanks Martian, I've taken your comments re red clover on board - good points.</p><p> </p><p>I would be grazing year round. One of my thoughts is to establish the wheat earlier than normal in the late summer then to graze it lightly during the winter. Anecdotal tales I have heard regularly says this has a tremendously positive effect on the wheat, cleaning it up and encouraging tillers. An added benefit would be that the acreage available to the cattle would increase markedly during the winter months, so stocking rates would be very low and damage would be minimal.... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite10" alt=":oops:" title="Oops! :oops:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":oops:" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="The Ruminant, post: 9170, member: 487"] Dan, thanks for the feedback. I will hold my hands up and say I have never tried it - and therefore wouldn't turn the whole farm over to it without a lot of trialwork! However, I have sat them on damp blotting paper and they've grown, I've spilt seed onto damp concrete (!) where it's grown and nothing gets planted in nature, it just lands on the soil....! Broadcasting in mid-June would have two benefits (but isn't without risk). The first benefit is that there's likely to be enough moisture underneath the canopy to chit the seeds, the second benefit is that the plants will have a long enough growing season - both pre- and post-harvest - to produce a decent amount of dry matter. The risk is that, put it in too early and the crop will be so tall that combining is difficult:( If they're being broadcast, you have very low establishment costs therefore can afford to raise (double) the seed rates to mitigate the number of seeds that won't chit, or will be eaten or will die etc It's a good point about red clover. My thoughts were that it would be a small proportion of the total mix and so risks of bloat would be low but (given Martian's comments below) it might be a good idea to switch to white clover. I'll give Ian Wilkinson at Cotswold Seeds a call to discuss the mix with him. Good question. In part it's because I'm trying to balance the financial side - cash crops are more profitable than grass crops overall (although the fertility building and structure building nature of the grass has its own inherent value). I am also beginning to believe that some clovers get established faster than others - again I need to verify this with Ian Wilkinson, but his website indicates as much. I do think the longer you leave them beyond two years, the more nodulation and thus N fixation you get, but again this is a compromise rotation. It might not work! Ideally, I would like to leave the ley in place for three or four years but until I have more experience of the returns from mob-grazing cattle on such breaks, I'm not brave enough to go beyond two years. Thanks Martian, I've taken your comments re red clover on board - good points. I would be grazing year round. One of my thoughts is to establish the wheat earlier than normal in the late summer then to graze it lightly during the winter. Anecdotal tales I have heard regularly says this has a tremendously positive effect on the wheat, cleaning it up and encouraging tillers. An added benefit would be that the acreage available to the cattle would increase markedly during the winter months, so stocking rates would be very low and damage would be minimal.... :oops: [/QUOTE]
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Long term cattle / cropping rotation
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