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Lupins

MDL POWERUP

Member
Any body grown them on a small scale (4 acre)? Pros and cons? Can it be wholecropped to good effect? Looking at protein for sheep and maybe a few cows.
 

cousinjack

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
We grew them for a couple of years.... About 5 acres a year.
The idea was to combine and get a bit of home grown protein..

It was the late damp harvests that ruined the job. They grew ok, but the lateness of ripening meant harvest in late September, and in Cornwall that usually means rain..

In order to get the seeds through the roller mill to feed, we found we had to mix it with wheat or they would just smear up and not go through..

Wouldn't have thought they would be any good as a wholecrop as the stems are pretty woody and don't look nice to eat.. similar to beans

An earlier maturing variety may improve things..
 

cousinjack

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
I’ve posted this before, but lupins were the subject of the first project I did at Harper. They had lots to offer and seemed set to be the next ‘wonder crop’.

That was in 1987, and I’m still waiting for that revolution, which maybe says all you need to know?
Ha, I did my dissertation at Harper on lupins in 2001....

Hence giving them a try when I graduated .
:giggle:
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Great grazing for cows, infact most people growing them in covercrops say the lupins are what the cattle home in on when you move them, ahead of peas and faba beans.
So in that respect they must be alright, they add very little to the cost of the mix at a kg or two per hectare
 

MDL POWERUP

Member
I’ve posted this before, but lupins were the subject of the first project I did at Harper. They had lots to offer and seemed set to be the next ‘wonder crop’.

That was in 1987, and I’m still waiting for that revolution, which maybe says all you need to know?
Any other crop suggestions? To compliment sheep but restricted in the fact no combine is going to come for 4 acres a lone down a one mile pot hole lonning... Also something that doesn't need a lot of spraying would be ideal. Or am I asking too much??
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
Any other crop suggestions? To compliment sheep but restricted in the fact no combine is going to come for 4 acres a lone down a one mile pot hole lonning... Also something that doesn't need a lot of spraying would be ideal. Or am I asking too much??

when you put it like that why bother?
Just pick up the phone and buy some protein from a merchant. Never worth the hassle.

PS I was involved with Lupinsback in the ‘90’s , blues, whites and yellows. Never did catch on.
 

MDL POWERUP

Member
when you put it like that why bother?
Just pick up the phone and buy some protein from a merchant. Never worth the hassle.

PS I was involved with Lupinsback in the ‘90’s , blues, whites and yellows. Never did catch on.
It's as much for the experience of growing something (hopefully useful) as it over the benefit to a point. Plus I've been asked to put it in something other than grass
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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