Post Maize Bite to Eat/Cover Crop

[Jerry]

Is there something I could spin on post maize harvest that will give me ground cover over winter and also a bite to eat for ewes post lambing in Feb/Mar.

Ground is to go into parsnips come April/May.

Maize should be gone by mid/late Sept and I'm in the balmy south close to the coast in Devon. Light free draining soil.

Want something cheap and cheerful to cover the ground for a few months.

Can rip up the maize stubble and spin on seed pretty easily. We normally can drill wheat with ease up till Nov.

 

[Great In Grass]

Grass? Simple & Cheap.

 

[Bury the Trash]

http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/italian-ryegrass-blend-25kg0

 

[Bury the Trash]

pity a tad late for Ryecorn ...






..ever dealt with ACT they do some good deals ......on seed .

 

[Great In Grass]

http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/italian-ryegrass-blend-25kg0

A better mix from the same supplier, cheaper too.
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/a-highly-productive-short-term-italian-ley.185852/

 

[ollie989898]

A better mix from the same supplier, cheaper too.
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/a-highly-productive-short-term-italian-ley.185852/

That mixture is simply too light in kg/acre terms for a ley comprised of hybrids or italians, and particularly when they are intending to put it in after maize late.

 

[Bury the Trash]

http://www.actionfarm.co.uk/pdf/ACT_Forage_Seeds_Cat_2017.pdf

 

[ollie989898]

http://www.actionfarm.co.uk/pdf/ACT_Forage_Seeds_Cat_2017.pdf

Also too light in sowing rate.

 

[Great In Grass]

http://www.actionfarm.co.uk/pdf/ACT_Forage_Seeds_Cat_2017.pdf

One problem there and that is you don't know what varieties you are buying.

14kg/acre is ample.

 

[Kevtherev]

14-15kg rate per acre is plenty

 

[Kevtherev]

A westerwolds and Italian mix to provide quick cover and bulk next year

 

[ollie989898]

14-15kg rate per acre is plenty

Have you compared the size of IRG or hybrid seeds to say diploid PRG destined for a long term grazing ley?

Why would you sow identical quantities of them?

 

[Kevtherev]

Highest seed rate I've seen is 17kg an acre.
What rates do you recommend?
Italian and westerwolds are fast growing grasses and need a bit of room

 

[unlacedgecko]

Any idea of establishment cost per acre (including seed cost). Would there be much of a bite avail come Feb/Mar.

If I can economically plant a crop to graze post maize stubble that would, quite frankly, f king transform my business.

 

[ollie989898]

Highest seed rate I've seen is 17kg an acre.
What rates do you recommend?
Italian and westerwolds are fast growing grasses and need a bit of room

If you are talking big seeded stuff, drilled into a cold 'seed bed' after maize, and late, then I can appreciate why someone might use 17kg or 18kg an acre. The additional cost is hardly massive.

The seed rate changes according to what the customer wants (none of this order 14 bags for a 12 acre field thing), what species and varieties are involved, how they will be established and so on.

If you are talking grazy diploid grasses, white clover or timothy etc, and you intend to make a good job of putting it in, 15kg an acre would be about the going rate in my book.

I had someone who was buying extremely cheap IRG from various places and whom refused point blank to source grass seed from me (despite me doing the remainder of his agronomy).

He had been directed to sow this stuff at 12kg per acre 'because it was cheap'. He asked me to look at the state of the leys in question in their second year. The regrowth was poor and no wonder because it was near 20% bald in places if not worse. I can't remember the varieties in question, but they were dirt cheap in kilo terms, and he was not using much of it, either.

Upped seed rate to 16kg and the results became a lot more sensible. He has also experimented with some of the bigger named varieties and is making the switch towards them as well.

 

[ollie989898]

Any idea of establishment cost per acre (including seed cost). Would there be much of a bite avail come Feb/Mar.

If I can economically plant a crop to graze post maize stubble that would, quite frankly, f king transform my business.

The process begins long before your maize crop is established If I am honest.

It much depends on the conditions at the time of harvest as well and how good your prior weed control was.

Because of how I do the maize job, the stubbles are basically clean as a whisker at harvest. You then take a subsoiler or ripper and rush over the field at a depth that removes the wheelings (if any). We then powerharrow lightly (if it was dry enough you can do anything nearly, its only a scratch up), you do not need go go mad, and then harrow/box the seed in. If it was dry enough you might consider rolling it.

Only IRG and hybrids generally stick this kind of abuse, the difference is that, generally the soil is moist at the time of year. AND behind maize your pest problems are non-existent. No slugs and no frit fly to worry about.

I will find a photo.

 

[Kevtherev]

Any idea of establishment cost per acre (including seed cost). Would there be much of a bite avail come Feb/Mar.

If I can economically plant a crop to graze post maize stubble that would, quite frankly, f king transform my business.

Cost per acre would vary depending on how you cultivate after maize?
Quick growth and cover then something like westerwolds would fit the bill.

 

[ollie989898]

 

[unlacedgecko]

Cost per acre would vary depending on how you cultivate after maize?
Quick growth and cover then something like westerwolds would fit the bill.

For something like @ollie989898 describes above?

What stocking rate could I achieve for those 8 weeks do you think?

 

[ollie989898]

I have done this after maize thing with diploids and high sugar grasses and even white clover before, but it is not without some risk. These other things are slow to establish, slow to tiller out and are not particularly aggressive in my experience.