Sowing peas...!!

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Cheers for all the info pete...im hoping to do some peas this spring.

Did u get it tested? Sorry i missed some of the thread.

Cheers Ant...
Most of it turned into random discussion and pictures of scenery while we waited for the damn things to bale :whistle: that hardly ever happens on the forum
No, I didn't, all I know is store lambs liked the peas and left the grassy component behind like they do with peas and oats.

Smells wicked now :hungry: has a really pea-y tang when you sniff the bales. The pods are transparent through the clear wrap you can see the outlines, I tried the peas when I fed out the wee half-a-bale and they tasted like pickled peas would :yuck:
Cattle are going to climb out to get at it :)
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
had a few paddocks here rotospiked were very fluffy and were not rolled before roller drilling only head lands come up needed more rolling
Now that its growing I can see the best parts are where I had my maxitill burying it deeper for a start, just did 3 rounds before ripping it off - it was so dry the turf wouldnt flow through as it was all like blocks of polystyrene :(
Those bits are easily the darkest and thickest growth so that is stored away, heavy harrows didn't put it deep enough for the dry.
Not much you can do without rain but could be a consideration if dry, disc it in deep
 

Bill dog

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scottish Borders
Most of it turned into random discussion and pictures of scenery while we waited for the damn things to bale :whistle: that hardly ever happens on the forum
No, I didn't, all I know is store lambs liked the peas and left the grassy component behind like they do with peas and oats.

Smells wicked now :hungry: has a really pea-y tang when you sniff the bales. The pods are transparent through the clear wrap you can see the outlines, I tried the peas when I fed out the wee half-a-bale and they tasted like pickled peas would :yuck:
Cattle are going to climb out to get at it :)
Pete - do you get rats going mad for the bales of peas , like they do for whole crop bales of barley etc ?
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Pete - do you get rats going mad for the bales of peas , like they do for whole crop bales of barley etc ?
I haven't seen a mouse or even heard one for months, and no holes in the bales.
I was concerned but no need to be yet, there will be plenty of other food sources I would say, closer to winter I will be eating these words no doubt ..
In my silage pit there are heaps of tunnels from whennthe previous owner grew barley off-farm and bought it here, so it is a problem with barley wholecrops.

JD said you could bale it at the leafy stage but there would have been beggar all peas using the broadcaster, if you DD'd them deep with barley it would be an interesting experiment but the window would be very short at the rate barley boots down here.

Oats - my neighbour bought oats bales and put them on the roadside and rats came from all over to get into them :(
 

Bill dog

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Scottish Borders
I haven't seen a mouse or even heard one for months, and no holes in the bales.
I was concerned but no need to be yet, there will be plenty of other food sources I would say, closer to winter I will be eating these words no doubt ..
In my silage pit there are heaps of tunnels from whennthe previous owner grew barley off-farm and bought it here, so it is a problem with barley wholecrops.

JD said you could bale it at the leafy stage but there would have been beggar all peas using the broadcaster, if you DD'd them deep with barley it would be an interesting experiment but the window would be very short at the rate barley boots down here.

Oats - my neighbour bought oats bales and put them on the roadside and rats came from all over to get into them :(
I’ve fair enjoyed your experiment with the peas, and the scenery !
When are you going to start feeding them ? Bales of rocket fuel (y) ! Keep the photos coming , a lot of folk over here been getting a pasting with the snow and wind , and some shots from Peteville would cheer us up I’m sure :) !
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
These bales will probably not move until July/August.
The plan is to finish most of the cattle we have on hand - anything too small will either be carried through or sold store - and then we'll get some calves at the start of winter.
I think freshly weaned calves tend to sit still if you don't pour the protein into them which was what happened last year: same silage, big cattle had 3 times the DLWG of the calves indoors.. so this is a lucerne substitute.
Scenery, I have lots of pics :cool:
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
20180304_120148.jpg
20180304_120150.jpg
good job for the morning (y)
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Just received a "like" for this thread and thought it time for an update.

Winter is here, now... few frosts, HEAPS of rain fell in May; we have caught up with the small autumnal flush of resultant growth, a classic case of too little, too late...
We went from late summer into an early winter, in what felt like a week :(

So, the pea bales are being fed, as was intended just a bit of an alternative to silage :)
20180510_154645.jpg

All the stock just 'go nuts' for it, and the silage is A OK as far as grass silage goes it would be as good as you would see without spending the earth on fancy leafy new grasses :)

I can report there is a serious amount of food in those little bales, I am pleased we made them slightly smaller as one will just fill the trough in my shed without going OTT (y) some needed rewrapped as my bulls went on a rampage one saturday morning and came down the street to the rugby ground to say hello :banghead:

after opening a dozen bales with their horns
:banghead::banghead::banghead::inpain::inpain::inpain:

I think the extra cost of additive was worth it, very well made.

In the spring, I will likely give my cover crop areas a tickle with the discs and do this again.
Probably earlier, and will mix in some oats and triticale - and will likely undersow with just grass in the meantime.
Probably some timothy and festulolium -until we see how the weeds are...

I did sow some seed onto the paddock that had the peas in, but it wasn't a huge success as it got very wet and soil temp took a dive at that time :( bit of clover and chicory came up but I think it will want redone.
I will likely get my roller drill onto it early spring, and cross fingers :cool:
 

texas pete

Member
Location
East Mids
Just received a "like" for this thread and thought it time for an update.

Winter is here, now... few frosts, HEAPS of rain fell in May; we have caught up with the small autumnal flush of resultant growth, a classic case of too little, too late...
We went from late summer into an early winter, in what felt like a week :(

So, the pea bales are being fed, as was intended just a bit of an alternative to silage :)View attachment 681752
All the stock just 'go nuts' for it, and the silage is A OK as far as grass silage goes it would be as good as you would see without spending the earth on fancy leafy new grasses :)

I can report there is a serious amount of food in those little bales, I am pleased we made them slightly smaller as one will just fill the trough in my shed without going OTT (y) some needed rewrapped as my bulls went on a rampage one saturday morning and came down the street to the rugby ground to say hello :banghead:

after opening a dozen bales with their horns
:banghead::banghead::banghead::inpain::inpain::inpain:

I think the extra cost of additive was worth it, very well made.

In the spring, I will likely give my cover crop areas a tickle with the discs and do this again.
Probably earlier, and will mix in some oats and triticale - and will likely undersow with just grass in the meantime.
Probably some timothy and festulolium -until we see how the weeds are...

I did sow some seed onto the paddock that had the peas in, but it wasn't a huge success as it got very wet and soil temp took a dive at that time :( bit of clover and chicory came up but I think it will want redone.
I will likely get my roller drill onto it early spring, and cross fingers :cool:

Looks good enough to eat.:)

Any idea what the protein of that mix would be?
 

holwellcourtfarm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Just received a "like" for this thread and thought it time for an update.

Winter is here, now... few frosts, HEAPS of rain fell in May; we have caught up with the small autumnal flush of resultant growth, a classic case of too little, too late...
We went from late summer into an early winter, in what felt like a week :(

So, the pea bales are being fed, as was intended just a bit of an alternative to silage :)View attachment 681752
All the stock just 'go nuts' for it, and the silage is A OK as far as grass silage goes it would be as good as you would see without spending the earth on fancy leafy new grasses :)

I can report there is a serious amount of food in those little bales, I am pleased we made them slightly smaller as one will just fill the trough in my shed without going OTT (y) some needed rewrapped as my bulls went on a rampage one saturday morning and came down the street to the rugby ground to say hello :banghead:

after opening a dozen bales with their horns
:banghead::banghead::banghead::inpain::inpain::inpain:

I think the extra cost of additive was worth it, very well made.

In the spring, I will likely give my cover crop areas a tickle with the discs and do this again.
Probably earlier, and will mix in some oats and triticale - and will likely undersow with just grass in the meantime.
Probably some timothy and festulolium -until we see how the weeds are...

I did sow some seed onto the paddock that had the peas in, but it wasn't a huge success as it got very wet and soil temp took a dive at that time :( bit of clover and chicory came up but I think it will want redone.
I will likely get my roller drill onto it early spring, and cross fingers :cool:
A complete success then Pete.

An interesting idea I might consider here as well.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Enjoyable thread to read this has been.
I’ve managed to loose 3 hours at work today reading from start to finish.
(Don’t tell the gaffa lol )
Glad it’s worked well for you @Kiwi Pete
I won't breathe a word of it.... :ROFLMAO:

Yeah quite a good experiment, although as I have probably said somewhere my old man did most of this sort of thing 40 years ago - I don't think he ever used a herbicide unless it was on the driveway at home TBH.
i have never really understood the desire of most farmers to wipe everything out before planting an annual crop, it just means more expense in the end
:scratchhead:
So for a budget crop for some bales I think this rough and ready method is as good as any, it surpassed my expectations and gave me confidence that I can do it every year - it was pretty bloody dry here this summer.
Would have been a heavy crop with an extra foot of rain on it!
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Mind reading again :rolleyes:

The maize is chipped in mid to late September so peas might be a bit over-mature by then. The corn cracker should open the pods nicely though.

Beans might be a better bet.
Could well be - although if you just planted them "inter row" and later, they could work.
Some of the cover cropping FB pages have some really neat covers growing in corn and maize crops.
Vetch buckwheat rye crimson clover and peas would be a good start, as you say the harvester will make light work of it all.
 

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