Spring barley or wheat for wholecrop silage?

[DaveGrohl]

We’ve always grown s barley for wholecrop, but last year‘s efforts were horrendous. Sodding wet spring (after dusty Feb/March), followed on by many weeks of no rain. Barley got sown late, established then gasped for water. None of it managed to get over 12 inches high.

This year’s heading the same way sadly, with the added problem that most of our winter sown crops are just mud so we need to resow those with summat, or poss do some SFI options. (Do I still have time to apply for this summer?)

Talking to a chap this am who reckoned his s wheat crops grew taller and better than his s barley. Got me thinking, should I try some/quite a bit? Obvs really late to try to get seed but land’s not gonna be fit for a week anyway. Oh, the joys.

Thoughts please? Apols if this has been done to death.

 

[Jdunn55]

Can you grow maize instead? Copes with drought better, heavier crop and you still have a good month-2 months to get it in

 

[Jdunn55]

Otherwise I've heard triticale is the cereal for drought tolerance
Never grown it so can't help but thats what I've heard
Also been told by several that oats are bulletproof and cheap...

 

[cowboysupper]

Triticale a good option. Plenty of bulk and starch up in the high 20s. We grow it on late ground, usually sown end of April, harvested first week of September.

 

[Great In Grass]

Good luck in finding Triticale seed.

 

[DaveGrohl]

Can you grow maize instead? Copes with drought better, heavier crop and you still have a good month-2 months to get it in

Not a hope.

 

[DaveGrohl]

Didn’t know spring triticale was a thing

 

[Great In Grass]

Didn’t know spring triticale was a thing

"Amarillo" can be sown in either the spring or the autumn.

Usually sold out before Christmas.

 

[HarryB97]

Oats would be worth a look, can always grow a blend of oats and barley. Less energy than barley but more vigorous with better rooting. Maize would be an even better alternative.

 

[DairyNerd]

How much ground are you talking including your winter crops which are not any good? Not all eggs in one basket and all that.

 

[DaveGrohl]

How much ground are you talking including your winter crops which are not any good? Not all eggs in one basket and all that.

Only about 25 acres out of 100 are anything like allowing to continue (and just see how they do). They’ll be wholecrop too. Got around 150 acres to do something with. S barley has always done well as a wholecrop in the past but last couple of years has been poor to shocking. SFI might be an option still, am I allowed to apply still for this year?

 

[cowboysupper]

Good luck in finding Triticale seed.

Yes fair point, we normally order our spring triticale seed in February to make sure we get it. Still a fairly uncommon crop over here.

 

[buffalo_soldier]

For spring sown, the quality flow goes.
Wheat > Barley > Triticale.

The quantity flow goes.
Triticale > Barley > Wheat.

So depending what you need and/or is available.
Ive ordered 40ac of maize seed this morning after recovering from the shock that was the bio film cost

No idea on SFI, but i suspect it wont feed many cows come January.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Too late for spring wheat now, really needs to be in by the end of March IMO. Spring barley no problem. Drill it, throw on the nitrogen. Apply herbicide + fungicide just before crop fills in and then fungicide again (if you want to actually do it) when it reaches paintbrush stage. Make sure the land has good potash values.

Be wary of spring barley- it will turn from green as green to you can combine me now very quickly, the trick of it is to keep looking and go when the grains are still soft enough to crack and the straw is still on the greener side.

I would say a good crop of spring wheat will yield more than a crop of spring barley when wholecropped but it is too late for wheat now.

 

[vantage]

paintbrush stage.

That’s a new one for me!
I remember when Zadoks was the thing, GS31 etc!

 

[deleted user 837354]

That’s a new one for me!
I remember when Zadoks was the thing, GS31 etc!

Livestock farmers= simplicity. They might be more inclined to actually spray the damned stuff then.