Summer cover crop?

155tm

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Kent
What are people thinking?

Has anyone taken the decision to abandon growing a combinable crop, and what species or mixture of species do you intend to sow? Where is Pedders!

I was about to write cash crop in the paragraph above, and then realised some may have the opportunity to graze or mow their alternative crop.
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
Are you planning to cultivate in front of that dka? I've been thinking of cutting something similar in behind some failed OSR with a view to (mob) grazing it in the summer. Fairly unforgiving bit of ground, I want to add cow pats and tread half the crop in to cheer the worms up.
 

Pedders

Member
Location
West Sussex
here I am ..summer cover crop I think should be legumix ...peas x 3 varieties tic beans vetch and some oats too
there are obviously more things you can put in but to a certain extent we're limited to what can be found non certified to keep costs down
 

155tm

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Kent
Hello Pedders!

Sorry not used to this forum yet, have to admit in our box room on the old BFF you would never miss a thread, all bundled in together! anyone else tickled by the lack of a DD section over there!

Current plan is spring beans where we can't put anything else, but nice to know what plan Z could be.
 

Pedders

Member
Location
West Sussex
yep apparently they no longer DD over there !
as for plan z I do know Andrew Randall had some pretty good success with legumix drilled after a failed SOSR crop last year so that would be my first choice if not planning a cash crop ...beauty of the legumix is it will allow early entry into Wheat and theres a good chance you could sell it for silage
 

Lapwing

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
Sorry to ask a question not really relevant to the summer mix one, but we are thinking of going down the strip drill route. What species should we be looking to establish as a cover crop mix after ww to overwinter before spring barley? Is it ok to graze it off with sheep or is that somewhat defeating the purpose?
 

Pedders

Member
Location
West Sussex
I'd be looking at the no1 mix ... oats vetch sunflowers peas buckwheat linseed millet fodder radish and then I'd throw in about 1-2 Kg Ha of stubble turnips too if you're looking to graze and grazing off with sheep is the best thing to do IMO
 

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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