Summer Cover Crops for Ewes and Lambs

[The Fenster]

Just lost a good size chunk of summer grazing which isn't ideal and a bit stuck for summer . Sheep have got plenty of cover crops up until lambing but need to fill a gap from May until September and was thinking of putting a fast growing cover crop on some poor bits of arable land , has anyone got any varieties or crops they would suggest . It's for around 100 Ewes and Lambs , New Zealand Romney's , ideally something relatively cheap , fast growing , I can rotationally graze and to maximise potential from a small area.
Thanks in advance
Fenster

 

[Great In Grass]

Italian Ryegrass with some Leafy Turnip. Turnips will (weather depending) be ready in 6-8 weeks probably closer to 6 as you wouldn't want to shade out the grass?

 

[serf]

Italian Ryegrass with some Leafy Turnip. Turnips will (weather depending) be ready in 6-8 weeks probably closer to 6 as you wouldn't want to shade out the grass?

Whats the earliest or min soil temp this mix would sow?

 

[Great In Grass]

Whats the earliest or min soil temp this mix would sow?

IRG needs a soil temp of 4-5dC and Westerwolds 3-4dC I'm not so sure about the Leafy Turnip (I'll ask the question). The grass getting away sooner shouldn't be a problem as the Turnip has a very rapid growth.

 

[DanM]

IRG needs a soil temp of 4-5dC and Westerwolds 3-4dC I'm not so sure about the Leafy Turnip (I'll ask the question). The grass getting away sooner shouldn't be a problem as the Turnip has a very rapid growth.

Evening @Great In Grass What’s the advantage of adding the turnip? Would rape be another option? How early could this be drilled in spring? Would the irg/westerwolds then do a second summer? Thanking you

 

[The Fenster]

Thanks for the replies , probably should have said before that this winter we've drilled a cover crop mix of fodder raddish , stubble turnips, kale, forage rape, vetch , westerwold grass, oats and beans, how do people think this would fair being drilled early spring , lambs on it at the minute are romping away

 

[Great In Grass]

Evening @Great In Grass What’s the advantage of adding the turnip? Would rape be another option? How early could this be drilled in spring? Would the irg/westerwolds then do a second summer? Thanking you

The turnips can act as a nurse crop to the grass with an early entry to some protein.

Italian Ryegrasses will easily do a second year and with our new(ish) Westerwolds Barspectra II which will tolerate temperatures of minus 10dC work very well together.

 

[neilo]

Italian Ryegrass with some Leafy Turnip. Turnips will (weather depending) be ready in 6-8 weeks probably closer to 6 as you wouldn't want to shade out the grass?

In the OP’s situation (which is also one I’m looking at next year), would you rate that mix above a ProtoPlus mixture?

I suspect the ProtoPlus will be dearer seed, but lower fert requirements and a much higher protein crop for grazing. Always pleased to see IRG/Westerwolds greening up in February, just when everything else is getting very short.

 

[CopperBeech]

Westerwolds / Berseem clover / bit of turnip?

vetch instead of the clover maybe

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Leafy turnip is great stuff and bloody cheap feed. It responds to grazing just like grass does, the less you hurt it the more it grows

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Westerwolds Italian mix sown in early March if ground conditions allow . No point putting brassica in then, and if you arable you don't want to be encouraging club root , lightly graze as soon as you get some ground cover then bang some nitrogen on , don't over graze it but make sure you keep on top of it was well

 

[neilo]

I’ve never found sheep do as well on straight Westerwolds/IRG leys, although a welcome belly fill in February. I think they are a bit low in energy compared to other fodder crops & well managed PRG. They are difficult to keep in the best vegetative stage too, as they are desperately trying to put up a seed head.

Having grazed lambs on those grass species combined with annual clovers and with brassicas, I have seen phenomenal growth rates from both.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I’ve never found sheep do as well on straight Westerwolds/IRG leys, although a welcome belly fill in February. I think they are a bit low in energy compared to other fodder crops & well managed PRG. They are difficult to keep in the best vegetative stage too, as they are desperately trying to put up a seed head.

Having grazed lambs on those grass species combined with annual clovers and with brassicas, I have seen phenomenal growth rates from both.

That may be the case but come may he has a flock of sheep and no feed . Nothing else will give him feed in may other than Ryegrass. Put turnips in in March and it comes cold and wet and you will never see them
But I can only comment on what he's posted, I'm not a mind reader [emoji23]

 

[neilo]

That may be the case but come may he has a flock of sheep and no feed . Nothing else will give him feed in may other than Ryegrass. Put turnips in in March and it comes cold and wet and you will never see them
But I can only comment on what he's posted, I'm not a mind reader [emoji23]

Brassicas/IRG or annual clovers/IRG, should both get going fast as soon as it warms up enough to drill in March. The brassica mix will obviously need feeding all summer though, much like Westerwolds/IRG does.
For anything other than a silage crop, I would always add brassicas or clovers with those grasses.

 

[Great In Grass]

That may be the case but come may he has a flock of sheep and no feed . Nothing else will give him feed in may other than Ryegrass. Put turnips in in March and it comes cold and wet and you will never see them
But I can only comment on what he's posted, I'm not a mind reader [emoji23]

You do know what a leafy turnip is? We are not talking about stubble turnips.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Brassicas/IRG or annual clovers/IRG, should both get going fast as soon as it warms up enough to drill in March. The brassica mix will obviously need feeding all summer though, much like Westerwolds/IRG does.
For anything other than a silage crop, I would always add brassicas or clovers with those grasses.

You do know what a leafy turnip is? We are not talking about stubble turnips.

Its still a brasica . Lot of brasica crops failed around hear due to wet conditions so don't anyone tell me that brasica will compete with ryegass in early spring [emoji23] I sowed Hybrid Rygrass in October and its ready to graze, like to see anyone sow Brasicas in October

 

[neilo]

Its still a brasica . Lot of brasica crops failed around hear due to wet conditions so don't anyone tell me that brasica will compete with ryegass in early spring [emoji23] I sowed Hybrid Rygrass in October and its ready to graze, like to see anyone sow Brasicas in October

Yep, I've done that before now with stubble turnips. It was obviously doomed to failure as I used the wrong direct drill and didn't apply steel dust, but it made for a nice bite the following March. I have 26ac here now, DD'ed in late September, looking much the same. I wouldn't recommend it, but better than leaving bare stubble on those fields over winter.

I don't think the OP was looking at sowing anything in October though, or maybe I missed that bit?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Yep, I've done that before now with stubble turnips. It was obviously doomed to failure as I used the wrong direct drill and didn't apply steel dust, but it made for a nice bite the following March. I have 26ac here now, DD'ed in late September, looking much the same. I wouldn't recommend it, but better than leaving bare stubble on those fields over winter.

I don't think the OP was looking at sowing anything in October though, or maybe I missed that bit?

Our March is your October but colder
First thing I factor in when sowing a crop is reliability factor. Depending if I can cope if it fails or not . Last years score . Ryegrass 100 % successful. Brassica 50 % and no brassica was sown after mid September. Lot of our grass was . Thats over about 200 acres sown

 

[A.sci]

Interested in doing similar. How many ewes would be a safe stocking rate per ha for those who have done similar before?