Summer forage crops

[Beef farmer]

What's peoples opinions?
Got 50 acres to plant end of next week if we get some rain, was gonna go turnips.
Want to eat it mid july till mid aug before going back to grass.

Should I look at some forage rape? Or stick with the turnips?

 

[som farmer]

redstart, or swift, prefer redstart, both hybrid varieties, we grow a lot, redstart is the best by far, already sown the first bits, certainly saved our bacon, the last 2 summers, costs a bit more, but yields are high, and no woody stems. Shop round for best price, as it varies a lot. Wouldn't dream of putting s turnips in, again, we used a bit last year, as we had a bit, as pheasant cover, put in well, no comparison.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

You'll have a bigger crop of turnips than you will rape by mid July but by late August the turnips will lose quality and to your rape will still be getting bigger and maintaining quality. I'm planting about 1/3 turnips and 2/3 forage rape (Greenland's)

 

[Beef farmer]

What was wrong with turnips?

 

[Beef farmer]

You'll have a bigger crop of turnips than you will rape by mid July but by late August the turnips will lose quality and to your rape will still be getting bigger and maintaining quality. I'm planting about 1/3 turnips and 2/3 forage rape (Greenland's)

Fresh calvers will be grass only. By 20th aug I would want it's back in grass ideally

 

[Barmyfarmer]

Can I direct drill redstart into turfy old ley? Then spray off and lime?

 

[som farmer]

Can I direct drill redstart into turfy old ley? Then spray off and lime?

we do, with no problem, but if old pp, look out for l jackets etc, flea beetle can be a serious problem, watch out for it,

 

[som farmer]

You'll have a bigger crop of turnips than you will rape by mid July but by late August the turnips will lose quality and to your rape will still be getting bigger and maintaining quality. I'm planting about 1/3 turnips and 2/3 forage rape (Greenland's)

using the new hybrid rapes, no comparison here. The older types, Hudson, do not yield like the hybrids

 

[sidjon]

Rape all the way, we use emerald as it's cheap as, got fed up of turnip keep failures as roots are poor.

 

[Sid]

Last patch of Winifred 31/8/2019

Did us well last year

 

[Beef farmer]

Last patch of Winifred 31/8/2019

Did us well last year

Planted when?

 

[DocPhil001]

We planted Skyfall last year and doing the same this year. It's a hybrid turnip. Harper's put a photo on their pages last year of the cows grazing it.

 

[Sid]

Planted when?

I knew you were going to ask that, have to look that up as taking a picture of a bare field isn't as much fun......

 

[wooly619]

We planted Skyfall last year and doing the same this year. It's a hybrid turnip. Harper's put a photo on their pages last year of the cows grazing it.

We planted skyfall last year. Feed really well and cows milked on it. The only down side was it tainted the milk and my coco pops tasted sh!t for 6 weeks. So planted rape this year instead l.

 

[Beef farmer]

Does rape not taint the milk at all or as much?

 

[wooly619]

Does rape not taint the milk at all or as much?

In my opinion no or not as much. But the sky fall last year seemed really strong.

 

[DocPhil001]

In my opinion no or not as much. But the sky fall last year seemed really strong.

We didn't notice any taint.

 

[Sid]

Grazed Winifred regrowth last year and lost a cow with bloat.

 

[jackrussell101]

How many M+ litres does turnips or kale do?

 

[som farmer]

How many M+ litres does turnips or kale do?

more than having no grass, I don't really know, we grow as an insurance, against no grass july/aug, if grass we graze the hfrs on it,