Typical forage yirlds

[Beefsmith]

A local dairy farm has asked us if we’d think about growing some whole crop rye and forage maize for their dairy herd which they want to expand but don’t have the land to provide the forage needed. So what could we expect yield wise (realistic please say 6 yr average) if built into an arable rotation which presently is ww, ww, sbeans/potatoes. I’d be thinking of dropping the 2nd wheat and replacing with rye and maize.

 

[Bald Rick]

Rye would be similar to triticale

Maize is very variable … anything from 10-20t fresh weight per acre.

You could charge by the tonne over a weighbridge so the agronomy onus is on you

 

[ringi]

Would they be interested in a mix with peas and/or beans so as to have a N fixer?

 

[HarryB97]

Per tonne would be fairer as there are so many variables and maize is not a cheap crop to grow. No several stock people paying a rent for the land and then pay the owner to do all the operations as well, they all seam happy and have long term agreements.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Are you getting slurry back ,I don't sell any fodder off the farm without now
The potash removal alone comes to a small fortune

 

[serf]

A local dairy farm has asked us if we’d think about growing some whole crop rye and forage maize for their dairy herd which they want to expand but don’t have the land to provide the forage needed. So what could we expect yield wise (realistic please say 6 yr average) if built into an arable rotation which presently is ww, ww, sbeans/potatoes. I’d be thinking of dropping the 2nd wheat and replacing with rye and maize.

Apparently Rye will mop the place up !

 

[neilo]

Are you getting slurry back ,I don't sell any fodder off the farm without now
The potash removal alone comes to a small fortune

Do you have many docks?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Do you have many docks?

I sat down and had a think , hard work this thinking
If I was to carry on selling silage to dairy farmers 3 cuts a year I had to come to terms with what those trailers were taking away , especially last year with the hike in fertiliser costs
The end result was I decided it was a lot cheaper to spray for docks than replace what was being depleted from my soils

 

[aled1590]

I know someone done a deal for growing maize, around the £800/ac mark, the buyer supplies the FYM and slurry and grower pays for all the rest

 

[neilo]

I know someone done a deal for growing maize, around the £800/ac mark, the buyer supplies the FYM and slurry and grower pays for all the rest

Local (massively overstocked) dairy man is apparently paying £400/ac for bare ground for him to grow maize on, which would perhaps work out similar?

 

[ringi]

Local (massively overstocked) dairy man is apparently paying £400/ac for bare ground for him to grow maize on, which would perhaps work out similar?

Is the overstocked dairy also using the bare ground to disposed of lot of slurry?

 

[neilo]

Is the overstocked dairy also using the bare ground to disposed of lot of slurry?

I would imagine so. He has 540 cows and 2 chicken sheds on 170ac.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I would imagine so. He has 540 cows and 2 chicken sheds on 170ac.

Quite small then, the ones that ones that come here would have over 4000 head between them

 

[ringi]

I would imagine so. He has 540 cows and 2 chicken sheds on 170ac.

Why is it so common to have checked sheds on farms that are already overloading their soil?