Whole crop cutting advice please

[newholland]

We have 20ac of whole crop peas / barley under sown with grass. Went in late due to wet spring. Do we cut it now before grains have developed, put plenty of slurry on and get another decent cut of grass 1st september?
Or do we wait another +/-5 weeks for grains to grow, get top quality whole crop but risk not getting the 2nd cut of grass as this will then be cut mid October when it often goes wet.

This is the crop - what happens if we mow it now - what will the silage be like? Many thanks.

 

[harperfarmer]

We have 20ac of whole crop peas / barley under sown with grass. Went in late due to wet spring. Do we cut it now before grains have developed, put plenty of slurry on and get another decent cut of grass 1st september?
Or do we wait another +/-5 weeks for grains to grow, get top quality whole crop but risk not getting the 2nd cut of grass as this will then be cut mid October when it often goes wet.

This is the crop - what happens if we mow it now - what will the silage be like? Many thanks.

Surely the whole point of planting wholecrop was to take a crop of wholecrop? So if you cut before any grains are at the cheesy stage in order to secure a second cut of grass, you may as well have just had a grass ley and taken two cuts. If the aim was for decent wholecrop, I'd prioritise that and you've still always got a chance of a second cut of grass. Or else some quality grazing.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Been a dreadful year , some maize cropd are looking dreadful, how about leaving it another 2 weeks and see how it looks , still leave you enough time to get anther cut

 

[Jdunn55]

We have 20ac of whole crop peas / barley under sown with grass. Went in late due to wet spring. Do we cut it now before grains have developed, put plenty of slurry on and get another decent cut of grass 1st september?
Or do we wait another +/-5 weeks for grains to grow, get top quality whole crop but risk not getting the 2nd cut of grass as this will then be cut mid October when it often goes wet.

This is the crop - what happens if we mow it now - what will the silage be like? Many thanks.

Leave it for 4 weeks and get a decent crop of young grass end of September instead of mid October

 

[newholland]

Thanks for the reply's. Going to leave it to ripen is the plan.

 

[Flatlander]

Lots of wholecrop chopped in Canada and most us swathed once the grains get to a dough stage. Mower conditioners tend to break the seeds loose and you’ll loose them. makes great feed thou.