Whole crop Rye

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Anyone fed wholecrop Rye to cattle. What are the feed values ?
Tia
we have grown hybrid rye, for 3 years, cut 'green' for silage, and left for w/c.
last year grew it with winter vetch.
We also failed to get an analysis on last years, despite numerous attempts, no idea why, but it does make you wonder about previous years samples, which differed quite a lot.
I say no idea, but l think it might be the large stem to ear ratio, that takes it out of 'normal parameters' we had readings from 7% protein to 48%.
What l can say, is our dairy cows liked it, and performed very well, and replacement hfrs grew well on the rye/vetch silage, alone.
we have been growing it between 2 maize crops, but timing is really tight, so this year, we will try a westerwold, and vetch mix, purely on the timing issue.
yield wise, 15 ton/acre, fresh weight, followed by 18 ton/acre maize crop, we think vetches had a positive effect on the maize. It has huge bulk potential, which makes the timing difficult, rye performs best, if sown in late sept, and maize isn't ready till oct - last year, not fit till nov, so w/wheat. Last year, cut 28th may, slurry/plough maize sown 6th june, - and that's the problem.
w/crop, followed by kale, or similar, works well.
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
we have grown hybrid rye, for 3 years, cut 'green' for silage, and left for w/c.
last year grew it with winter vetch.
We also failed to get an analysis on last years, despite numerous attempts, no idea why, but it does make you wonder about previous years samples, which differed quite a lot.
I say no idea, but l think it might be the large stem to ear ratio, that takes it out of 'normal parameters' we had readings from 7% protein to 48%.
What l can say, is our dairy cows liked it, and performed very well, and replacement hfrs grew well on the rye/vetch silage, alone.
we have been growing it between 2 maize crops, but timing is really tight, so this year, we will try a westerwold, and vetch mix, purely on the timing issue.
yield wise, 15 ton/acre, fresh weight, followed by 18 ton/acre maize crop, we think vetches had a positive effect on the maize. It has huge bulk potential, which makes the timing difficult, rye performs best, if sown in late sept, and maize isn't ready till oct - last year, not fit till nov, so w/wheat. Last year, cut 28th may, slurry/plough maize sown 6th june, - and that's the problem.
w/crop, followed by kale, or similar, works well.
We grow hybrid rye purely for wholecrop and get around 20t/acre freshweight. Easy and cheap crop to grow but need to get it sown by mid Sept hereabouts. Never fed it to cattle but am always wondering how it would feed with dairy cows as the amount of grain in the sample is small compared to stem and leaf. I seem to recall someone saying that the digestibility of the stem and leaf is higher than other wholecrops and has more starch "stored" there which makes it feed better than it analyses. I also have a feeling I may have dreamt it but would appreciate any info from those with experience such as yourself.

I’m a bit puzzled about your analysis comments though, we’ve never had a problem getting an analysis.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
We grow hybrid rye purely for wholecrop and get around 20t/acre freshweight. Easy and cheap crop to grow but need to get it sown by mid Sept hereabouts. Never fed it to cattle but am always wondering how it would feed with dairy cows as the amount of grain in the sample is small compared to stem and leaf. I seem to recall someone saying that the digestibility of the stem and leaf is higher than other wholecrops and has more starch "stored" there which makes it feed better than it analyses. I also have a feeling I may have dreamt it but would appreciate any info from those with experience such as yourself.

I’m a bit puzzled about your analysis comments though, we’ve never had a problem getting an analysis.
12 different samples, inc a full wet analysis, so can't do more than that.
the problem, l think, is the huge stem to grain ratio, and the tiny sample they actually test, year before, analysis varied, so, which one was 'right'?
Its the timing issue, that has made us have a rethink, grown in-between 2x maize, it simply doesn't get full potential from both crops.
grown for w/crop, and followed by kale, worked very well, but that doesn't fit our system.
so, trying westerwold and vetch, after w wheat, this time, followed by maize, sowing intervals are much longer.
other than that, its a good relatively cheap double cropping, which yields 30+ fresh weight/ac
and our cows have eaten, and performed well, with 20 kg/head, in the ration, our yield is 9,000 heifers have grown well, as well, we had to take blend and maize, out of their ration, as getting fat.
 

cowboysupper

Member
Mixed Farmer
We grow hybrid rye purely for wholecrop and get around 20t/acre freshweight. Easy and cheap crop to grow but need to get it sown by mid Sept hereabouts. Never fed it to cattle but am always wondering how it would feed with dairy cows as the amount of grain in the sample is small compared to stem and leaf. I seem to recall someone saying that the digestibility of the stem and leaf is higher than other wholecrops and has more starch "stored" there which makes it feed better than it analyses. I also have a feeling I may have dreamt it but would appreciate any info from those with experience such as yourself.

I’m a bit puzzled about your analysis comments though, we’ve never had a problem getting an analysis.

What's the secret to hitting 20t/acre? That is huge.

Our very best yields are in around 18t acre chopping at 30-35%DM, aiming for starch up around 28/29%. That's from 120units of spring N plus digestate at drlling in the late September.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
When does vetch start to give nitrogen, I know a lot is given when it's terminated
don't really know, to be honest, perhaps gives the maize a boost. But the field is right next to the buildings, and very quick taking slurry out, so it gets a lot. Usually run the sub soiler across the field, to stop any run off, we need to.
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
What's the secret to hitting 20t/acre? That is huge.

Our very best yields are in around 18t acre chopping at 30-35%DM, aiming for starch up around 28/29%. That's from 120units of spring N plus digestate at drlling in the late September.
Dunno, we don’t do owt special. Last year’s crop did 20.75t coming out of the clamp over a weighbridge, so not the pubtalk one might assume. Similar N to you, but gotta get it on early. Been lucky with Feb/March dry spells here so there’s that. Doddle to grow as long as you get it in well. One Moddus/ccc earlyish seems to keep it up while allowing it to bulk.
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
don't really know, to be honest, perhaps gives the maize a boost. But the field is right next to the buildings, and very quick taking slurry out, so it gets a lot. Usually run the sub soiler across the field, to stop any run off, we need to.
No one seems to know basically if I put in Vetch and Rygrass will Vetch feed the growing crop as well as banking for the future
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
No one seems to know basically if I put in Vetch and Rygrass will Vetch feed the growing crop as well as banking for the future
got it in one, nobody really knows.
when we included vetch in a grazing ley, cows loved it, a bit to much, as we never saw it again.
l would think it releases N, after cut/graze.
but in the rye mix, the maize was a heavy crop, did it utilise the vetch N ?
 

Jonny_2

Member
Got some rye/vetch to sow this September after some summer turnips. Will it benefit from a light graze with sheep over Xmas and how long will it last for into the spring? I am hoping to graze with ewes and lambs in March lightly again then strip graze with cattle in May or cut it
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Have you got a photos of the rye with the hairy vetch? Our agronomist talked me out of it.
last week, l managed to get my grand daughter, to delete all the photos on my phone, sorry, you are a week late asking, they were winter vetch, dif to hairy vetch.
rye was 5 ft high, and vetch was 6ins lower, it was a big crop, of both.
 

Kevtherev

Member
Location
Welshpool Powys
got it in one, nobody really knows.
when we included vetch in a grazing ley, cows loved it, a bit to much, as we never saw it again.
l would think it releases N, after cut/graze.
but in the rye mix, the maize was a heavy crop, did it utilise the vetch N ?
I would guess vetch wouldn’t fix as much N per Ha as white clover and not as much as red clover.
Problem with vetch is it doesn’t seem to persist in grazing leys and certainly isn’t as resilient as white clover.
I’ve always viewed it as a valuable addition to arable silage mixes which it does well in.
 

Mc115reed

Member
Livestock Farmer
Dunno, we don’t do owt special. Last year’s crop did 20.75t coming out of the clamp over a weighbridge, so not the pubtalk one might assume. Similar N to you, but gotta get it on early. Been lucky with Feb/March dry spells here so there’s that. Doddle to grow as long as you get it in well. One Moddus/ccc earlyish seems to keep it up while allowing it to bulk.
You can sharp loose a lot of tons if it all goes flat too… also sharp gain a few tons if it’s damp
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
You can sharp loose a lot of tons if it all goes flat too… also sharp gain a few tons if it’s damp
Indeed. We take it around 35% DM. I was warned severely about getting growth reg on when we first started growing it so we’ve made sure it gets Moddus. Seems to give it a lot of strength, much more so than it profers on wheat/barley to my surprise given the dire warnings. So far so good.

So that’s the job buggered :LOL:
 

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