Whole crop spring oats V maize silage

[westwood]

Could I swap maize silage for wholecrop oats?

The new diet would be grass silage, wholecrop oats and blend and cake fed to yield in the parlour.

 

[goldtop]

Thread about it last year, worth a read through. I'd stick with maize, wont be alot of milk in oats.

Maize or whole crop oats?

My neighbour has approached me to see if I'd beinterested in renting 40 acres off him to grow some forage for my dairy cows. He wants it to be a spring break crop so we've thougheither maize or spring oats Land is a clay loam and BG free. The oats could be strip tilled in and between us we have...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[buffalo_soldier]

My instinct will be no.

As said you don't see oats in a lot of dairy rations.

 

[dinderleat]

I would rather put maize under plastic if you were struggling to grow it.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Whats the objective of growing the maize? I mean is it starch you need or bulk?

Plenty of ways of getting starch into a cow.

 

[Sparkymark]

I’ve fed both in the past. Oats are a cheap wholecrop but if you can grow maize then grow maize. Theres just no comparison.

 

[deleted user 837354]

I know a fair few people who have Ferrari cows but don't grow any maize, to them it is just a PITA and you wreck ground doing it. They buy in ground maize instead or use caustic wheat.

The only problem with oats is weed control options are a bit inflexible now. Winter wheat is a bit more to grow but can give similar yields with a good thick crop, can clear up ground a treat though.

 

[endeavour]

Consider the amount of time either one ties up the ground and soil type if wet weather prevails in late summer and delays maize maturing not a problem with oats harvested earlier and giving high bulk yields in a shorter time scale . Guess a lot depends on whether you are able to grow sufficient bulk at home without the possibility of impingeing on neighbours cropping plans.

 

[som farmer]

just cut our spr wheat for w/c, hell of a pit, contractors tell me 15 ton/acre - not to far away from rees-mog, so acres- very good grain wise, to early to sample, but yield on a par with maize, costs well below, herbicide, and 1/2 rate fungicide .
plus will be drilled with forage rape in the next couple of days.

 

[deleted user 837354]

just cut our spr wheat for w/c, hell of a pit, contractors tell me 15 ton/acre - not to far away from rees-mog, so acres- very good grain wise, to early to sample, but yield on a par with maize, costs well below, herbicide, and 1/2 rate fungicide .
plus will be drilled with forage rape in the next couple of days.

It can be a very leggy and bulky crop spring wheat, used to frighten me with its mildew and threatening to fall over habit. Trick I found is to drill it nice and early, when did yours go in?

 

[Farmer_1994]

Barley and wheat taken at the dough stage can be amazing feed. We are cutting back corn acres and doing more barley followed by another forage crop. Costs are a lot less and we have the benefit of being able to haul the slurry pits empty mid year instead of rushing to apply and work ground end of year. Different strokes for different folks, what works for some may not be the way for others.

 

[Farmer_1994]

Barley and wheat taken at the dough stage can be amazing feed. We are cutting back corn acres and doing more barley followed by another forage crop. Costs are a lot less and we have the benefit of being able to haul the slurry pits empty mid year instead of rushing to apply and work ground end of year. Different strokes for different folks, what works for some may not be the way for others.

 

[Homesy]

My friend costed maize and whole crop oats. The maize came in at £38 per ton silage fed, the oats £13. The maize on paper was better feed value. Whether or not it is cost effective depends on the price of cereals. At that price home rolled barley is currently cheaper than maize per MJ. The biggest advantage of oats or any whole crop is that you can get a good grass ley or forage crop in afterwards. Horses for courses.

 

[deleted user 837354]

If you are in a reasonable area you can normally get in quick, subsoil and harrow italian ryegrass in behind maize but not much else. Clover or small seeded grasses drilled late my die from adverse weather.

 

[som farmer]

feb, strong ground following forage rape,did put 125 kilos n on/acre

My friend costed maize and whole crop oats. The maize came in at £38 per ton silage fed, the oats £13. The maize on paper was better feed value. Whether or not it is cost effective depends on the price of cereals. At that price home rolled barley is currently cheaper than maize per MJ. The biggest advantage of oats or any whole crop is that you can get a good grass ley or forage crop in afterwards. Horses for courses.

your post just what I wanted to hear, done a deal, today, for barley ex farm at £100 ton, working that will be far cheaper than cake ! as we are about to run out of grass for the cows, they will have to have 2kg r barely, and bale silage, just about to start forage rape, which should have been ready 4/5 weeks ago!!!!