Yield analyses

[dontknowanything]

Never seem to be able to establish millet very well here for some reason, so it might be a bit risky. I do like the idea though,but is it frost hardy?

 

[BSH]

Would it need to be frost hardy? It would go in in may and be utilised by Oct. You could move the cattle from your over winter CC to the millet type mix. You would need to use a Westerwolds based cover mix or similar over the winter to cover the spring gap maybe? Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

 

[Dan Powell]

Or maize...

Mix some spring beans and summer squash in there with it and you have a nice mixed salad for them.

 

[dontknowanything]

I can put in covers between wheat harvest and spring cropping, which will be ready to graze from October, and last until February. If I am not going to put down some temporary (3yr) grass leys then I will need something that I could put in after wheat, let's say in mid August, that will be ready to graze in April or May, and last until June or July. I wonder what would happen to winter beans planted in August?

 

[SilliamWhale]

I can put in covers between wheat harvest and spring cropping, which will be ready to graze from October, and last until February. If I am not going to put down some temporary (3yr) grass leys then I will need something that I could put in after wheat, let's say in mid August, that will be ready to graze in April or May, and last until June or July. I wonder what would happen to winter beans planted in August?

Why not just push grass down once - a sort of fast and vast thing. Or rye. Mix them with a few stubble turnips and that may help. Or mix a grass with some warm season annuals that go luck hell in the back end of the year and then let the grass come through for the spring.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Or maize...

Mix some spring beans and summer squash in there with it and you have a nice mixed salad for them.

Do you reckon you could graze sheep/cattle like that if not for the whole of the winter maybe for the shoulders of it? ie Nov/Dec and then late Feb to Spring?

 

[Dan Powell]

I can put in covers between wheat harvest and spring cropping, which will be ready to graze from October, and last until February. If I am not going to put down some temporary (3yr) grass leys then I will need something that I could put in after wheat, let's say in mid August, that will be ready to graze in April or May, and last until June or July. I wonder what would happen to winter beans planted in August?

You're probably better off with Westerwolds or similar for that purpose. Ask your local seed mechant for a one year ley suitable for your area. Maybe like Will says mix in some other plants for winter bulk e.g. turnips or forage rape plus peas & beans etc. Strip graze lightly over the winter to prevent the young grass being damaged too much and then again in the spring/summer.

https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/product/westerwold-vetch-six-month-ley-65-organic

I still fancy doing a Gabe Brown style biological primer and use it to provide grazing when my permanent pasture isn't providing enough i.e. in late autumn/early winter and mid-summer.

 

[BSH]

I put in a westerwolds mix in mid Aug in 2011 and grazed it with youngstock on the 9th of March initially. The ley had chicory in that grew well in the autumn and was a part of the mix in the spring. You could add vetches and possibly crimson clover?

 

[dontknowanything]

seems to have come a full circle!

If I wanted to put Westerwolds in every autumn, I might as well just put in a normal ley into one field and keep it for 3 years. This would surely be more productive as it would only have to get established once, not three times, and the infrastructure would be much easier to handle as well?

 

[SilliamWhale]

seems to have come a full circle!

If I wanted to put Westerwolds in every autumn, I might as well just put in a normal ley into one field and keep it for 3 years. This would surely be more productive as it would only have to get established once, not three times, and the infrastructure would be much easier to handle as well?

Actually some of these modern fast and vast grasses can run out of steam very quickly. So even one year isn't so bad. All depends on cost/benefit with referenc e to the other stuff. Some fields won't get anything until your an old man if you only do 3 yrs grass by which time you may also have different ideas.

 

[dontknowanything]

Some fields won't get anything until your an old man if you only do 3 yrs grass by which time you may also have different ideas.

That's very true, but I think it's better to do it 'properly' on fewer fields rather than quickly on many. Might be wrong on that though.

The infrastructure point is very big for me though, as there is nothing existing, it makes more sense to stay in one place for as long as possible.