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Winter Forage crop

  • 24-07-2024 10:49pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,231 ✭✭✭✭


    Any one considering the fodder situation thinking of growing a forage crop

    I am thinking of growing 6 acres of Redstart. It's a rape/kale hybrid. Has anyone ever undersown it with either winter oats, Westerwolds or a standard Italian ryegrass. Would this solve the roughage issue or would I still needs bales of silage or hay. I was thinking about 3kgs of the grass seed with 3kgs if redstart/acreI think all in I would have it planted for about 200/acre. It would also solve a ragworth issus in that field. I would do a complete reseed then next spring.

    Ay a guess if the grass provided the roughage it would last 20-25 400 kg stores for 100-110 days working out at 50-60c/ day in over wintering costs

    Slava Ukrainii



Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,311 Mod ✭✭✭✭K.G.


    After years of sowing crops I don't think rape is worth the hassle of putting it in the ground.kale is brilliant if it gets a good start and is well fed and very few bales will do them on kale.last year I closed off grass in Sept and put a line of bales on it strip grazed it and the bales during the winter with some ration.they did fine on it and the old sod held up great but was still nice broken down after the winter.we sprayed it off with roundup and a couple runs of the disc and we had a lovely bed for the kale this year or reseeding if we wanted to.the thing is rape replaces the ration more in a diet than the silage whereas the grass is more like silage during the winter and ration is easier got this year than silage



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭limo_100


    Did you do any thing with this? have you decided to give it a go?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,231 ✭✭✭✭Bass Reeves


    Probably going to go with it. Will probably use oats with the redstar/rape. Will spray of ground and direct drill it and use slug pellets

    Slava Ukrainii



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭limo_100


    Best of luck with it keep us posted on your progress - do you need very dry land for the forage crops? What's the oats for is that just so you don't have to put out any bales with it?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,709 ✭✭✭beggars_bush


    Kale in the ground



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭farawaygrass


    have kale sown here too and it’s bombing on. Have the silage left out. It was a great year for sowing a crop of kale with the moisture



  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,311 Mod ✭✭✭✭K.G.




  • Registered Users Posts: 970 ✭✭✭sonnybill


    I grew some redstart last year and it was some job for the lambs



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭limo_100


    Do I see grass under sown with that or is that just wild grass? Did you not do it again this year?



  • Registered Users Posts: 970 ✭✭✭sonnybill


    Just a little bit of grass, great crop shaded out everything real quick , never sprayed off just Rotavated, broadcast seed and bit of fert in quad shaker and chain harrowed.. main crop spuds in it this year .. it’s for a NPWS project so I alternate crops .. the lambs were so full on it they wouldn’t eat meal



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