alternative forages

By the replies here , it seems grass seed might be the best option. They are giving a dry week , so if rapedidnt germinate quickly this late in the year , it would be a waste of money for a poor return.
A friend sowed it in July one year , and got most of the winter out of it grazing with weanlings. However , it looked like the scene of the battle of the Somme , and he couldn’t plough it until June the next year , so it took up the field for just 12 months. Hardly a “catch crop “.
I have silage to cut still, but not expecting it to be a bumper crop. I wouldn’t be too bad for feed if it’s ok , and I trim down stock , and the winter is 4 1/2 or 5 months long , not 6 1/2 months.
My Grandfather use to say of rape/kale, one day in July is worth a week in August and the week in August is worth the whole of September.
 
Has anyone any issues with rape/redstart etc in after cereals? I heard a few stories of these crops coming up and all great looking but they died on their feet then from suspected SU contamination that was in the soil from earlier in the season
Yeah. Some whitened leaf edges on rape in particular. Used allister flex in previous wheat. Have a three way establishment trial going. Stubble rake and broadcast off roller. Cultus and broadcast off roller and just broadcast off roller. It's more evident in the disturbed ground....maybe reactivated some active...i dunno. Slugs more of an issue at the mo. And that was a dry year. Slimy hoors.
 
I cut the westerwolds Wednesday pm, tedded them out in the dark(the field did not blow up as I was expecting by the comments), baled last night. 6 bales an acre, 900kgs per bale as I weighed a load. dM was low at a guess 23%, a few weeds in it alright to bulk it up. That’s 3T of DM per ha, impressive considering it was sown the 26th of July.
 
I cut the westerwolds Wednesday pm, tedded them out in the dark(the field did not blow up as I was expecting by the comments), baled last night. 6 bales an acre, 900kgs per bale as I weighed a load. dM was low at a guess 23%, a few weeds in it alright to bulk it up. That’s 3T of DM per ha, impressive considering it was sown the 26th of July.
Roughly how much fert did it get @Blackwater boy ?
 
Roughly how much fert did it get @Blackwater boy ?
Ah about 2500 gallons an acre of slurry, 1.5 bags of 24-2.5-10 and 1 bag of Sul can so around 75-80 units total. I tested it for nitrogen Wednesday morn, it was a bit high but with the forecast and the fact it was heading out I had no choice. I’ll give it 1.5 bags of 0-7-30 and 40 units of N again and hope to cut again in 6/7 weeks
 
Ah about 2500 gallons an acre of slurry, 1.5 bags of 24-2.5-10 and 1 bag of Sul can so around 75-80 units total. I tested it for nitrogen Wednesday morn, it was a bit high but with the forecast and the fact it was heading out I had no choice. I’ll give it 1.5 bags of 0-7-30 and 40 units of N again and hope to cut again in 6/7 weeks
Hard to find the right balance in such a short growing window especially when the growth mightnt be as vigorous or even as earlier in the year.
 
A couple of people was asking me about zero grazing forage rape instead of grazing it. Would it work much the same way as zero grazing grass? @Bog Man mentioned before about making beet top silage. Would rape work the same way in the silage pit?
 
A couple of people was asking me about zero grazing forage rape instead of grazing it. Would it work much the same way as zero grazing grass? @Bog Man mentioned before about making beet top silage. Would rape work the same way in the silage pit?

With the DM of forage rape being so low, If It was pitted wouldnt runoff be a concern?

I've heard of some being wrapped in the past week but what it was or will be like I dont know.
 
A couple of people was asking me about zero grazing forage rape instead of grazing it. Would it work much the same way as zero grazing grass? @Bog Man mentioned before about making beet top silage. Would rape work the same way in the silage pit?

I seen a lad zero grazing what looks like fodder rape near Goresbridge yesterday, I'd imagine it's being fed straight from the wagon as it seemed like there was a round cut the previous day.
 
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