Tillage

Shauny2010

Hi all,
I`m thinking of sowing some cereal for cattle feed. Its not been done around me for donkeys years yet talking to some of the old lads around they reckon they remember when it was grown here.
Anyway I don't know the first thing about it, I usually feed about 13 tonnes of feed between nuts , ration or straight oats or barley to the cattle.
Ive been feeding oats this year and find it very good feeding.
I'm hoping to sow Have two fields about 13 acres which I know was tilled years ago.

I need to know how I would go about it, i.e
When to sow
What to sow
And how much would i get per acre

I guess Id have to get a contractor to till and harvest so would I be saving anything after ?
Oh yeah I'm in Co Clare, and the ground is best described as heavy

5live

On heavy ground i would go more for barley as spring wheat and oats would be harvested later. Just make sure you have someone willing to harvest fairly close by as with a contractor you will be bottom of the list. They will harvest their regular customers first. Around me in north kerry the best time for sowing barley seems to be paddys day or as soon as possible after it for a mid to late august harvest. Thats my 20c worth anyway. Best of luck

ihatetractors

Shauny2010 wrote: »

I need to know how I would go about it, i.e
When to sow
What to sow
And how much would i get per acre

I guess Id have to get a contractor to till and harvest so would I be saving anything after ?
Oh yeah I'm in Co Clare, and the ground is best described as heavy

-Sow in spring if your lands heavy, round here (wexford) you'd get in last few weeks of febuary weather permiting, though id say mid-late march would be early enough for you.
-Springbarley id reckon if it's goin continuos cropping
(i know you mentioned you liked them but stay away from oats, can give great yeilds but can also be a nightmare to harvest.)
-Fella in the co-op should help ya choose your variety (Usualy choosen by availability not quality :rolleyes:).Or a teagasc advisor could help.
-Ya'll need 2 sprays/maybe3 depends on the year. If ya know anyone with corn ask them to buy/ keep ya some, otherwise pure break ya buying de small bottles.
-ya could say how longs a ball of string but generaly a 2-2.5ton+ is minimum what you want, preferably headin over 3-3.5 though can your land make such a crop?
-Would ya chance a small combine of your own?, cousin baught a clayson 1545 and had her doin a bit this year grand, as mentioned before ya'll be botom of contractors list, especialy if he's to travel

Shauny2010

Thanks for the replies lads, its hard to find anyone with a bit of knowlege on the subject around here!

I think getting a contractor at the right time would be the hardest thing alright.
At 3 tonne per acre and if I sow 15 acres that should give me 45 tonnes:D plus Ill get the straw as well!
Sounds too good to be true, whats the catch?

More questions

If I'm only going to use it as cattle feed would it be good enough to store the grain without using a dryer (Say I harvest after a fine dry week)

If I harvest mid to late august what would you do with the ground after that ? Would it be possible to resow with winter Barley or is that too soon

And finally, i went to one of those Organic farm walks a few years back to a farm in Adare co. limerick. the farmer there didn't use any sprays at all. Would this be an option for me?

ihatetractors

Shauny2010 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads, its hard to find anyone with a bit of knowlege on the subject around here!

I think getting a contractor at the right time would be the hardest thing alright.
At 3 tonne per acre and if I sow 15 acres that should give me 45 tonnes:D plus Ill get the straw as well!
Sounds too good to be true, whats the catch?

More questions

If I'm only going to use it as cattle feed would it be good enough to store the grain without using a dryer (Say I harvest after a fine dry week)

If I harvest mid to late august what would you do with the ground after that ? Would it be possible to resow with winter Barley or is that too soon

And finally, i went to one of those Organic farm walks a few years back to a farm in Adare co. limerick. the farmer there didn't use any sprays at all. Would this be an option for me?

-You'd need it to be below 15-16% to store any lenght of time, that's absolutely impossible in 3 out of every 4 years it seems :rolleyes:. So what you'd need to do is treat it with acid, pretty much like silage. Also would you be rolling it? usualy add the acid then.
-Don't go expecting 45 tons lad, seen more than one fella get burned working under such assumtions
- leave it til september to plough, try sow last week of sept-october
Tis bout judging the weather to get the crop a bit out of the ground,but not tooo much so either. Personaly id stick to the spring.
-Organic is all well and good if someone will pay you for the yeild difference