Forage Rape /hybrid/ stubble turnips any thoughts ?

severeoversteer

Has anybody grown forage rape or a hybrid version of it ? How did it work for you ? and was there a good amount of feeding in it.
I have researched the bol**cks out of it so know a bit about it, just it would be nice to hear personal experiences. Thanks in advance.

Sam Kade

I have grown forage rape fairly often over the years. I usually sowed it before or on August 20th always had excellent crops. It grows well into October and will start growing again in February if not grazed before then. It will grow very fast I often had seedlings the start of September and it would be 2' high by November. I always ploughed for it gave it lime and 3 bags 18-6-12 followed with a top dressing of can when it greened up. Slurry or FYM will replace some of the p and k. You should have it grazed out by early March as it will go to seed which makes it poisonous to livestock, even though I grazed it when it flowered without problems. In fact I am thinking of growing a few acres this year if the weather isn't too dry.

jersey101

Have 4 acres ploughed and tilled up for hybrid rape but no point in sowin till a good drop of rain is on the way, thinking of approaching a neighbour that has a field if barley beside me and see would he be interested in letting me have it to sow rape in if its cut before middle of August.

Sam Kade

jersey101 wrote: »

Have 4 acres ploughed and tilled up for hybrid rape but no point in sowin till a good drop of rain is on the way, thinking of approaching a neighbour that has a field if barley beside me and see would he be interested in letting me have it to sow rape in if its cut before middle of August.

Back in the 70's my neighbour sowed turnips in a 20 acre barley field a week or 2 before it was harvested. He hired some fella with a cessna plane to sow it, there were turnips growing for miles around

jersey101

He hired some fella with a cessna plane to sow it, there were turnips growing for miles around [/quote]

Wont go to that extreme now, was thinking maybe disc it, put out seed and fert and roll it, field is right on farm road so would be ideal

severeoversteer

sowing from a plane ! they were before their time

if it worked id say the world would be looking at ireland for being innovators in farming :cool:


say, how many 300kg - 400kg weanlings getting some straw and abit of meal hiw long would they eat an acre for ? roughly

Sam Kade

jersey101 wrote: »

He hired some fella with a cessna plane to sow it, there were turnips growing for miles around

Wont go to that extreme now, was thinking maybe disc it, put out seed and fert and roll it, field is right on farm road so would be ideal[/QUOTE] I have seen that done before with excellent results.


http://www.limagrain.co.uk/downloads/ForageRape2011.pdf

jersey101

All depends on dm, dmd and the yield off it but was talking to a farmer today, had 30 heifers on 8 acres last year got a month and a bit out of it, but wasnt a brilliant crop, weanlings will gain 0.65 kgs a day off it without meal or silage, good way to shorten the winter though

Sam Kade

severeoversteer wrote: »

sowing from a plane ! they were before their time

if it worked id say the world would be looking at ireland for being innovators in farming :cool:


say, how many 300kg - 400kg weanlings getting some straw and abit of meal hiw long would they eat an acre for ? roughly

He only did it once, even though he had a great crop. I suppose the costs didn't work out

If you had 1.5 tonne DM an acre and the weanlings were eating 8kg DM/day 2/3 rape 1/3 straw then that's 5.3kg rape/day for every animal. An acre would last 20 400kg animals for 14 days.