kale???

kevthegaff

Does Kale work lads on hilly land and also does it increase organic matter of the land. What is the procedure for growing it and then bringing it back to grass afterwards?

49801

Think it's a bit late for kale this year. Fodder rape would be an option still. Good pioneer crop just

It's not advised to out winter on a hill but seen it done. If you flexible and could bring them inside during badly wet periods it would be no harm.
This is worth a look. http://www.nickersondirect.co.uk/downloads/ForageCropsND.pdf

I'd expect you would have to reseed using a plough come spring

yellow50HX

kevthegaff wrote: »

Does Kale work lads on hilly land and also does it increase organic matter of the land. What is the procedure for growing it and then bringing it back to grass afterwards?

yeah too late for kale now.

plenty of it grown in hilly land round here but it depends on what your feeding. Weanling, 1st time calvers and sheep will do fine and wont tear up the ground as much.

it's strip grazing so the land will be well poached afterwards. most lads i know that have it will plough and harrow the land then put the seed out with a spinner and then roll. have seen a few lads leaving round bales of silage in the fields and then roll the ring feeder between the bales. ideally you need a lie back area like stubble or scrafical paddock or else house the animals at night.

depending on the level of poaching the filed may need to be ploughed the following sping for reseeding, although i know of lads that just ran a rotovator accross the feild to make the seed bed and didnt plough at all. red ground is much easier to till then grass land.

as for the organic matter what you do get is plenty of dung, if you have cattle in the same place for 3 months then then will leave a fair amount of dung after themselves. this will get ploughed back in the ground the following spring. If you feed them silage or straw with the kale then that'll will come out through the dung and this would provide more organic mater then the kale alone.

blue5000

Would agree with 50. Rape or kale / rape hybrid think it's called red kite or redstart would still be ok as it's gone too late for kale now.

Last few years tilled mine with a disc harrow after spraying off with roundup, this year went with a plough and sowed arable silage after the kale to get field back in grass.

Ya hilly land is possible but you need to watch out for poaching and have an alternative plan if it is wet. Google cotswold seeds for more info.

Sam Kade

What about westerworlds ryegrass? You could get a couple of grazings off it during the winter and an early cut of silage next year.

49801

blue5000 wrote: »

Would agree with 50. Rape or kale / rape hybrid think it's called red kite or redstart would still be ok as it's gone too late for kale now.

Last few years tilled mine with a disc harrow after spraying off with roundup, this year went with a plough and sowed arable silage after the kale to get field back in grass.

Ya hilly land is possible but you need to watch out for poaching and have an alternative plan if it is wet. Google cotswold seeds for more info.

Curious did you not find the ground a bit soft under the stock after using a plough?

blue5000

49801 wrote: »

Curious did you not find the ground a bit soft under the stock after using a plough?

Not yet, early days. One field that had kale 3 yrs ago, reseeded 2 years ago was too wet to drive on last July(2012). I think a pan developed either from discs or cattle walking when eating the kale. Maybe the discs leave the soil too fluffy and therefore soft, I'm not really sure TBH.

dar31

usually rip with a 6 leg subsoiler down to a min of 2ft the year that the kale is sown, then power harrow the following year for reseeding.
found the biggest problem with the early spring reseed,was the weather window, to work the soil and get it level.
due to stocking rate we need to get the new reseed established early and producing before burning off for the next years crop of kale

if you dont have the facilities for the stock on the kale, it is an exceptionally cheap feed/winter housing;)

yellow50HX

dar31 wrote: »

usually rip with a 6 leg subsoiler down to a min of 2ft the year that the kale is sown, then power harrow the following year for reseeding.
found the biggest problem with the early spring reseed,was the weather window, to work the soil and get it level.
due to stocking rate we need to get the new reseed established early and producing before burning off for the next years crop of kale

if you dont have the facilities for the stock on the kale, it is an exceptionally cheap feed/winter housing;)

We partially out winter, mostly on fodder beet but sometimes kale. Leave the cows out in the morning the back in that afternoon, change the wire then for the morning. Cows in the shed at night. Reduces the slurry by about 25%. If you did not have a shed then a lie back area is essential to prevent over poaching. Stubble ground is ideal, you can feed silage in a round feeder on it and move the feeder each time you bring in a new bale. Cattle are hardy but you would still need to give them shelter.

dar31

yellow50HX wrote: »

We partially out winter, mostly on fodder beet but sometimes kale. Leave the cows out in the morning the back in that afternoon, change the wire then for the morning. Cows in the shed at night. Reduces the slurry by about 25%. If you did not have a shed then a lie back area is essential to prevent over poaching. Stubble ground is ideal, you can feed silage in a round feeder on it and move the feeder each time you bring in a new bale. Cattle are hardy but you would still need to give them shelter.

usually put 80-100 weanling heifers on kale from mid nov till early feb feed silage on a hard core base or road beside field (resurface road area when finished if needed) they have only the shelter of the hedges, they never use them though only when there is driving rain.
usually dont use a back wire as they tend not to hang around the area tat was grazed previously, unless it was a biggish field.

alot of my heifers particularity the spring born ones dont see cubicles till the winter of their 1st lactation

keep going

Over theyears done outwintering onboth beet and kale.kale is great for yearlings.using beet onthe home block for milking cows . Intend tostart feeding it around 10 th oct along with sttraw by night and theplan is to feed no silage until dry off on10th of dec.should en sure plenty grass in spring and comes in at less than 10 cent a kilo dm not cheap as grass but a better qaulity feed at that time of year.strip grazing it btw

mgwhelan

Do you have to give yearlings iodine boluses when there feeding on kale, or is it just for cows/heifers that are in calf. They'll be getting silage as well.

kevthegaff

how come lads the dep dont mind kale but outwintering on grass is a no no?