Arable silage

limo_100

So is anyone taking the plunge and gonna add a crop to an already planned reseed? I will be fatting stores next winter and I think the price of meal is gonna be protentional unbuyable so was thinking of adding an 70/30 mix of oats and peas but I'm open to hearing what other people are thinking ? Is it possible to add a fodder crop like rape or kale to grass and cut it. I wont be growing just a grass crop as it will feed the stores very well but it wont get the weight gains I will want :) An advisor told me that anyone that plans ahead now could reap the rewards next spring but who knows

Jb1989

Common to add barley and peas when reseeding and cutting in the first half of the year to keep redshank at bay. Make sure to cut when the pickle is full and soft.

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118885847#Comment_118885847

I was thinking off trying a field of barley but as the PH is probably low it is possible it wont grow for me i will lime it when I'm seeding it but may be too late for this years crop

weatherbyfoxer

we did it here about 15 years ago,peas barley and grass,..never again..bales were riddled with rats regardless of how much poison we put done..had to be cut will grain is still soft and before peas break down..regardless of weather

blue5000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118885879#Comment_118885879

Oats probably better with low pH than barley.

Markcheese

Rats will go mad for baled whole crop - you'd need to get rid of them before well before baleing , not so bad with pit silage ,( I assume it's the walls )

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118889864#Comment_118889864

We don't have a issue with rats I haven't seen them about the yard in years thankfully. but when I was young we done it and i just remember a batch of stores there used to be steam leaving them they where thriving so must on it but I cant see to find the nutrient break down for it. And I want to add in the Peas for the extra protein. maybe I'm heading down the wrong road altogether 🤣

weatherbyfoxer

good silage 75% dmd cut in may be alot simpler and near as good

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118890123#Comment_118890123

Thats very much dependent on the weather and what part of the country you are in - for me in North Mayo the likes of wholecrop oats is a better option in terms of feed value etc.

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118890123#Comment_118890123

But I will be making 70% plus DMD as I did this year, But I had to still feed almost adlib meal to the store bullocks and they achieves roughly 1.2kg daily but with the price of meal towards the end it was becoming extortion at the end and according to the mills the price next back end will make it impossible for people to buy meal and I was thinking of reseeding anyway as its needed

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118891271#Comment_118891271

Have you plans to sow some this year?

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118891340#Comment_118891340

have you costed the sowing of the arable silage?...shouldnt need adlib meal with 70+dmd silage to get around a kg of live weight pet day?

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118891349#Comment_118891349

Yeah - being setting it for several years now. FYM already spread and going in with plough next week. Great stuff for finishing stock and conditioning pre- lambing/calving

Bass Reeves

Apply for the tillage grant and plant peas and barley as a wholecrop. Problem with putting peas and barley in with grass is it can smother it. Really you need a hybrid to keep up with the grain crop. But hybrids only last three year. The seed is usually cheap so could use it and spray off and reseed in Autumn or next spring.

Ideally you would want to whole crop it. If your PH is low spread granlime, I spread some anyway on any reseeds.

On rats you need the poison down two weeks before the bales go in. This will kill any present. 3'' pipes( hollows the size of bale plastic rolls ) with blocks tied with wire inside. The rat come and feeds and goes back to where he came from to die.

Great feeding. If it was cattle that were 30 months plus I would use barley by itself. No need of protein for them. If you have peas in it feed straight barley with it to finish cattle

Markcheese

Saw something online about growing a pea and bean mix for crimping , but I can't find it now , I think the beans kept the peas upright - you'd probably need pretty good variety selection as well ,

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118896781#Comment_118896781

Energy crops will be a bigger issue than proteins. If I was growing anything Energy crops would have to be in the equation.

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118896907#Comment_118896907

Makes sense ,

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118896907#Comment_118896907

So would energy crops be barley and so on?

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118895676#Comment_118895676

I might ask my advisor about that all right. Did you ever get yours tested?

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118899148#Comment_118899148

It's starch you are after for energy. Maize (think fine maize meal) Wheat, barley oats in that order from top to bottom.

Energy is the big issue. Worldwide plantings of the above are back due to fertiliser costs. They have replaced them with soya.

I'm going to try some wholecrop barley this year to cut the meal bill. Plan it to pit it and cover with second cut silage. This is is the first time trying it. Hope to get it in next week. Plan is to spread slurry, put a light coat of dung, plough,till, gran lime, seed with fertiliser spreader, chain harrow and roll. Aiming to undersow grass aswell after the pre emerge spray. Just wondering what do people think of that idea

ginger22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118899251#Comment_118899251

wont be any better feed value than good silage. and your reseed will be a dissaster if you wait till after spraying to put in grass seed. Better to reseed after harvest.

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118899251#Comment_118899251

Fair play a well organized man. I reseeded last summer and added oats into it and I let it grow until September and I weaned the weanlings put them up to it and f&ck me they done a serious thrive they even stopped eating the meal for a few weeks, I never seen that before. What is the difference between arable and wholecrop silage or is it pronounced different in different parts of the country

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118899148#Comment_118899148

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118899155#Comment_118899155

Yes barley is an energy crop. Never tested it. If cutting it and there is grass in it you need to wilt it . You need to cut it dry. There tends to be a.litbof straw in it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118900040#Comment_118900040

There is two different methods of ensiling grains. Cutting the complete crop at ground level. You end up with a lit of straw in the silage. Ideally you need grass in a crop like this to ensure it. This is know as arable silage.

The second method is wholecropping it. This method is where the grain and about 4-6'' of straw is harvested with a special wholecrop header. This is ensiled. There is no grass in this. I think you used an additive to preserve it. Brilliant feed. Energy and fiber roughage combined.