Forage crops as a supplementary feed.
As productive pastures deteriorate over time, regular renewal is essential for maximising stock productivity. While perennial ryegrass is the primary forage due to its seasonal production, it does have its limitations, including reduced winter and summer yields and lower late spring, summer and autumn quality. This is where forage crops have a role to play. Sown usually in the spring, forage crops can be used for summer feed when ryegrass growth has slowed and forage quality is low, or to feed out in the winter when ryegrass growth has decreased significantly.
Summer forage crops.
Summer crops include forage brassicas such as summer turnips and forage rape, and forage herbs such as chicory and plantain.
Winter forage crops.
Winter crops include brassicas such as kale, swedes, forage rape and fodder beet.
Understanding Brassicas.
Brassica crops are valuable in forage feed programmes, providing high-quality feed when demand exceeds pasture supply. They are commonly used during winter, for finishing lambs, and during soil moisture deficits. Brassicas are easy to manage, high-yielding and can aid in pasture renovation. However, due to their chemical composition, careful management is essential to maximise benefits and avoid potential downsides.
Forage Rape.
Forage rape, sown alone or in mixtures, serves as a summer-to-winter feed, often at 1-2 kg/ha. Sown from early spring to late summer, it can be ready in 12-16 weeks. Thriving on lower soil fertility, forage rape can yield up to 12t DM/ha. However aphids need to be controlled if using susceptible cultivars. It’s advised to allow rape to mature before grazing and gradually introduce it to livestock diets to prevent issues like nitrate poisoning and rape scald.
Turnips.
Turnips are a good forage crop to see you through dry summers. Spring and early summer sowings yield summer feed, while later sowings up to early March yield autumn-winter feed. With highly digestible bulbs offering sugar and high-protein tops, turnips can be sown alone or with rape or grasses. Although susceptible to aphids, clubroot, dry rot and viruses, turnip yields range from 8-15t DM/ha.
Kale.
Also known as Chou Moellier, kales are winter-active, yielding up to 18t DM/ha. Resistant to aphids, club root and dry rot, they need high soil fertility and moisture. Sown in spring for winter feed, Kale can be mixed with swedes at 2 kg/ha, while higher sowing rates result in thinner, more palatable stems. Kales should be strip fed to reduce wastage, taking 150 to 220 days to reach maturity. It’s advised to avoid sulphate fertilisers to prevent SMCO toxicity.
Swedes.
Swedes are sown from mid-November to late December, ridged in wet areas or drilled for winter feed. Yellow-fleshed swedes, preferred for flavour and lower water content, are used for main crops and human consumption. New cultivars show improved dry rot and clubroot resistance. Use only clubroot and dry rot tolerant cultivars for 2nd year crops.
Fodder beet.
Fodder beet, a cross between mangels and sugar beet, combines easy harvest with high dry matter and sugar levels. It has a long growing season and needs careful establishment. Sow from late September to mid-November, after the last frost. Though demanding, proper management can make fodder beet highly profitable.
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