ROOT AND FODDER
Stubble Turnips
Stubble Turnips are one of the quickest growing catch crops available to livestock farmers in this country. This crop can produce a nutritious, highly palatable feed in around 12 weeks from sowing.
The stubble turnip is very flexible. It can be sown either in a standing crop of cereals, straight after the cereal harvest or perhaps after potatoes. Depending upon sowing date a single acre of well grown stubble turnips can give in excess of 40 tonnes of green matter. Around 20kgs of stubble turnips will be roughly equal in energy value to either 2kg of barley of 4.5kg of high quality hay.
Stubble turnips adaptability is highlighted by the three main sowing periods
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Spring sown Drilled or Broadcast in late April the crop will provide high protein foliage in June/July which is ideal for finishing Spring Lambs.
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Summer sown In the last year of an intermediate ley, sowings made in mid-June (after initial grazing or an early hay/silage cut) can provide a very worthwhile boost to grazing in August/September.
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Autumn sown Sown after an early harvest a well grown catch crop can provide upto 40 tonnes per acre of palatable feed from October through to December.
The varieties that we are able to offer at this time are BARKANT, TYFON and SAMSON.
Fodder Beet
This offers a higher yield potential than any other arable fodder crop. The roots have an excellent feed quality and they are very palatable to ruminant stock. The tops can be utilised if required to boost the total fodder output even further. The crop tends to be lifted and the roots stored but some farmers have striped grazed the crop very successfully with Dairy Cows and even pigs.
Sowing Period Late March to End of April
Seed sold in One Acre Packs (50,000 seeds)
FODDER BEET IS IN SHORT SUPPLY PLEASE ORDER EARLY AS STOCKS NATIONWIDE ARE LOW. Varieties MAGNUM, KYROS, BLAZE, FELDHERR, MAESTRO
Kale
Kale is a well proven fodder crop which provides very high yields of succulent green fodder. One of the big advantages with kale is the flexible utilisation period which can stretch from August right through to the following March. The crop has a high crude protein and can be fed to all types of livestock. Kale is also an ideal full season gamecover crop.
Sowing Period April Early June
Direct Drill 1-2kg/Acre (Natural Seed)
Broadcast 3kg/Acre (Natural Seed)
The varieties that we are able to offer at this time are PROTEOR, BITTERN and KESTREL.
Forage Rape
Forage rape is a popular choice with livestock farmers due to its relatively low seed rate and inputs. The crop has a wide sowing window and will provide excellent autumn/winter keep for finishing lambs. The crop can also work well alongside stubble turnips to extend the usage of that valuable crop.
Sowing Period June August
Drill 6 kilos/Hectare
Broadcast 10 kilos/Hectare
Please contact us for a full listing of available varieties.
Mustard
is a very flexible crop and can be used for either green manure, gamecover or early grazing. When used for green manure it can be sown between March & September and ploughed in 6-8 weeks from sowing. This technique is recognised and helps to improve soil fertility and structure as well as keeping weeds in check.
Sowing Period March-September
Direct Drill 10-12kg/Hectare
Broadcast 15-17kg/Hectare
The varieties that we are able to offer at this time are Albatross,
Zlata and Tilney.
Gamecover Crops
In 2006 we launched a new range of Game Cover Mixes we shall be offering these once again and details of the 6 Standard Mixes are below.
We are now also able to offer a wide range of Game Cover Straights that in the same way as our Grass Seed can be mixed to suit your requirements.
WH Reliable (Traditional Mix)
A traditional diverse mix that will produce good cover throughout the season and
produce feed for game and wild birds.
Sowing Rate: 10kg/Acre
WH Kale Blend Insecticide Treated
A unique
blend of Kale varieties designed to give good winter hardiness excellent leaf
canopy and warm dry bird runs.
Seed available either ultrastrike or combicoat insecticide treated to reduce
flea beetle and aid establishment.
Sowing rate: 2kg/Acre
WH Game Maize Mesurol Treated
Very good cover, with excellent feed
value. Seed is mesurol treated to give best possible chance of establishment. If
it is planted on an exposed site it would benefit from having kale or something
similar planted alongside to keep the cover warm.
SOLD IN ACRE PACKS
WH Kale & Quinoa
This mixture is better when sown as straight species. Each ingredient is
sufficient to sow ½ an acre. Where Quinoa is sown it is not possible to use a
chemical weed killer. The Kale produces a warm dry cover while Quinoa will
produce an abundance of high protein, palatable feed throughout the season.
Sowing Rate: 3kg/Acre
WH Late
This mixture is designed to give rapid establishment and cover. Ideal for late
sowing or patching weak areas.
Sowing Rate:5kg/Acre
WH Attraction
The linseed in this mixture attracts, holds and feeds birds throughout the
season. If you wish to keep birds together for that special drive then sow an
area of WH Attraction.
Sowing Rate: 14kg/Acre
FORAGE MAIZE
THE KEY ADVANTAGES OF GROWING FORAGE MAIZE
Providing your farm is in a suitable location there are several key reasons
why maize should be included in your home-grown forage cropping programme they
include.
Relatively Low Production Cost
Maize has a relatively low cost of production (per tonne of DM) compared to other forage crops such as a medium term grass ley cut for silage.
Utilisation of Organic Manure
A field earmarked for maize can provide an excellent home for FYM or slurry. These eases the pressure on storage facilities and will of course, reduce the cost of growing the crop.
A single cut harvest
A well grown crop of maize should yield at least 15 tonnes of DM/ha and this will be achieved with one convenient cutting operation usually between mid September and mid October.
High DM Value
In an average season and when grown in a suitable location your crop of forage maize should have a DM value of around 32%. The loss of effluent should be minimal with a well made crop.
Extra Energy
Under UK Conditions forage maize crops should have an ME of around 11.00MJ/kgDM. The big advantage is that much of the energy is stored in the grain in the form of starch which is highly digestible.
Increased forage intake
When you first introduce maize into the diet you will notice very quickly that the crop encourages a significant, and very welcome, increase in forage intake. The fact that maize is extremely palatable as well as highly digestible helps to account for this.
Consistent forage Quality
Compared to a clamp of grass silage your stock of maize silage will have a very consistent quality from opening the face to finishing it. It is the single harvest operation that helps to achieve this consistency along with the relatively stable quality retained in the field over several weeks.
Higher Profits
At the end of the day you grow maize because you want to improve and enhance
your profitability. Maize achieves this by combining a high yield with excellent
feed quality and top class intake characteristics. This in turn means cheaper
production of meat and milk.
SOWING INFORMATION:
Sowing Period: APRIL to EARLY MAY
Precision Drill only: 106,000 seeds/ha or 42,000-50,000 seeds/Acre
The following are the varieties available in the forthcoming season all packed
50,000 seeds
Revolver Crown Bonapart Fabius Auroxx Andante
Please contact us for details about any special requirements you may have.
