Grazing management

[5S Cattle]

As soon as we can string together a week of dry weather, I'm going to plant wheat, turnips, radishes, and some crimson clover. Never planted the brassicas before and was wondering what kind of grazing management y'all do with them. Thanks

 

[BlondeD]

......I've got about 5 acres planted 3 1/2 weeks ago after burndown with Round-up. Used Ray's Crazy mix winter cover and extra radishes to increase the cover. About 5 inches of rain since has em up 6-7 inches. I'll be very interested in grazing management tooo.

 

[BC]

As soon as we can string together a week of dry weather, I'm going to plant wheat, turnips, radishes, and some crimson clover. Never planted the brassicas before and was wondering what kind of grazing management y'all do with them. Thanks

5S, I will be interested in how the radishes do in your blackland. I just planted some with ryegrass and clover in some red clay type soils. We will see.

 

[T & B farms]

I always strip graze my turnips, but I'm not worried about regrowth on them.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I'm going to plant wheat, turnips, radishes, and some crimson clover. Never planted the brassicas before and was wondering what kind of grazing management y'all do with them. Thanks

Brassicas germinate faster than almost anyting else, and they have wide leaves, so they can choke out a mixed stand. Don't plant too many.
Brassicas are high moisture unless really mature, so provide some grassy hay to help balance out the forage.
I place a couple bales in a previously grazed strip, and then make them slick up the new strip w/o shorting their intake.

 

[5S Cattle]

So y'all aren't getting regrowth after grazing the brassicas?

 

[5S Cattle]

As soon as we can string together a week of dry weather, I'm going to plant wheat, turnips, radishes, and some crimson clover. Never planted the brassicas before and was wondering what kind of grazing management y'all do with them. Thanks

5S, I will be interested in how the radishes do in your blackland. I just planted some with ryegrass and clover in some red clay type soils. We will see.

This is sandy mix soil. Little bit of black in a corner but not much.

 

[Ebenezer]

So y'all aren't getting regrowth after grazing the brassicas?

Radishes winter kill here. Late planted brassicas do not have great weather for regrowth on the tail end of the fall or early winter unless the weather is kind. Best help they have been here has been August planted and longer grazing with some living until spring with rotational grazing. That fills our summer slump.

 

[callmefence]

So y'all aren't getting regrowth after grazing the brassicas?

Turnips is the only brassica I use so all I'm speaking on.
You shouldn't count on any regrowth to speak of. I prefer all oats or oats and clover. Produces much more grazing in my opinion and can be cut for hay come spring. I do use turnips some where I just have time to sling something out. Cattle don't really seem to go after them until after a hard frost. Same with deer. Great for where you just wanna get something down cheap and fast. 2 lbs of turnips ( at 1.80 per pound),per acre will give you grazing.

 

[5S Cattle]

So y'all aren't getting regrowth after grazing the brassicas?

Turnips is the only brassica I use so all I'm speaking on.
You shouldn't count on any regrowth to speak of. I prefer all oats or oats and clover. Produces much more grazing in my opinion and can be cut for hay come spring. I do use turnips some where I just have time to sling something out. Cattle don't really seem to go after them until after a hard frost. Same with deer. Great for where you just wanna get something down cheap and fast. 2 lbs of turnips ( at 1.80 per pound),per acre will give you grazing.

This land hadn't seen steel in 30 years. I chiseled once(about 7-8") then disced it. Figured the brassicas would build the soil and give me some grazing along with the wheat. The clover is just for nitrogen in the spring. Those were my thoughts anyways. Never works out like I have it planned haha

 

[5S Cattle]

Planted about 3 acres this morning and then started making ruts 6 inches deep. 100 horse tractor spinning in 4x4. Calling for a bunch more rain tomorrow... screwed again

 

[jdg]

Been planting brassicas in mixes for the past 5 years. My favorite for my area, by far, is T-raptor. It's a hybrid turnip/rape, which produces very little bulb and lots of leaf. One year i grazed it 4 times. Probably count on 2 really good ones, if you don't destroy it first round. Like said earlier, lots of moisture in the brassicas. You must strip or time graze it and balance with palatable hay/dry matter. Spring oats (i've used Everleaf) mixed with T-raptor is a homerun, IMO, but you have to plant it on time. If you plant too late, you will be disappointed.
Grazing radish, or tillage radish, is the most aggressive growing brassica i've planted, but they the cattle will choose just about everything else green over it. It will produce crazy biomass with very little inputs/fertility.
I also liked Impact Forage Collards and Purple top turnips. The latter doesn't regrow very well.
As also mentioned before, if you plant brassicas during the right time of year, they will jump up and outcompete most everything else. (the spring oat kept up pretty well) You can plant ryegrass underneath, and it will come on later in the year when the brassica has been grazed off.