Grazing Turnips and Radishes

[S&S Farms]

Anybody have any experience with this as a winter grazing option? Planning to notill it into hybrid sudan grass next week and see what happens it will grow until 18 degrees F. Sudan will grow back until first frost. Then I plan to turn out critters to graze it down.

Jeff

 

[Jogeephus]

I did something similar to this only with rape last year. I ran into a slight problem with the compaction in the soil. I didn't think this would be a problem since I have a sandy loam. However the compaction turned out to be a big problem and the rape didn't grow like it should have. I pulled extensive soil tests and everything and we were all scratching our heads when a fellow cattleman in the area pointed out the compaction problem. Said it happened to him but said once the roots made it through the hard stuff they would take off. Which they did two weeks later. So this year I'm going to go back to harrowing the field rather than doing like I did. Might not be a problem for you but if you see them not growing like they should this will be food for thought.

 

[upfrombottom]

I have planted them and they would barely graze them until after a freeze. When they wilted, they ate every one down to the ground and dug up the roots and ate them.

 

[Jogeephus]

Seen the same thing. I don't think cattle like the taste of brassicas till they get a frost on them. Somebody told me they got sweeter in the cold. Once they get a taste of them though its a different story.

 

[hayray]

I planted them two year in a row, first year had record production and strip grazed a extra couple months into late December, turnips to me seemed like a miracle crop. The second year bad growing conditions and really cold November and so it turned out to be a real flop so decided not to spend the money anymore because seemed too risky in my area to spend the money.

 

[S&S Farms]

Thanks for the info. I will let you know how it works out.

 

[BC]

Dairyman I know uses turnips every year in his winter pasture mix. He told me for a $1.25 worth of seed he can get close to 3500 to 4000 lbs per acre additional forage in the fall when our pastures are traditionally poor.

 

[1982vett]

Alisonb had a thread on Japanese Radish earlier in the year...
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=64185&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=radish

 

[Douglas]

Remember that this stuff is very high in protein (20%) and water much of it will pass through cows wasted if allowed to graze it at will. You need try a limit fed the turnips or mix something like rye or ryegrass with it. You also have to rotational graze because initially the cows will just eat the grass. They can have health problems with turnips only for an extended period. Also, like with people they have to learn to like turnip salad. After they learn it they love it, but they will stare at it for a couple days before really grazing and if they have something else to eat they won't touch it. What I also found interesting is the rape I planted was so high in water that cows pretty much quit drinking water.