Rape hay

[#LHB#]

A company here in NC has started to plant alot of rape seed for the oil. Were thinking about planting some so my question is, after harvest can you bale the leftover trash and feed to cattle and is it worth it? Also are there any nutrients in the hay. Thanks

 

[dun]

The rape I've seen is 99% leafe like turnips or mustard greens. Don;t know how you would bale the stuff.

 

[#LHB#]

Rape is the same thing as canola. Canola has just been geneticly modified for consumption.

 

[3waycross]

Just returned fron Alberta and saw literraly hundreds of thousands of acres of rape. Up there they windrow it and then go back a few days later and thresh it. I doubt there is much left to bale at that point. Just chaff

 

[#LHB#]

Thanks thats kinda what I figured but I didnt know for sure

 

[Dave]

I don't know about baling it but I do know a guy who grazes the stubble after combining and claims cows do well on it.

 

[fargus]

If it goes through a rotary combine there is nothing left to try and bale. We used to swath canola, put it through a conventional combine, and then bale the straw. Not much to eat, but it made half-decent bedding. I can see there being some value to grazing the stubble, but it will be an aquired taste.