Winter rye, oats, turnip mix ?

[Stocker Steve]

I plan to seed this cover crop mix in about a week. Any tips on maximizing the fall grazing produced?

 

[5S Cattle]

Why turnips?

 

[turklilley]

It may take awhile for cattle to start eating turnips the first time. After they try them, they love them.

 

[Smoothy]

I've been thinking on trying the same. Some advice I got was don't get to excited and put cattle on to early. The cattle from what I'm told once they get a taste they will dig through the snow for it. Are going to rotational graze it or just let them cover the whole area?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Mixes regenerate soil faster.

I strip graze w/o any back fence.

 

[Smoothy]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I've been watching some of Gabe Brown's videos online about cover crops and have really been interested in trying some plots on our place

 

[5S Cattle]

I mix turnips in with my wildlife food plots for their soil building properties but never thought about them for cattle. Deer won't eat them until after a good frost, and then they're definitely not preferred. What is the nutritional value?

 

[True Grit Farms]

I mix turnips in with my wildlife food plots for their soil building properties but never thought about them for cattle. Deer won't eat them until after a good frost, and then they're definitely not preferred. What is the nutritional value?

Your results and mine differ greatly. Turnips grow best in the lower spots around here.

 

[pdfangus]

I plant cover crops behind grazing year round....and it has greatly extended my grazing....I usually plant 8 to 10 species mixes both cool season and warm season....the drought around here has slowed down production but we had 1.25 inches of rain on Friday evening and things turned green overnight....You can almost see the millet and sorghum growing...began my cool season plantings last week...

This winter I am going to try my hand at planting a couple of paddocks to native warm season grass.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I mix turnips in with my wildlife food plots for their soil building properties but never thought about them for cattle. Deer won't eat them until after a good frost, and then they're definitely not preferred. What is the nutritional value?

Brassicas look good, but the leaves are mostly water.
Hybrid turnip crosses are best for grazing green.
More than 1#/acre can take over your planting.
They sprout quickly and can shade out others.

 

[pdfangus]

I like dwarf essex rape as a brassica....
2nd choice is broadleaf forage mustard.
I include both at 1/2 lb per acre each....

 

[callmefence]

I've planted turnips several times and decided I don't care much for them. Mostly water and don't stand up to heavy grazing. The cattle eat them fine. I'm back to just oats with a little crimson clover and the whatever ryegrass volunteers up.
I increase the clover around the deer stands. They'll tear the fences down over it

 

[pdfangus]

I like to add the rape because it is nearly as deep rooted as the tillage radish and does not winter kill like the radish does...

 

[Stocker Steve]

I like to add the rape because it is nearly as deep rooted as the tillage radish and does not winter kill like the radish does...

and cattle like to eat it.

I served some tillage radish -- that the cattle left -- at a picnic yesterday. Not a big hit, but they ate most of it. :cowboy:

 

[wbvs58]

I have read that annual rye should not be grazed for more than 3 days as after that the new shoots sprout using the energy from sugars stored in the roots and if they are grazed before they get a chance to photosynthesize the plant has trouble repleneshing the stores in the roots and it will slow the recovery down so a back fence may be a good idea. I have been keeping my rye to a max of 3 days of grazing this winter and the recovery has been good.

Ken

 

[snoopdog]

How are you planting the turnips ? We've planted them in the past, broadcast by hand, but never got a good thick stand . Planning on trying again this year mixed with the wheat .

 

[5S Cattle]

I mix turnips in with my wildlife food plots for their soil building properties but never thought about them for cattle. Deer won't eat them until after a good frost, and then they're definitely not preferred. What is the nutritional value?

Your results and mine differ greatly. Turnips grow best in the lower spots around here.

theres one of my food plots from December 9th last year. Was a mix of Austrian winter peas, wheat, elbon rye, crimson clover, chicory, turnips, rape and radishes. Deer keep everything but the turnips and rape grazed down. Still can't tell if the deer, or the hogs are the ones eating the turnips really

 

[pdfangus]

I mix turnips in with my wildlife food plots for their soil building properties but never thought about them for cattle. Deer won't eat them until after a good frost, and then they're definitely not preferred. What is the nutritional value?

Your results and mine differ greatly. Turnips grow best in the lower spots around here.

theres one of my food plots from December 9th last year. Was a mix of Austrian winter peas, wheat, elbon rye, crimson clover, chicory, turnips, rape and radishes. Deer keep everything but the turnips and rape grazed down. Still can't tell if the deer, or the hogs are the ones eating the turnips really

nice looking cover....

good variety....

wouldn't the hogs tear up the whole plot rooting for turnips? We are lucky not to yet have them in our area...
but I have been around enough tame hogs to know that there ain't much they cant tear up...

 

[Stocker Steve]

How are you planting the turnips ? We've planted them in the past, broadcast by hand, but never got a good thick stand.

Broadcasting is OK, but you will be a lot more to germinate if you pack after seeding. Perhaps 2X.

 

[5S Cattle]

Your results and mine differ greatly. Turnips grow best in the lower spots around here.

theres one of my food plots from December 9th last year. Was a mix of Austrian winter peas, wheat, elbon rye, crimson clover, chicory, turnips, rape and radishes. Deer keep everything but the turnips and rape grazed down. Still can't tell if the deer, or the hogs are the ones eating the turnips really

nice looking cover....

good variety....

wouldn't the hogs tear up the whole plot rooting for turnips? We are lucky not to yet have them in our area...
but I have been around enough tame hogs to know that there ain't much they cant tear up...

They haven't figured out what they are yet. Or they have and they don't like them. I'm not sure but they don't mess with them much. Now when the wheat and rye heads out, watch out, they'll decimate a plot in a night.