Lucerne/wheat cuts weeds
Lucerne/wheat cuts weeds
USING wheat as a cover crop for establishing lucerne has reduced weed problems and means IACS payments of £214/ha (£85/acre) can be claimed on one Kent dairy unit.
Lucerne has been grown on Laurence Goddards South Barham Farm, Barham, Kent since the 1970s. Dry conditions and chalky soils favour the crop, of which 80ha (200 acres) is grown, forming part of the arable rotation.
Manager of the units 200-cow herd, Barry Jones explained how the crop is grown to producers attending a recent British Grassland Society meeting.
"Lucerne is planted for a five year period as part of the arable rotation. For the last two years, it has been undersown with spring wheat in the establishment year.
"In the first year of planting with wheat, we tried drilling wheat first and sowing lucerne later but wheat out-competed lucerne, so now both are planted on the same day. Wheat is drilled then lucerne is broadcast, harrowed and heavy-rolled," said Mr Jones.
Sowing lucerne with wheat reduces weed problems and means IACS payments can be claimed, he added. The variety grown is Vertus because it is resistant to eelworm, unlike other varieties that have been tried at South Barham Farm, said Mr Goddards son Robert.
The units lucerne/wheat whole-crop is harvested in late July at 40-45% dry matter using an enzyme additive (see table 1). It supplies a third of cows forage requirements with the remaining two thirds being supplied by plain lucerne silage (see table 2).
All the units lucerne area – from subsequent years crops – is cut for silage in June followed by a second cut for hay in July. Hay is left to dry on stubble for several days with no mechanical intervention – which shatters leaves – before baling for sale to a local zoo at £300/t.
A third cut of lucerne is taken in October for silage. Cutting in September is unwise, according to Robert, as crop recovery is impaired.
Silage is made with no additive, rolled only on top and double sheeted. Total yield is about 25t/ha/year (10t/acre/year), and its high quality allows concentrate savings, according to Mr Jones.
"The herd average is 7300 litres for cows and 6900 litres for heifers. Of a daily average of 24 litres, 15 litres comes from forage winter feed cost is 4.5p/litre."
Savings on concentrate costs are also made through using caustic treated peas, explains Mr Jones. "Feed peas are purchased for £80/t and soaked for 24 hours before treatment with a 4% caustic solution. Wheat is treated at the same time in a two to one ratio with peas and 7kg/cow/day of the mix is fed.
"Using caustic treated peas enables us to cut down on heat treated soya, giving a saving of £170/t, with no milk drop."
Set in box.
LUCERNE
Established with wheat.
Yields 25t/ha/year.
Thrives in dry areas.
Table 1. Whole-crop silage analysis
Dry matter 45%
CP 13.1%
D-value 63
ME 10
pH 3.8
Starch 11.8%
Table 2. Lucerne silage analysis
Dry matter 40.7%
CP 17.9%
ME 10.6
Ammonia 4%
pH 4.1%
Lucerne/wheat whole-crop silage supplies a third of herd forage requirements, says Barry Jones.