Farmer Focus: Clamps full after what seems a summer of cuts
© Jeff Holmes This is the third time I’ve written a post-harvest article. I’ve just reread the previous two years’ articles to remind myself what had been happening.
Apparently, the last couple of harvests were good and, thankfully, I can report that the spring barley this year went some way to making up for winter barley disaster.
We took advantage of the cracking weather last week to combine and had the luxury of being able to leave the straw lying for a few days in the sun.
See also: Photo of the Week: Not so traditional harvest supper
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Yields are touching 7.5t/ha, with plenty of straw too.
As the spring barley is at our rented farm a couple of miles away, we use a large square baler because it’s easier carting the straw back.
(The climate activists would have a fit if they saw the smoke belching out of the contractor’s classic TW-25 working at full tilt – the roar can be heard for miles!)
Third-cut silage and wholecrop came off in great conditions and it’s a relief to see full clamps. I think it was third-cut anyway; we seem to have spent all summer cutting grass.
Triticale yields were marginally down this year after the pigeon attack in spring. However, a slightly larger area made up for it.
We’ve just completed 20ha of reseeding after the winter barley.
We went from almost being too sticky to plough following heavy rain, to a dust bowl within a few days, but we’ve had some showers since seeding, and the heat we’ve had should mean a quick germination.
Once again, I’ve opted for a later maturing grass mixture with clover, which should be ideal for the zero grazer.
Grass growth is phenomenal now, and the challenge is getting the cows to eat it quickly enough. Weather depending, we should have about 35ha(86 acres) to last us for the rest of the season.
Having started zero grazing in February, it might be a relief to park the wagon for a few months. Our Jersey cows are still maintaining great quality at 6.4% butterfat and 4.3% protein.
However, yields have slipped to 19 litres. We’ve some more heifers calving in October, so that will help fill the tank.