Seed
S&W: SPRING SOWING FORAGE BRASSICAS A growing number of producers are taking advantage of forage brassicas to fill seasonal feed gaps and provide a high-quality, economical feed option for their livestock. This article presents some of the benefits of incorporating forage brassicas into a pasture system and how it can add real value to your farming business. Forage brassicas bring many benefits to grazing systems. Firstly, with a sowing rate of 3-5 kg/ha, they are a cheap way to accumulate a large amount of feed. With growth rates similar or quicker than most forage cereals , they can rapidly accumulate biomass. However, the real strength of brassicas is their superior feed quality and their ability to retain this quality throughout the season. Quality parameters are often in the range of 11-12.5 megajoules of metabolisable energy (ME) and 15-22% crude protein with a low fibre content1. This makes them a suitable feed source for lactating dairy cows, finishing lambs, growing steers, or improving the condition of breeding stock. A further strength of brassicas is their wide adaptation to different environments and soil types, from sands to heavy clays. They do, however, require good levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and boron and rely on accurate seeding depth (5-10mm) for optimal establishment. Combining this broad adaption with a flexible sowing window from late winter right through to autumn makes forage brassicas an excellent option for most systems. There are different types of forage brassicas on the market, including bulbed and leafy turnips, forage rape and hybrids, kale and radish. Each has a unique fit depending on your requirements. If super quick feed is what you are looking for, S&W’s Bouncer Forage Brassica is a leafy turnip ready to graze in as little as 5-6 weeks. Bouncer provides multiple grazing opportunities without the maturity requirement. It is well suited to dairy systems or more intensive beef and sheep enterprises with high soil fertility and rainfall. Bouncer can lose palatability if grazing is deferred for longer than 8-9 weeks, so if you require bulk feed later in the season, S&W Subzero Forage Brassica is the option for you. Subzero is a quick maturity forage rape and kale hybrid. It has the flexibility to be ready to graze early, 8-10 weeks post-sowing, with good regrowth potential, while also maintaining quality for a bulkier graze later in the season. Subzero is a tough variety handling both periods of moisture stress and cold, frosty conditions exceptionally well. This makes it suitable for large,
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extensive grazing systems or more intensively managed beef, sheep, and dairy enterprises. If S&W forage brassicas have a fit in your system, contact your local agronomist or S&W Territory Manager to help you plan your crop this spring. Calculating crop requirements and making it pay! Scenario: I have 100 young steers that I want to feed from December to February on a crop of Subzero Forage Brassica and Rebound Millet. What area do I need to sow, and will I make a return? Assumptions: A 250kg steer, gaining 1 kg/day has a DSE rating of 9. Maximum daily feed intake = 0.8 x DSE (or use 1.2 X liveweight ÷ NDF%) The crop provides the energy, protein, and fibre requirements for this class of stock and has grown 8 t/ha of Dry Matter (DM). Allow 30% wastage in a set stocked grazing system. Calculations: Step 1: How much crop? Intake = 0.8 x 9 = 7.2 kg DM/head/day 7.2 kg + 30% wastage = 9.4 kg DM/head/day 9.4 kg x 100 head = 940 kg DM/day 940 kg x 100 days = 94 tonne to fully feed all steers 94 t ÷ 8t/ha supplied = 11.75 ha required Step 2: What’s the cost? Knockdown herbicide/insecticide $16 Lime & fertiliser $350 Cultivation/contractor $300 Seed $84 Total cost = $750/ha Step 3: What have I made? Stocking rate = 100 steers ÷ 11.75 ha = 8.5 steers/ha Gaining 1 kg/head/day for 100 days = 850 kg/ha 850 kg x $4.00/kg = $3,400.00/ha Total potential income = $3,400/ha Please note the above numbers are a guide only and should be based on your individual costs, target crop yields and weight gains.
