Out-wintering on
brassica crops has
saved some beef
herds as much as
£1.15/head every
day, according to
some of the hosts
of a series of outwintering
events held
recently by the EBLEX
Beef Better Returns
Programme (Beef
BRP), in conjunction
with British Seed
Houses.
Simmental breeder
Roger Hodson Walker,
of Breach Farm,
Swadlincote, near Derby, hosted a meeting in
January.
The aim was to demonstrate that using
brassicas to extend the grazing season and to
out-winter cattle can lead to reduced production
costs in relation to housing, bedding, feeding and
managing muck. Roger out-wintered around 60
suckler cows on 32 acres of kale and cocksfoot
until late February.
“If we are to be competitive in beef
production,
we need a system in which the cows can feed
themselves, bed themselves, and muck themselves
out – for as much of the year as possible,” says
Roger.
“On this basis, we can roughly halve the
cost of keeping the cows, and that’s a significant
saving over all.”
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Roger’s animals responded very well to the system,
and proved that out-wintering on brassicas is
applicable to pedigree breeders, as long as the
system is well-managed.
The out-wintering events demonstrated the health
benefits of out-wintering cattle, such as reduced
risk of pneumonia, and the advantages gained
through brassicas fitting into an arable rotation, or
re-seeding programme, and providing a breakcrop
while increasing the output of land per unit.
“Successful out-wintering is dependent on
planning the feed budget,” says EBLEX beef and
sheep scientist Dr Liz Genever. “You need to ask
yourself how much feed you want from your outwintering
system. Once feed requirements have
been established, the next step is to choose the
appropriate cropping system, which will depend
on when you want to use the crop, the number and type of stock
you have, and when the land
becomes available for drilling with brassicas.”
The key to success, according to Dr Genever,
is strip grazing using an electric fence to maximise crop
utilisation and minimise wastage: “For example,
Roger’s system relied on strip grazing the kale,
with each strip being long and narrow to allow all
the animals to access the crop at the same time.
He moved the fence daily, as recommended,
and supplemented the Brassicas with ad lib
fibre (straw, silage, hay, haylage) to improve the
‘scratch factor’ in the rumen. Roger provided
straw bales to his cows, which he placed in the
field during the autumn so there was no need for
machinery to go into the field during the winter,
minimising the risk of soil compaction and run-off.
“It is also important to introduce the stock slowly
to the crop to avoid digestive upsets. Start by
allowing the stock access to the crop for 1-2
hours a day, building up to unrestricted access
after 7-10 days. A wide-access run back area is
also recommended. This was provided by the
previously grazed cockfoot in Roger’s system. An
adequate water supply is essential at all times.”
The most suitable brassicas for grazing during
the winter months are kale, swedes and certain
rape/kale hybrids. Stubble turnips, grazing turnips
and forage rape are less winter hardy, but can be
used to extend the grazing season.
EBLEX held eight on-farm events on the benefits
of out-wintering. Hosts reported many examples
of better returns and cost savings, ranging from
cutting daily use of bought-in concentrates by 3kg/head,
saving £4/head
each week by outwintering
dry cows, and increasing stock numbers
without the need for additional buildings.
“Overall, out-wintering stock on brassicas can
generate cost savings and lead to better returns,”
concludes Dr Genver. “But care is needed to
ensure that the crop choice and field selection
is appropriate for the system, and that the
management of the stock while on the crop is
good to ensure its success.”
More detailed advice on sowing, growing and
grazing brassicas is available from a new Beef BRP
technical manual: Out-wintering on Fodder Crops,
which is available free to EBLEX levy-payers. Call 0870 241 8829
or email brp@eblex.org.uk |
