Irish Owned
This post is from
Sophia Kingston in association with Goldcrop
Fodder rape is a popular forage crop with many livestock farmers due to its ease of production, the flexibility if its sowing date and its palatability at feeding time. It is capable of producing a large bulk of fodder in a short period of time.
Rape is extremely useful as a feed for fattening lambs and lactating ewes and very good performance can be achieved with good grazing conditions. It is also widely used to supplement cattle and cows but care is needed as there is a much greater risk of digestive disorders with sheep.
Prevent these problems by
- Introducing the rape into the diet gradually
- Putting restrictions on the intake of rape will also help and
- By feeding hay or silage as a roughage source with it.
Give Iodine and phosphorus as supplements also. Ensure diets are properly balanced.
Regrowth
When Gorilla is sown early (May) it can produce a first growth in August to cover a shortage of grass in late Summer. It then has the ability to achieve a second crop in November/ December. Alternatively Gorilla can be strip grazed as required with good growth potential.
The advantages of Gorilla are as follows;
- Darker green leaf
- Medium height with good standing ability
- Higher than average dry matter content leading to good dry matter intakes
- High energy due to high leaf to stem ratio.
- Good leaf retention and disease resistance
- Moderately good resistance to powdery mildew
- Quite good resistance to club root
- Good regrowth potential similar to red start.
Crop Management
To manage as fodder Rape, sow the Rape anywhere from April to August at a seeding rate of 3.6-4.5kg/acre depending on establishment conditions. The crop can then be fed from June to February.
Gorilla comes in a 10kg bag and will cover around 2.5 acres. There are also straight rapes available such as Fontan in store or to order.
