One of the potential benefits of an early harvest is that fields can be cleared early, which allows the potential to plant catch, cover or fodder crops. And with grass growth being hammered by the ongoing lack of moisture, any and all fodder sources could still be of benefit to the national farming effort.

Benefits

One of the great benefits of doing this with an edible catch crop mix is that it can be incorporated back into the land to provide long-term benefit if a market does not materialise.

It makes little sense to leave a stubble that is cleared now idle for the next three to eight months. It is inevitable that, with the heat in the ground, there will be a quite substantial release of nitrogen whenever moisture is added to the mix.

So there is likely to be huge potential to grow plants when moisture becomes available and the general comment that a day’s growth in July is worth a week’s growth in August or all of September’s growth is true.

Potential income

Catch crops sown with fodder species add to the options a grower has now and also add to the potential income from the land this year. Realistically, a mixture will need to be harvested rather than grazed, especially where a winter crop is intended. I also suggest that a fodder crop might still be harvested in the late autumn rather than grazed, but in this instance one should leave the stubble to regrow to continue to help protect the soil from winter rain.

The regrowth may not come to a lot in terms of a subsequent fodder harvest, but it and its roots will help the soil in the longer term. This benefit is increased with repetition.

Species options depend a bit on what the normal crop rotation is and whether possible species would interfere with it. Fodder rape and leafy turnip are very useful if brassica crops are not being grown.

Include a legume like peas or vetch to help feed and drive autumn growth. One might also include a cereal such as oats or barley to help add bulk into a forage.

Other options

Specific fodder crops can also be grown, but these probably need to be grazed in situ and many growers may not want that. Another possible option ahead of a spring crop might be to put in Italian or Westerwolds Ryegrass. But this option would require the definite involvement of the customer to ensure offtake and payment.

Another option now is to utilise pig slurry or poultry litter ahead of the catch crop, which should be sown by minimum cultivation, regardless of whether you are in GLAS or not.

With land being so dry, there are no concerns currently about running big machinery across it to do things that will ultimately help your soil. The bigger the bulk of catch crop you grow, the more you have to sell or incorporate, but either way the benefit is yours.