Wholecrop offers an alternative or additional feed to grass or maize silage, particularly in situations where it may be difficult to achieve ideal sowing conditions in the spring. It can provide a cost effective, high quality forage of consistent quality and palatability, with high yields of dry matter even in dry seasons and cold weather.
Cereals are versatile as they can be grown across the UK under a wide range of conditions and will produce consistently high yields of dry matter. Wholecrop mixtures provide a useful source of home produced protein and starch, which reduces reliance on purchased feed.
Benefits of growing wholecrop:
- Good nutritional, agronomic and versatile crop.
- Bi-crop produces good levels of homegrown protein reducing reliance on purchased feed.
- Improved soil structure and increased organic matter content.
- Early harvest allows for earlier drilling of autumn combinable crops or reseeding of grass.
- Useful alternative forage for grass and maize systems.
- Provides good energy and high dry matter forage.
Wholecrop mixtures can combine wheat, barley, oats or triticale with a legume crop such as peas or lupins. The cereal crop provides the energy in the form of starch and the legume provides protein.