Perhaps grazing winter cereals (the golden hoof) may have been forgotten when farms were encouraged to specialise? Along with that memory lapse was the wisdom in Miquel do Cervantes’s quote in 1605 by Don Quixote “It is the part of a wise man to keep himself for tomorrow, and not venture all his eggs in one basket”. Placing all of the farm’s business into one enterprise increases the risk of unforeseeable financial difficulties. When the value of one commodity falls, another may provide a higher return. As a primary producer farming is at the whim of the market so it’s best to spread the risk.
Mixed farming meant there was often the option to sustain a sheep flock over winter on a cereal crop until grass growth picked up. The 1960s/’70s view of specialisation being the way only forward, versus mixed farming, is now being reconsidered. Mixed production systems are often both economically efficient and sustainable in terms of climate resilience and good environmental land management – they are also more adaptable to change.
Grazing sheep on winter cereals can reduce fungicide use and growth regulators, remove diseased crops and increase soil organic matter. The resulting improvement in soil quality can enable earlier applications of spring fertiliser. There is also some evidence of black grass control where early sown winter crops are grazed. For the sheep flock, there is access to nutritional feed, clean grazing and pastures can be rested over winter.
Both the cereal farmer and sheep farmer can benefit from grazing a winter crop, the former usually receiving payment for each ewe per week, the latter valuable grazing. Those with many sheep but limited pasture can build a livestock enterprise which is particularly attractive to early or young entrants.
The practice of cereal grazing is not new nor ‘rocket science’ but it does require some attention to detail if yields are not to be reduced. Either no change to yield or some gain* can be expected. Wheat, barley and oats can all be grazed but early maturing varieties will most benefit if not stressed. The advice is to graze barley first, before oats, and wheat, or those crops which have received organic manure.
(* In one trial with winter barley an increased yield of around 0.5-0.75 tonnes per hectare on the grazed area was recorded.)
Working out how hard to graze is the often the question that most worries the cereal farmer or, to put it another way, how much crop to leave behind. Too hard and grain ear formation can be harmed, too little and there’s less for the flock to benefit from. Grazing should only start when plants are well anchored, have grown secondary roots, usually after the three-leaf stage. The recommended grazing period is when the crop is tillering (growth stage 21-29) and not into stem extension (growth stage 30) Beyond GS 30 will risk reducing the yield through damage to the ear. GS 21 – 29 may occur 6–8 weeks from plant emergence depending upon variety but close inspection is needed to confirm. Going below the ‘White Line’ (below) is definitely not advisable.
Ideally there should be short grazing periods with high stocking densities moving across fields. If the cereal farmer does not have their own flock, close co-operation with a shepherd is a necessity. The flock can be grazed behind an electric fence on a paddock-based system with appropriate monitoring to move sheep onto the next break when the required level of grazing has been carried out. Grazing should cease before the crop commences stem elongation (GS 30) which will allow sufficient time for plant recovery to ensure grain fill.
An alternative approach for those of a cautious disposition is to use ‘Clip Grazing’ where just the top few centimetres of the crop canopy is removed. This method will reduce the risk of any grain yield penalties particularly in dry seasons as we sometimes see on the Island. Leaving more leaf area for recovery after grazing enables the crop to produce more biomass by flowering. Biomass at flowering is a key determinant of eventual grain yield. Clip grazing also enables a crop to better compete with weeds post-grazing.
The practical approach to grazing where a shepherd is looking for winter grazing and the cereal farmer understands the benefits, there needs to be agreement on who oversees fencing, supervision of the flock and what weekly rent is paid for the grazing.
To get things started:
- Begin grazing the most forward crops.
- Have a back-up plan for poor weather e.g., a rough grass or catch crop area to move sheep to in snow, etc.
- Set up 2-3 paddocks at a time to allow ability to move sheep quickly if required e.g., weather or lack of labour.
- Graze over a short period of time e.g., 3-14 days depending on the crop biomass to keep uniformity.
It is important to ensure the shepherd has access to new areas of crop in the event of a field being perceived as being overgrazed. Having fresh areas of crop should always be kept available.