Crops
Reducing concentrate supplementation in dairy cow diets while maintaining milk production with pea-wheat intercrops
Comparison of grass and legume silages for milk production. 1. Production responses with different levels of concentrate
Forage intake, meal patterns, and milk production of lactating dairy cows fed grass silage or pea-wheat bi-crop silages
Milk production from silage: comparison of grass, legume and maize silages and their mixtures
Phosphorus fertilisation of faba bean
Outcome Ensuring a good supply of nutrients, in particular phosphorus, from the soil is the nutritional foundation of high yield. Yield increases after P fertilisation of up to 40% are reported under farm conditions in low P index soils. Good fertilisation practice...
Feeding lucerne to dairy cows
Outcome The inclusion of lucerne in a grass or maize-based forage ration reduces the need for feeding high protein rapeseed and/or soybean meal to high-performance dairy cows. The beneficial effect depends on the protein content of the grass or maize silage...
Drill-seeding of soybean
Outcome Good crop establishment is the key to high soybean yields. Practical experience has shown that drill seeders are suitable for achieving high yields. Drill seeders sow in narrow rows which contribute to an early canopy closure which increases the...
Winter pea in south-east Europe
Outcome The experience and knowledge accumulated is applicable across the south-east Europe region. Pea for forage or grain establishes a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with the pea nodule bacteria Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae, which is naturally widespread...
Feeding faba bean to poultry in practice
Home-grown faba bean for organic poultry Uwe Brede and Babett Löber grow field bean cultivar Bilbo on their organic farm on Domaen Niederbeisheim, near the German city of Kassel. They keep laying hens and young hens, together about 30,000 birds. 100% organic...
Harvesting soybean
Outcome Successful soybean harvesting is about recovering the highest proportion of the grain with the best possible quality and purity at the optimal time. Harvest time Harvest should start when the seed moisture drops to 13–15%. The rate of drying primarily...
Harvesting and storing lucerne
Outcome Attention to detail results in a good balance between yield and nutritional quality as affected by the stage of maturity. This also supports crop persistence and helps reduce weed invasion. Harvesting lucerne Harvesting lucerne is different to...
Mites in soybean production
Outcome Spider mite populations can reach damaging levels very quickly. Infestation can reduce the soybean yield by 40–60%. The protection of the crop from stresses, such as herbicide damage, reduces the risk of damaging infestation. Where chemical control is...
Feeding pea to poultry
Experience at the Vogt organic farm: peas for laying hen This farm in Lower Franconia in Germany converted to organic in 1987. Starting with 60 laying hens, the flock have been kept in a repurposed cowshed with an adjoining orchard meadow since 1991. The flock is now...
Feeding quality of faba bean for poultry
Nutritional components The nutritional components of faba bean are summarised in Table 1. Grain legumes are used in livestock feed primarily for their protein content. Faba bean with 12% moisture is about 26% protein. In addition to crude protein, faba bean is...
Flexible cutterbars
Bugs in soybeans
Intercropping of grain pea with cereals
Outome Intercrops usually have a higher yield than the average of the same crops grown separately. The information here can help farmers optimise the use of this type of intercropping. These intercrops are resilient and require no nitrogen fertiliser or...
Faba bean, grain pea, sweet lupin and soybean in poultry feeds
Soybean processing systems
Growing spring-sown pea in south-east Europe
Outcome The information set out here helps the development of the pea crop in Bulgaria providing an example for the wider south-east Europe region. Pea is a crop with high plasticity which helps it to overcome adverse weather conditions. It uses soil resources...
Growing lucerne in cool climates
Successful production of lucerne delivers high yields of protein without the use of fertiliser nitrogen. With care, it can be grown successfully in cool, temperate, oceanic climates when attention is given to establishment and management of the crop (See...
Southern green shield bug in soybean
Outcome The southern green shield bug is a relatively new soybean pest in Europe. It is becoming more abundant and could become a serious pest. Monitoring should start in May or June and continue during July and August. If economic thresholds are exceeded,...
Lucerne in north-western Europe
Outcome Lucerne is a high protein forage legume that has great potential as a forage feed for dairy and beef cattle and sheep. However, the combination of cool conditions and naturally acidic soils in the wetter parts of the British Isles is generally not...