Pasture seed crops
Pasture seed crops may be in the arable rotation for one or more years. During the rotation they may be grazed during autumn and winter with farm stock, then closed up in spring for seed production.
Seed is harvested in summer with a combine harvester and crop residue is usually baled and exported off the farm.
Data for the crop should be entered in the following way:
In the Add Crop menu:
- Enter Final Event for the seed crop and the month the crop finishes in. if there is no end month select "Ongoing".
- Enter the seed yield.
- Select removed for residual management method. Residue management at harvest refers to management of the residue at seed harvest
- Select the harvest month. After the first harvest, seed crops become regrowth seed crops.
- Select the method used to defoliate for forage. If not defoliated select Pasture fallow.
- If grazed, select the source of stock and enter the percentage of crop production eaten by each animal type during the reporting year if this differs from the farm’s intake ratio.
- If cut and carried, once you have completed the crop entry data you will promoted to enter what supplements were made during the reporting year, and where they were fed out, on the Supplements tab, by a warning symbol on that tab.
Harvesting ryegrass seed crops
The default harvest month for the ryegrass seed and pre-crop seed crops is set as December. The default harvest month for clover seed crop is set as January. If the harvest month is different, this can be over-ridden by selecting the month seed is harvested in the crop dialog.
Defoliation management of a seed crop refers to the crop being grazed or cut and carried. It does not describe removal of seed stock.
For ryegrass seed crops that are established before Year 1 in the grid
In the block history menu, select 1st or 2nd year seed crop and tick the check box if the pre-crop extends into the reporting year and supplements are removed that year.