Harvesting sainfoin
11 July 2016
- Richard Smith shows the sainfoin crop being mown at Daylesford Organic farm - a follow on from his previous video blogs.
- Mowing has been delayed due to the wet weather, in perfect conditions it would have been cut about a fortnight earlier (mid-June) whilst in mid-flower.
- Despite the conditions, there is a fantastic crop – a mixture of sainfoin and native grasses – it should yield 15 tonnes per acre of fresh weight silage (or 37.5 tonnes per hectare).
- Sainfoin is mown quite high - as a ‘crown grown’ plant you should avoid cutting it too low so the plant can recover quickly. This makes it possible to get a second cut in September.
- Alternatively you can leave it to grow and harvest the seed in mid to late September. Sainfoin combines easily and a good crop will yield 150 kg per acre of good seed.
- Last week we held the first Agricology Open Day, it was a great event thanks to all those who came along. Keep following our news and blog for details of the next one!
