Below is a good example of options that fit in a rotation that includes some key forage opportunities on a dairy support runoff or farm: 

• Summer crop 

  Choice chicory, when sown in October, will be grazed at least three times in summer before resowing back into perennial ryegrass in the autumn 

  Ecotain^® environmental plantain often can be sown in October for a summer crop. These crops can be maintained for a second summer before being resown back into perennial pasture 

  Summer turnips such as Rival, sown in late October for an early February single grazing, are ideal in a pasture renovation programme and provide a clean paddock for an early March sowing of perennial pastures 

Mainstar forage rape, is ideal to start grazing 10-12 weeks from sowing. Mainstar rape can be sown from mid spring through to late summer depending on when the feed is required. It can be used for both summer finishing and/or conserved for winter feed. Rape is very good in drier environments where it can carry high-quality feed from spring through to late summer or from late summer through to winter

Winter feed options 

• Early December sown SovGold kale 
• Triumph and Massie swedes are interchangeable with both kale and fodder beet. 

Note: swedes should never be double-cropped and don’t suit free-draining soils in hot summer environments (using pelleted precision sown Triumph swedes does improve their germination in drier conditions)

Catch crop and forage cereals

• Milton and Coronet oats make an excellent choice as a catch crop after winter cropping as well as making excellent green chop cereal silage in late spring
• Kudos triticale is also a good late winter/early spring catch crop for whole crop cereal silage, while Stark sliage barley are a great early to mid spring early-maturity whole crop cereal silage

FAST AUTUMN FEED

• Milton oats and/or Jivet annual ryegrass are ideal early winter feed grazing options or as a short term pasture option between maize crops

Diploid perennial ryegrass

• Early February sown diploid perennial ryegrasses such as Three60 AR37 or Legion* AR37, Relish red clover, Attribute white clover and Ecotain^® environmental plantain mix, or Choice chicory.

Tetreploid perennial 

• Align AR37 tetraploid perennial ryegrass has a good fit in a silage-based dairy runoff, with very good density for the occasional winter grazing round

Tetraploid hybrid 

• Grasses such as Mohaka AR37 & AR1 have a role in short regenerative rotations that may last 2-4 years and are ideally mixed with Relish red clover, Brace white clover and Ecotain environmental plantain 

Italian ryegrass 

• Manta AR37 Italian ryegrass does extremely well in a 2-3 year rotation when it is mixed with Relish red clover and Ecotain environmental plantain and Choice chicory. 

Fescues 

• Hummer or Haven  tall fescue with MaxP^® endophyte used in a 50:50 mix with Oakdon meadow fescue MaxR^® endophyte can have a role in unirrigated or partially irrigated runoffs, with longer pasture rotations (>5 years) where challenges from either hot summer conditions or insect pests such as grass grub pose issues

Cocksfoot

• Savvy cocksfoot in a mix with perennial ryegrasses such as Three⁶⁰ and legumes such as Relish red clover and Titan 5 lucerne provide resilient pastures for unirrigated runoffs, with a focus on silage production and late summer/autumn heifer grazing