Below is a good example of a sustainable rotation that includes some key forage opportunities on a dairy support runoff or farm. ​

• Winter crop – ex-pasture October sown Jamon and Delicante fodder beet for cows and R2s. Feldherr fodder beet for R1s
   
• Late winter catch crop – August sown Milton oats for green chop silage 
   
• Winter crop – early December sown SovGold kale 
   
• Late winter catch crop – late August/early September sown Monty for whole crop cereal silage 

Winter feed options 

• 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 wintercropping 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 silage barley is a great early to mid spring early-maturity whole crop cereal silage

FAST AUTUMN FEED 

• Early autumn sown Milton oats and/or Jivet annual ryegrass are ideal early winter grazing options 

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.

Tetraploid 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 or AR1 hybrid ryegrass 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 environmentail plantain

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 Reason 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