As forage becomes scarcer, due to changing weather every year, stubble turnips may be a good and quick growing alternative, to see livestock through the autumn and winter months.
Not only this, but they also offer benefits when it comes to soil fertility, soil structure and blackgrass control, and they can work as a catch crop if established early enough in the season, prior to drilling an autumn crop.
Depending on when the turnips are required for grazing, establishment can be anywhere from April (for summer feeding) to early August, if they are required for overwinter feeding. Any later than this, then there is a risk that the turnips will produce more leaf and less bulb.
They can be established either by drilling or broadcast, but in both cases, a good seed bed is required and ideally establish on free draining soils with good drainage, as grazing livestock could cause a mess/ damage when wet.
If drilling, establish at 4kg/ha and if broadcasting, establish at 8kg/ha. Sowing-grazing is 12-14 weeks, and livestock can either be put to grazing immediately after establishment, or it can be left longer to allow bulbs to swell.
If grazing lambs, they should be introduced gradually and other sources of fodder, such as baled silage, should be provided, in order to encourage them to eat the bulbs, otherwise they will only be interested in the leaf. For all types of livestock, fencing is required and should be moved accordingly to manage feedstocks.
As stubble turnips are a brassica, it is important to be aware of potential diseases such as club root and cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB). To minimise these, ensure good crop rotation is in place and monitor growth for CSFB damage, as this can lead to significant yield reduction and/or crop failure, if not treated accordingly. Furthermore, if oilseed rape is grown in the rotation, ensure it is not in close proximity to it (to protect both crops), and control volunteers prior to establishment.
Variety wise, we have 3 options, depending on requirements.
Firstly, Samson is a top selling variety due to its palatability and large tankard bulbs, which produce ample forage for both sheep and cattle.
Secondly, Hector’s bulbs sit proudly above the ground, meaning less wastage, however, the biggest disadvantage to this is that they are less winter hardy, so best utilised as summer/ autumn grazing.
Lastly, Rondo would be the choice for post-Christmas grazing, due to its good root anchorage, resulting in better protection from frost.
We also have bulbless varieties such as Skyfall, and rape hybrids such as Tyfon, which both produce leafier material, better suited for later establishment. These can also be established alongside bulb varieties, to provide extended resources.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact your local Nickerson Seed Specialist.
Bridging the Gap: Feedstocks vs Feed RequirementsUnprecedented dry conditions last spring meant that many farms across the UK are now faced with reduced winter feedstocks.
Silage has been used on many farms to buffer feed throughout the summer, to ensure welfare and productivity from livestock, which has eaten into already reduced feed levels. September 2025 saw much of the UK have reasonably good levels of rainfall, which then led to good growth rates from grass and forage crops. This will help to prolong grazing and could offer an opportunity for a later cut of silage.
Spring 2025 was the sixth driest on record, with the UK experiencing 40% less rainfall than average. Summer 2025 also became the warmest and sunniest on record, forcing many areas into drought.
Weather patterns are becoming increasingly erratic. How can the risks be mitigated through cropping rotations?
Humbolt Rye is a forage rye variety bred specifically for UK conditions. It can be drilled from September to mid-October, and grows quickly to cover the soil over winter, helping to prevent erosion and intake leftover nutrients from the previous crop. With strong early growth, it’s ideal for early cattle turnout or zero grazing, producing around 5 to 6 tonnes of dry matter per hectare, to support reduced silage stocks.
Catch Crop mixtures can be used to extend grazing in late autumn/ winter. The combination of stubble turnip, forage rape and kale, offer rapid growth, good protein and energy levels, as well as being winter hardy. It can be grazed 12-14 weeks after sowing, if sown ideally by the end of August. Mixtures such as ‘Meat Maker’, offer high yields and palatability at a good price point.
A robust reseeding programme will ensure that stocks of ensiled feed aren’t as relied upon during periods of dry weather. Grass mixtures which contain hybrid ryegrass fare better in drier periods, due to their deeper root systems. Grass mixtures that contain high yielding, intermediate varieties of ryegrass will also offer earlier growth, reducing the pressure in spring for prolonged feeding of silage.
The Nickerson Circle Ley grass range offers grass mixtures to suit a range of systems. Long term mixtures, to increase yield and quality, as well as shorter term leys, to follow crops of maize, with subsequent high yielding grass crops to increase silage stocks. Our unique GPA dressing will assist with increased germination rates and greater root mass, ensuring the ley gets off to the best start possible.