Since 2019, it is legally required to sow a catch crop on sandy and loess soils before 1 October. Due to the relatively cold and wet growing season, a postponement has been granted by outgoing minister Carola Schouten. It bases its choice for postponing on a shortage of available capacity among contract workers and major consequences in enforcement if an entrepreneur cannot meet the date of 1 October.
Jan Roothaert, Livestock Product Manager at Limagrain, is pleased with the postponement. "Due to the cold and wet spring, many livestock farmers were unable to sow the maize on time or the maize started late. "Harvesting maize that is not ripe results in lower starch levels and serious nutritional losses. This is not what corn is grown for. It is precisely the starch content that must be maximum to prevent additional purchases of concentrates," Roothaert continues. "The now announced postponement of sowing a catch crop gives dairy farmers a better guarantee of a sufficiently mature maize crop. The harvest is also easier to organize for the contractor."
In her letter to the House, Schouten emphasizes that sowing a catch crop is important in order to comply with the nitrate and nitrogen guidelines. Her choice to grant a postponement this year must be compensated for next year in an improved water quality. With this measure, Schouten wants to prevent excessive fertilization on these plots.
What options are there?
According to Roothaert, a good option for sowing a catch crop can be a mixture of three different types. As a result, there is a greater spread of risk and there is a greater chance of a good catch crop being successful. A mixture that Roothaert can recommend is LG Undersowing for progeny. This mixture consists of Westerwolds ryegrass, black radish and Japanese oats gives a high chance of success, optimal nutrient absorption and effective organic matter production.
In addition to a catch crop, you can also opt for sowing a main crop. "You can opt for a combination of winter wheat with winter field beans, for example," says Roothaert. "Then you have extra protein in addition to starch. In addition, it is good for the soil and you produce some extra nitrogen thanks to biofixation by the leguminous field beans. But check whether it fits in with the business operations in connection with the derogation scheme. Sowing this mixture is not an option." below 20% arable land."
Roothaert also mentions the LG HAVERA 2 as a third option. This rotational mixture consists of 40% tetraploid perennial ryegrass and 60% feed type Italian ryegrass. As a result, LG HAVERA 2 produces an enormous amount of grass with a good nutritional value in a short time. This option is very suitable for rotational soils, which are also used for arable farming.