Forage Seeds - Brassicas

Brassicas are generally used to increase the grazing season. All brassicas have highly digestible cell walls and very high protein levels. Turnips (Brassica rapa rapa) can either be grazed or harvested and fed direct. Rapes (Brassica napus) can be grazed or cut for direct feeding.

Barkant Forage Turnip

Barenbrug Barkant Forage Turnip seed available at Eastern Colorado Seed
Barkant is a truly improved forage turnip variety. Bred for leaf production, it out yields most other turnip varieties available. Barkant is a popular variety in countries where the use of Brassicas already is more common: New Zealand, Australia, England and other European countries.

Within the Brassicas family, turnips are the quickest specie to establish. Barkant also has the potential of being grazed multiple times. The first grazing however, will be the most important one. Both sheep and cattle can graze turnips. It is important not to graze too large of an area at once. Strip-grazing prevents both yield and quality losses due to tramping and polluting. It is also important not to overfeed the cattle when they are allowed to graze the turnips at first. Extreme high dry matter intake of Turnips (and other Brassicas) can cause health problems. Therefore, cattle should be allowed to adjust to the change of diet. Supplementing with other forages with less protein and sugars will also prevent problems.

View Product Spec for Barenbrug Barkant Forage Turnip

T-Raptor Hybrid Brassica

Barenbrug T-Raptor Hybrid Brassica seed available at Eastern Colorado Seed
T-Raptor is an early maturing hybrid brassica, a cross between a forage turnip and a forage rape, with 50-70 day crop duration. T-Raptor exhibits a leafy growth habit (higher leaf-to-bulb ratio) and is well-suited to grazing. T-Raptor is an excellent late-summer feed source, and a good supplement for late-summer periods when cool-season forage grasses slow in production.

Forage Brassicas are useful for extending the grazing season when other forages are less productive. Brassicas can provide higher crude protein and digestibility at half the cost of hay or conserved forages. Brassicas have extremely high yield potential when grown on high fertility soils and properly managed. Brassicas can produce as much as 40 tons (wet) per acre. Cold, drought and heat tolerant, these crops commonly provide valuable feed when other crops are less productive
View Product Spec for Barenbrug T-Raptor Hybrid Brassica

Barsica Brassica Napus

Barenbrug Barsica Forage Rape seed available at Eastern Colorado Seed
Barsica rape (Brassica napus) is a fast maturing single or  multi-graze forage crop that can be sown for summer, autumn  or winter feed. It has higher protein and dry matter content  than turnips. It can be sown from early spring to late summer  depending on its use. While typically sown as pure stands, it can  be sown in combination with other forages. For summer feed, it  can be planted with millet or other summer annuals. For winter  feed, it can be planted with annual or Italian ryegrasses.

View Product Spec for Barenbrug Barsica Forage Rape