09/13/11
Major Plus - high yielding swede
Major Plus is the automatic first choice for a first-crop swede on the property of dairy farmers Tony and Susan McDonnell, at Clarendon, near Milton. The McDonnells milk 560 cows on 200ha, as well as having two run-off blocks.
"Major Plus is high yielding and stock really go for them. I think they have a sweeter taste than a lot of the other varieties," says Tony.
"If you've got good fertile soil that hasn't had a crop for at least 10 years, then they are a very good first-crop option. They are more disease resistant and better yielding than older varieties, with yields averaging 14-15t/ha." Sown in early to mid-December, the swedes are winter grazed by cows from early June. "We sow on average 10ha a year of Major Plus and expect that to winter 350 cows.
"Most of our ground is heavy and fertile and for that we go for the top of the line and that is Major Plus."
