Summer turnips (Brassica rapa) offer nutritious, highly palatable feed. They are fast maturing, can be grazed 60-100 days after sowing and typically yield 8-12 t DM/ha, for a single grazing.
They are mainly used for dairy cows as a high quality summer feed to maintain milk production in situations where pasture growth and quality is typically poor. Summer turnips have high ME (typically 12+) so they complement the feeding of pasture or maize silage during this time. They should comprise no more than a third of a milking cow’s diet.
Summer turnips are also useful for pasture renewal, providing a good break crop and seedbed for autumn sown pasture.