The layperson’s guide to ley farming
While crop rotation may not be a new practice, have you considered including seasonal pastures in your cash crop system?
Prof Chris Dannhauser, a grazing specialist from Limpopo, says the ley cropping system, in which a grass/legume mixture is grown in rotation with agricultural crops, starts with the planting of maize every second year, and annual ley crops in the alternate years.
“In this system, perennial pastures can also be utilised in years two and four, between maize production years,” he adds.
The important question every farmer should ask is this: which pasture species can be used for this system on my farm? “It’s important for the species and cultivars used as ley pasture crops to have specific characteristics,” says Dannhauser.
Ley crops have two functions: to serve as good-quality animal feed, and to improve soil quality and fertility for the grain crops that will follow. Knowledge of the impact that a specific ley crop will have on soil and
