Feeding cereal grains to livestock

On farms where growing cereals is viable, it can be useful to grow crops for home consumption. Cereals provide a variety of feeding options that can be adapted to meet the needs of the rotation, livestock and production system. They can also exploit soil fertility, following a grass ley and other forage ‘break crops’, and fit well into a mixed-farm system. However, there are a number of factors to consider before growing cereals on livestock farms. These include:

• Minimum viable yields required
• How good crop agronomy is
• Coping with difficult harvesting conditions
• Equipment and availability of local contractors
• Greening requirements for Basic Payment Scheme calculations

From nutritional requirements to soil types, this page highlights important considerations when deciding which cereal crop to grow for cattle or sheep feed on your farm.

This page highlights key considerations for harvesting, processing and storing cereal crops destined to be fed to beef cattle and sheep.

Our guide to cereal grain options for cattle and sheep feed can help you make informed decisions about what’s best for your system.