Hattrick is an easy to manage winter crop. It is most often sown mixed with Tabu+ Italian or Hogan annual ryegrass, or Laser Persian clover, to extend growth into spring.
Management
Hattrick is leafy, high yielding, and more adapted to multiple grazings than some other oat cultivars. It can usually be grazed 2-3 times depending on management. For best regrowth graze at 30 cm height, leaving a 7-10 cm residual. Growth can be boosted by strategic use of nitrogen fertiliser, for example applying 30 kg N/ha after grazing.
Feed value
Leafy Hattrick oats have 80% digestibility (12 MJ ME/kg DM) and contain 13-15% protein.
Growth curve
Sow early
For maximum winter production Hattrick oats should be sown early (February/March). Insecticide protection against Argentine stem weevil may be necessary in some areas.
Hattrick oats can be sown alone, but are most commonly sown with Italian or annual (e.g. Tabu+ or Hogan). Mixing Hattrick with a ryegrass increases feed value and extends growth through spring.
Environmental benefits
Sowing oats in late autumn (after feeding a crop) has environmental benefits. Soil N is taken up by the oats rather than being potentially lost via leaching. For best results, don’t wait until a whole paddock has been grazed, but sow oats as soon as half the crop has been fed. Early sown oats grow faster and take up more N.
Sowing Hattrick
