Lupins

Lupins have become an increasingly reliable source of farm produced protein, replacing both traditional imported sources such as soya or maize gluten, and home produced, protein crops such as peas and beans. Their amino acid profile complements cereal crops providing a good source of lysine as well as having a high energy value due to their high oil content. Lupins make an ideal break crop in an arable rotation as they fix nitrogen into the soil and also increases soil organic matter when the stubble is ploughed in after harvest.

Their use as a protein source is also of particular interest to organic farms. Wholecrop lupins allow the crop to be harvested earlier than the conventional combining date. This gives producers the opportunity to maximise forage yield while still producing a high quality forage.

Wholecrop lupins should be ensiled using a crop specific additive such as wholecrop legume as this will ensure a rapid drop in pH during the initial stages of fermentation and the maintenance of aerobic stability during feed out as well improving the digestibility of the crop.

Lupins can also be harvested later in the season as crimp, treated with biocrimp or harvested as a conventional dry concentrate depending on species and location.