Benatas Vetch

We recommend Benatas Vetch, a purple vetch (Vicia benghalensis) that is extremely palatable, fixes nitrogen and improves soil fertility while giving high-feed-value grazing for sheep and cattle. Sow in autumn, mid-April to end of June, at 20–40 kg/ha alone or 10–15 kg/ha in a mix, 2–3 cm deep with Group E inoculant. It suits 350mm+ rainfall.

Benatas Vetch needs a Group E inoculant, the group used for field peas and all vetches. Inoculate the seed before sowing in autumn, from mid-April to the end of June, about 2–3 cm deep. Vetch has a strong root system that develops nodules early, providing nitrogen for the plants and accumulating significant amounts for the following crops.

We recommend pairing Benatas Vetch with a cereal. It is an ideal companion for forage oats such as our Ezigraze Forage Oats, where adding vetch lifts protein, and it also suits Joey Triticale or Cereal Rye (Ryecorn). Sow Benatas at 10–15 kg/ha in a mix. Our Mix & Match Custom Pasture Blends can build the blend for you.

Yes, Benatas Vetch is extremely palatable, high-value feed for sheep, dairy and beef cattle. Graze lightly once plants are firmly anchored, at about 6–8 weeks, then rotate or strip graze so it can recover. Check for rust, which can cause abortion in pregnant ruminants, and don't graze the crop if rust occurs. Introduce animals gradually.

A vetch crop is a good legume break: it interrupts cereal disease cycles, fixes nitrogen, suppresses weeds and can be grazed, cut for hay or spray-topped. We stock Benatas Vetch (350mm+), Common Vetch (300mm+, suited to drier areas and early grazing) and Popany Vetch (450mm+, later maturing for higher rainfall). Talk to us about which suits your rainfall and rotation.

We don't list waterlogging tolerance for Benatas Vetch, so we recommend well-drained paddocks for it. For wetter ground, Popany Vetch is listed as waterlogging tolerant and suits 450mm+ rainfall. Joey Triticale also tolerates waterlogging, or talk to us about a clover suited to wet conditions, such as Paradana Balansa Clover.

Yes. Vetch makes a good green manure because it fixes nitrogen and improves soil fertility, structure and organic matter while suppressing weeds. Benatas Vetch is one option. Our Green Manure Mix combines oats, faba beans and vetch, and NITROMIX is a blend of clovers and serradella for soil improvement. Talk to us about the best time to terminate it for your system.

Sow Benatas Vetch in autumn, from mid-April to the end of June, 2–3 cm deep as you would a cereal, for good seed-to-soil contact. We recommend 20–40 kg/ha alone or 10–15 kg/ha in a mix, inoculated with Group E. It needs 350mm+ rainfall. Monitor for redlegged earth mite and lucerne flea during early growth.

Legumes such as vetch are vulnerable to redlegged earth mite and lucerne flea in early growth. Monitor from emergence, control mites before sowing where history warrants, and use approved insecticides if numbers build. Healthy early establishment is key for Benatas Vetch and other legumes we stock.

Choose Common Vetch for drier areas (300mm+) and systems needing early grazing or grain, and Benatas Vetch for 350mm+ rainfall or as a companion for forage oats. Benatas is a purple vetch (Vicia benghalensis) that flowers later than Popany Vetch, sown at 20–40 kg/ha alone or 10–15 kg/ha in a mix. Common Vetch (Vicia sativa) is a shorter-season, early-maturing type sown at 40–45 kg/ha. Both suit loam to heavy soils.