3.7 Crops for Stockfeeding ( Table 1)
Areas of stockfeeding crops declined between 2006 and 2008, which coincided with a greater rate of decline in cattle and sheep numbers. The area has remained fairly stable between 2008 and 2010 but declined in 2011 by 3,048 hectares (13.2%) to 19,989 hectares, possibly due to farmers responding to higher prices in cereals and switching crops. It is likely that other sources for feeding livestock will have been bought in or livestock will have been put out to graze for longer. There has been a marked reduction in the area of turnips and swedes over the past 10 years, contrasting with increases in "other" stockfeeding crops.
Chart 8: Trends in Stockfeeding crops, 2001 to 2011
