Forage Varieties

Perennial Grasses

Alfalfa may still be the queen, but perennial grasses are starting to storm the castle, at least in the Northeast. Dairy management decisions are being affected more and more by environmental and manure management concerns. Grasses have several advantages over alfalfa: they do not fix atmospheric N to add to the N surplus on many dairy farms; they offer a much better option for manure management than does alfalfa; grasses are also a very good option when considering intensive grazing management. Grass production for high-quality dairy feed, however, requires a higher level of management than alfalfa.

Reed Canarygrass

Reed canarygrass is attracting new attention as a fast-recovering grass for intensive pasture programs as well as for hay or haylage. Reed canarygrass is a vigorous, tall-growing grass with ability to adapt to diverse soil conditions. Until recently its primary uses were in waterways, ditch banks, and other areas where water stood for part of the year. However, reed canarygrass is also one of the most drought resistant of forage grasses. This adaptability helps this grass do well over a wide range of pasture conditions. Reed canarygrass grows fast in the spring and heads in late May. The first growth should be harvested early as pasture or hay to prevent it from becoming too stemmy. Reed canarygrass quality can be best maintained by frequest grazing or mowing throughout the season.

Reed canarygrass can be planted in a mixture with alfalfa. Reed canarygrass produces a very weak seedling, and until more research is done, establishing alfalfa-­reed canarygrass with a companion crop (small grains or small grain-­pea mixtures) is not recommended. Because no chemicals are cleared for weed control in alfalfa-­reed canarygrass, a late summer seeding, when weed competition is less, may be better than a spring seeding.

PALATON and VENTURE (several companies), and RIVAL (Seedway), and BELLVUE (AgriCulver)are varieties highly preferable to common strains. These varieties were bred for high palatability. They are low in alkaloid chemicals found in common reed canarygrass that reduce animal intake and performance. These varieties are well adapted to New York and New England. Seed supplies of reed canarygrass are often short. Seed left over from last year should be tested by a certified seed testing laboratory.

Timothy

Timothy is the most popular grass with New York farmers, who routinely sow it in mixtures with alfalfa, red clover, and trefoil (Table 1). Timothy provides stand insurance when legumes die out and helps fend off weed encroachment. Farmers presently sow timothy legume mixtures on more than two-thirds of New Yorkıs hay crop acreage.

CLIMAX flowers five to seven days after common timothy. Climax leaves stay green longer than those of common timothy, so its feeding quality is higher.

CHAZY (Seedway) and TUPPER (Agway) are new varieties bred in New York for New York conditions. Both are earlier than Climax. They are tall, yet resist lodging. Both are vigorous with high yield potential. These are early varieties, bred to fit with modern alfalfa varieties.

Other early varieties include RICHMOND (Agway), MARIPOSA (AgriCulver), TIMMORE (Chemgro), and BILBO (DLF Trifolium). TRIBUNE (Agway) and OUTLAW (UAP)are medium in maturity. Later varieties include COMTALL (Seedway), BARLIZA (Barenbrug), EXTEND (Chemgro), and INTENSO (DLF Trifolium).

COMMON timothy is widely adapted and produces high yield with good management. It produces high-quality hay if cut in early June.

Smooth Bromegrass

Smooth bromegrass has been a popular choice for mixtures with alfalfa (Table 1) but will not survive under intensive alfalfa management. Bromegrass will have difficulty persisting in alfalfa fields cut three to four times per year, particularly if the first cut is taken early. Since bromegrass produces more regrowth than timothy, it fits better where one or more harvests can be pastured. Bromegrass forms a strong sod and does well for hay, haylage, or silage. With supplemental nitrogen, bromegrass can maintain a high yield potential.

SARATOGA (Cornell) continues as a popular variety in New York. It has strong yield and vigorous regrowth potential. Seed supplies may be short.

BELMONT (Agway), BRAVO (Seedway), and RADISSON (Hoffman) can yield well and seem adapted to New York conditions.

Orchardgrass

Orchardgrass can be established in either early spring, late summer, or as a frost seeding in late winter before the frost is out. Orchardgrass is vigorous and leafy, producing more summer regrowth than timothy or bromegrass. Orchardgrass heads very early, in late May or early June. Its best use is in mixtures with alfalfa designed for early harvest and summer grazing (Table 1). Early cutting is important with all orchardgrass varieties, though later-maturing strains hold quality longer.

Later-maturing varieties include PENNLATE (several companies), SHAWNEE and HAYMATE (Agway), PIZZA and ORION (AgriCulver), ARCTIC (CHEMGRO), BARIDANA (Barenbrug), BRONC (UAP), and SPARTA and ATHOS (DLF Trifolium). Early varieties include RENEGADE and QUICKDRAW (Chemgro).

Other superior varieties include HAYMATE (Agway), LIBRA (AgriCulver), and OVERLAND (Barenbrug).

Ryegrasses

Forage-type perennial ryegrasses can be grown for hay or pasture, seeded alone or with legumes. Ryegrasses tend to be finer stemmed than most other forage grasses and so can be highly palatable. However, they can also be shorter and lower yielding. They tend to stop growth in dry weather and may be winter sensitive, particularly in northern New York. Ryegrass is highly competitive, so seeding rates should be held at 4 pounds or less per acre in mixtures with alfalfa. Varieties include PRANA and TETRAMZX (Seedway), AUBISQUE, ELGON, HERBIE, and MONGITA (AgriCulver), TETRAPLUS and BARFORTE (Barenbrug) and POLLY and CALIBRA (DLF Trifolium).

Annual (Italian type) ryegrass can be spring seeded as a one-year forage grass for multiple harvests of high-quality silage, baylage, or grazing. Or it can be sown up to midsummer as an emergency forage for late summer and fall feed. Italian ryegrass can also serve as a nurse crop with alfalfa or clover. Seeding rates should be 25 to 35 pounds per acre when grown alone, 4 pounds per acre when sown as a nurse crop. Italian ryegrass seed is carried by several seed companies. Discuss variety choice with your seed supplier. Choose certified seed to assure you're getting true Italian ryegrass. This will protect you from getting another ryegrass type (Westerwold), which can become a weed.

Tall Fescue

Tall fescue is a long-lived grass that can produce high yields of forage for pasture or hay. However, tall fescue probably serves best in pasture situations. Be sure to purchase endophyte (fungus) free seed. Superior varieties include BARCEL and TF-33 (Barenbrug), FESTIVAL (Seedway), JOHNSTONE and SELECT (Agway), SEINE and FUEGO (AgriCulver), DESPERADO (UAP), and CARMINE (DLF Trifolium).