Grass And Cover Crops Seeded In September Can Provide Valuable Forage Next Spring

Producers needing extra forage should take a look at the yields and quality Penn State has been getting with grasses and cover crops planted in September.

The 2016 forage growing season is turning out to be a challenging one here in Central PA. Alfalfa and grass seeded in April resulted in very poor stands for many. This was due to a long drawn out cold spell that lasted for nearly a month. We are now experiencing a dry spell and very warm temperatures, further reducing potential forage yields.
If the 2016 growing season is looking bleak and you are hoping to get an extra boost next spring, cool season forage crops may offer a critical boost to your forage needs. The Penn State Forage Variety Trials Program has been conducting a short-lived grass and cover crops trial for several years. The window for planting is following corn silage harvest, which for this area is mid-September. The trial consists of many varieties of annual ryegrass, triticale and some cover crop mixes. We have consistently seen excellent yields and very good quality in this trial.
The ryegrass is managed using a single or multi-cut system. Varieties in the multi-cut system are cut 3 times. When they reach approximately 20” or the flag leaf stage, typically May 1st, we take the first harvest (2.6 tons/acre* average) and subsequent cuts are made every 3 weeks. The average yield for the 3 cuts combined this season was 5.2 tons/acre*.

The ryegrass managed using the single-cut system is cut only once at the early-mid boot stage, before seed head emergence. (May 11-16th) The average yield this season was 4 tons/acre*.
Triticale and rye has also have performed consistently well. This season we saw a 3.5 tons/acre* average and harvest dates between April 29th and May 11th.

The current level of interest in cover crops is very high. The “value added” benefits of cover crops and cover crop mixes such as soil enrichment and protection as well as an increase in bio-diversity is important to many growers. This can be achieved along with a high quality yield.

Source:psu.edu