ryegrass = a winner?

shedder

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180103101139.htm

Alfalfa loss? Annual ryegrass is a win

Annual forage crops offset losses from alfalfa winterkill
Date:
January 3, 2018
Source:
American Society of Agronomy
Summary:
In the U.S., alfalfa is grown mainly in western and northern states. The cold winters and other factors can lead to losses for farmers and forage shortages. Researchers have identified annual forage crops that can be cultivated in fields with winter-killed or terminated alfalfa.
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Meet alfalfa, a perennial legume used mainly as high-quality feed for dairy cattle. Alfalfa is also used as feed for beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. It's high in protein (16-20% crude protein). It contains a lot of calcium and other minerals and vitamins. It contributes billions of dollars to the United States economy annually.

But alfalfa faces a cold challenge.

In the U.S., alfalfa is grown mainly in western and northern states. The cold winters and other factors in many of these states can damage alfalfa crops. That can lead to losses for farmers and forage shortages.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are working to help farmers offset losses caused by alfalfa winterkill. They are trying to identify annual forage crops that can be cultivated in fields with winter-killed or terminated alfalfa.

"Planting annual forage crops into terminated alfalfa is an economically viable strategy in response to alfalfa winterkill," explains M. Scott Wells. Wells is an extension specialist at the University of Minnesota.

However, net economic returns can vary depending on which forage crop is planted. Different forage crops have different characteristics, including yield, nutritive value, tolerance to frequent cutting, and whether they can take root and grow-that is, be established-efficiently.

Wells and his colleagues identified annual ryegrass as the forage crop with the highest net returns when planted into terminated alfalfa in Minnesota test sites.

Finding forage crops that can help farmers offset losses due to alfalfa winterkill will have widespread benefits. In 2013, 93% of alfalfa growers surveyed in Wisconsin and Minnesota reported alfalfa winterkill or injury. Many reported alfalfa losses that were greater than 60%.

But why not simply re-plant alfalfa into the killed or injured alfalfa stands? Older alfalfa release chemicals that can reduce the productivity of newly-seeded alfalfa, and in some cases kill the new stands. "Even if the alfalfa plants do live, there is a chance the plants will be less productive," says Wells. "It's best to rotate to silage or a small grain forage crop."

The researchers grew seven different forage crops on terminated alfalfa. They also tested a mixture of annual ryegrass and red clover. They measured yield, nutritive value, how the crops were affected by nitrogen fertilizer, and economic viability.

The study found that the highest yielding forage crops didn't necessarily have the highest economic returns. For example, teff-a grain-and Sudangrass often had the highest yields. But they also provided lower nutritive values. That lowered their economic returns.

On the other end of the spectrum was annual ryegrass, with high yields and high nutritive value. It also established consistently across study sites and years.

"Our work suggests that annual ryegrass is the most reliable and economically viable option to providing early season forage with alfalfa winterkill," says Wells.

The researchers also tested whether applying nitrogen fertilizer increased economic returns. In general, it didn't. At study sites, nitrogen from terminated alfalfa was often enough to meet the needs of the forage crops. Applying nitrogen fertilizer usually didn't lead to increases in economic returns.

Wells shares research findings through field days, workshops, and newsletters. "The goal is that our research and education will aid farmers in making changes that improve their economic outlook," he says.


Materials provided by American Society of Agronomy. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

  1. Daniel Raskin, M. Scott Wells, Julie M. Grossman, Jeffrey A. Coulter, Craig C. Sheaffer. Yield and Economic Potential of Spring-Planted, Pea–Barley Forage in Short-Season Corn Double-Crop Systems. Agronomy Journal, 2017; 109 (6): 2486 DOI: 10.2134/agronj2017.01.0029
 
Ryegrass is a curse word to most Ag farmers. It spreads and has very little value except as a fast growing erosion control. You select the wrong ryegrass as there are several kinds and you are in for a fight to ever try to eradicate it. Grass has no place in a deer food plot except to show green growth when other seeds just don’t grow or conditions are not right. Look at many of the BOB seed mixes, full of annual ryegrass.


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There are other things to plant that can and will break that "fragipan" layer without having the trouble that annual ryegrass has, in controlling it. I think cereal rye can do the same thing and is easier to control if you need to.
 
Note what they say about control in the second post.

Just because it is in an article does not bring value to what was said. What they also don’t tell is even the annual if allowed to go to seed is a prolific self seeder. The seeds are amazing at getting through vegetation and germinating, which is why it is added to many BOB seed mixes.

Now just to clarify I have roadways I keep mowed on our property that are in nice shape with natural grasses. I do see deer stop and grab a bite every once in a while as they roam or cross these areas. But these area are never the destination for deer on our property. They spend more time browsing coming through the timber than when on these well hidden mowed paths.


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I agree completely....I hate ryegrass. I have enough volunteer every year and it tends to takes over. I try to spray clethodim every fall to keep it in check.
 
You've got to be desperate for something green growing if you're planting annual ryegrass for deer, a waste of money imo. But it's an excellent planting on a heavily traveled vehicle access road where you want to control erosion and really don't want to attract deer. Last spring I attended a deer habitat seminar by Jim Ward from Whitetail Academy. He has a six year degree in wildlife biology, and one of the interesting things he said was that deer almost never eat grass, their stomach isn't designed for it because a deer's digestive system is a little different than cows, sika's, elk, and moose. Whitetail deer can only eat about 9% grass and digest it, if a whitetail deer has nothing available to eat except grass they will starve, therefore grass is a foodplotter's enemy. Annual ryegrass is a grass, whereas cereal rye is a grain that deer will readily graze, although it's generally considered to be less attractive than wheat and oats. Cereal rye is one of the most hardy winter crops, a good option for northern zone winter deer food. But ryegrass for deer? Nah, don't think so.
 
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What do you suggest for erosion control on logging roads? I have some that need to be planted this summer and it sounds like I don't want to plant rye grass. To note, I don't really want a ton of deer traffic on all of them.
 
Ryegrass works on logging roads for erosion control where you don't want deer. But NEVER, EVER bushhog it once it makes seed then get anywhere near a place you don't want it because you WILL get it.
 
Is there another option? I didn’t have time to seed my roads in October and a few good rains rutted them up pretty good. What about an aggressive clover like white Dutch?


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I planted a Buck on Bag mix that had sweet rye grass in it. It wasn't the nightmare everyone says it is.

Maybe my northern location winter kills it, or just the type that was in the mix.
 
I planted a Buck on Bag mix that had sweet rye grass in it. It wasn't the nightmare everyone says it is.

Maybe my northern location winter kills it, or just the type that was in the mix.

In areas where ryegrass winterkills its not a big deal, I know I never heard of the stuff before I started looking into cover crops. It has alot of potential in areas where small grains arent grown like my area. It puts down much bigger root system than rye and is great for interseeding into cash crops. Im in zone 5A and from what Ive been told ARG living through the winter here is not likely but can happen once in awhile. Havent played with it yet, but I see a ton of potential for it in my farming operation.
 
In areas where ryegrass winterkills its not a big deal, I know I never heard of the stuff before I started looking into cover crops. It has alot of potential in areas where small grains arent grown like my area. It puts down much bigger root system than rye and is great for interseeding into cash crops. Im in zone 5A and from what Ive been told ARG living through the winter here is not likely but can happen once in awhile. Havent played with it yet, but I see a ton of potential for it in my farming operation.

When using as a cover crop from what, I have read, they want the cold tolerant varieties as one of the university’s papers calls for 70% survival over winter (if I recall this number correctly as it has been a while).

20 inch root depth in fall sounds good but springtime showing depths of 40 inches sounds even better from a cropping standpoint. From a cover crop standpoint it sounds almost too good to be true but I don’t hear as much about it as I did a few years ago. I now hear more about 7 way and 12 way mixes.

One concern I foresee in the deer plot aspect is having the cover crop controlled early enough in the spring. Some will, but what about the guy that can’t get to his plots for what ever reason and lets this go to seed. The next thing he has it everywhere because he mowed it and unintentionally planted it into every other area after mowing.


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I agree with you for sure, guys who don't know what they are doing shouldn't mess with it. I'm looking into it for a somewhat cold tolerant cover to interseed into standing corn ahead of a another corn crop. It doesn't tie up as much N as rye and doesn't have as much above ground biomass.
 
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