Ryegrass is known as the highest quality grass!  This is especially true when it comes to digestibility and sugars, which means higher energy.  Cows milk more, stay in better body condition, and may even breed better on a Ryegrass diet (versus and Orchardgrass or Alfalfa diet) whether it’s in a grazing, or a haylage system.  Ryegrass is harder to dry for hay

Under ideal conditions, plenty of fertility and moisture, Ryegrass may out yield Alfalfa.  And, if harvested or grazed at a young stage, it’s a better feed. 

Ryegrass comes in many different forms: Perennial, hybrid, Italian and annual.  Besides this, it can be in two different forms, Diploid, or Tetraploid.

Diploids have 2 sets of chromosomes (one set from male and female just like all animals).  Diploid Ryegrasses have smaller features compared to Tetraploids (4 sets of chromosomes).  They have smaller cells, finer leaves, smaller seeds and in general a shorter more tillering plant.  Diploids in general persist longer under grazing than Tetraploids.

Tetraploids have 4 sets of chromosomes (2 sets from male and female).  Tetraploids have larger cells which increase the proportion of cell contents thereby increasing the sugar content, quality and palatability.  They also have wider leaves and larger seed which give excellent seedling vigor.  The down side of bigger seed, however is the seeding rate needs to be bumped up.  Tetraploids tend to be more upright and in general are less dense.  This trait makes them more compatible with legumes and hays.  Disease tolerance is usually higher in Tetraploids.  However, grazing persistency is not quite as good (newer varieties are much better) as diploids but animal productivity is higher.

Should I use a Tetraploid or Diploid on my farm?  There are several opinions in the world.  The following is our thoughts.  For mechanical harvest we recommend Tetraploids.  For grazing it depends.  If the paddocks are managed well (not grazed hard) and the herd is being fed stored feed and grazing, Tetraploids would work well for few reasons.  First, Tetraploids are more like candy the cows will dig into them and their palatability will increase the dry matter intake.  The higher quality combined with increased dry matter intake will increase milk production.  Tetraploids are also more compatible with legumes and a good legume grass mix is the drive of pasture productivity.  (A goal for legumes is 30% by dry matter, in the field this looks like a lot of legume)

If the paddocks are grazed hard then diploids are the product of choice.  Most of our mixes how have both Diploids and Tetraploids in them.  Occasionally, we have seen palatability problems with straight diploids not mixed with legumes and other species.  We do not have all the answers, but fields with fertility imbalances and letting diploids get too tall seem to be associated with this problem.  Also because Diploids are very dense there is quite often more feed in the pasture than what the producers realizes.  Diploids should be grazed with they reach 6 to 8 inches.  Tetraploids can be grazed at higher heights and still maintain high palatability

Ryegrass keeps growing longer in the fall than most grasses.  It’s not very drought tolerant, but if fertility is kept very high and it’s not overgrazed.  It can be almost as drought tolerant as Orchardgrass.  Hot weather and especially warm nights with moisture really slows down growth.  As long as the nights stay cool, it can take a lot of daytime heat.

Note: Moorman’s laboratory test results of pasture clippings of a blend of BG 14 and BG 34: 27.6% protein  .88NEL  RFV 192

Perennial Ryegrass  -Order Now-
Perennial Ryegrass is very productive in the spring and fall months.  Summer productivity is very dependent on weather.  For this reason we often recommend mixing Perennial Ryegrass with more drought tolerant grasses that have good palatability and legumes to fill in the summer slump.  However, when good growing conditions are present you can not beat Perennial Ryegrass.  Most of our premium pasture mixes contain at least some Perennial Ryegrass.  Deep moist soils with excellent fertility will keep Ryegrass productive for 3 to 10 years depending on weather extremes and management.

Be careful when turning cows out on Ryegrass in the morning with a heavy frost as it really slows down its regrowth (only for the next growth).  Wait until the frost is melted off. 

• Perennial Ryegrasses. . .  Why all the confusion?

• What is the difference between Diploids and Tetraploids?

• Why are some companies saying Diploids are better and others saying Tetraploids are better?

• Both types have their own advantages.  We try to stock the best that can be found of each.

In the past, Tetraploids were not very dense and had a lot of stem at maturity.  The newer varieties are denser and a little more tillering.  There is a big difference from the old Tetraploids that are on the market and the new ones coming out from the European market like Barfort, Bargala and also a new exciting Tetraploid coming from Romania where Mara originates.  The new Diploids are also more palatable. 

The New Zealanders say, “If you want maximum milk production per acre, plant Diploids.  If you want high production per cow (while feeding some stored feed,) plant Tetraploids”. 

Another confusion in the past has been with hybrids.  Intermediants like Bison, Polly, Bestfore, etc. are not true Perennial Ryegrasses.  True perennials will not produce as much seed and be as stemmy, if fertility is good in the summer.  Hybrids and intermediants are crosses between perennial and Italian perennial and annual, or anywhere in between in varying percentages.  Some of the newer hybrids and intermediants are good for more short-term hay or pasture.

Diploid Varieties

BG 34 from Barenbrug  -Order Now-

A Barenbrug blend of late European varieties including Mara.  This blend produces a very dense sward--the yield is higher than it looks.  The blend is very winter-hardy.

BG 34 has been rated by the Netherlands government as achieving the maximum ratings in tests and trials.  BG 34 is becoming the leading Perennial Ryegrass where all Ryegrasses are judge by it.  It is a very heavy producer under high fertility and moisture.

With long leaves and short stem, BG 34 is winter-hardy.  It is fast to establish, even in less than ideal conditions.  It is very late maturing.  BG 34 makes less seedheads and stays leafier than any other Ryegrass we’ve seen.

BG 34 is becoming the standard of high quality pastures in the northern part of the USA.  Dairymen who harvest BG 34 report increase in milk production of up to ten pounds per-cow per-day.  Barenbrug is improving BG 34.  As newer, better varieties are released, they are added to the blend.  BG 34 is very late maturing, thus you get several more weeks of high quality harvesting in the spring. 

Mara from Barenbrug  -Order Now-
Mara is a medium-late variety out of Romania that has super winter-hardiness and summer tolerance.  This is one of the toughest and highest yielding Perennial Ryegrasses on the market.  Mara has excellent seeding vigor and wider leaves compared to most Diploids.  It is a component of BG 34 and many of our pasture mixes.

Tetraploids Varieties 

REMINGTON  -Order Now-

A new release tetraploid from Barenbrug that is both high yielding and very winter hardy. Also has excellent forage quality and disease tolerance. We will continue to monitor this new variety as it looks very promising.

Remington was the best looking ryegrass in our test plots in the drought and heat of 2005, although it did have more summer headiness than our other tetraploid varieties. 

Perennial Ryegrass Silage Tips

1. Works great when planted with alfalfa to increase tonnage and digestible energy.
2. High sugar, ensiles fast!
3. Great for haylage or balage - does not dry down very easily.
4. Harvest to about 3" height.
5. Very sensitive to nitrogen - apply 40-50 units of actual nitrogen in spring and again after each harvest.

DIPLOID/TETRAPLOID BLENDS

DAIRY ELITE HP from Byron Seeds -Order Now-

The HP stands for High Palatability. A tetraploid diploid blend of some of the best available on the market. Byron Seeds put this together as their premium blend of perennial ryegrass. Mara is one of the most durable, winter-hardy, drought tolerant, high yield, dense, ryegrass available. Plus it has a new tetraploid perennial ryegrass just released from Europe. In trials, it is performing better than virtually any other perennial ryegrass. The Tetraploid ryegrass ensures high digestibility, yield, palatability, and sugars. Dairy Elite HP is for your best soils. As better varieties come, Dairy Elite HP will be upgraded.

BG 24T from Barenbrug  -Order Now-
A new blend of Perennial Ryegrass.  A little earlier growing than BGT 34 with excellent yield capability and good winter-hardiness. 

• Excellent companion the highly successful BG 34

• High yielding, high quality Perennial Ryegrass blend

• Gives good early spring growth – better for more free draining soils

• The right combination of palatability and persistence

• In European studies Barnhem has proved to be very high in sugars

• Mara gives good winter-hardiness and Barfort is very dense

• Bargala is an exciting new Tetraploid with very high yields
   

Byron’s Ryegrass Blend From Byron Seeds-Tetraploid/Diploid Blend. 
-Order Now-
A blend of excellent Ryegrasses know for their superior quality, yield.  Very palatable and winter-hardy.  80:20 Tetraploid/Diploid ratio. 

Dairy Plus From Byron Seeds   -Order Now-
This is our most palatable mix and should make the highest milk yields, but requires the best soils.  The Bargala is a high sugar Tetraploid Ryegrass that is very palatable.  Mara, a component of BG 34, is a very persistent Diploid that can survive both droughts and harsh winters.  The Barfort is a Tetraploid Ryegrass.  The Barliza Timothy is extremely palatable.  The clover add nitrogen fixation, palatability and animal productivity.  Replaces BG 23 plus.  Most adapted to the cooler climates of the Midwest.

We reserve the right to replace any of these ingredients with comparable or equal products. 

Italian Ryegrass 
This is a fast establishing biennial that will last 2-3 years if conditions are favorable (mild winters and not too hot and dry in summer).  However, production is best in the first year and goes downhill afterwards.  Italian Ryegrass planted in the spring will not go to heat the first summer (neither does perennial), but biennial production will suffer if we get a hot dry summer.  Spring seedling works great in the northern states if moisture is plentiful.  If seeded in the fall, it is rooted better by springtime and the yields will be much higher.  However, once it has gone past its heading date, it heads a lot during the summer until a bout mid August when it calms down.  The bulk of its production is from early April to early June, with another good spurt in the fall.

As a cover/double crop, Italian Ryegrass provides higher quality forage than Rye, Triticale, wheat, etc.  In fact, if it’s harvested at the proper stage, it will be a better forage than high quality Alfalfa.  Cows will milk better, be healthier and stay in better body condition.  All of this can be done while feeding LESS GRAIN, if ration is properly balanced!

Ryegrasses will build organic matter faster than Grain Rye.  We see great potential for Italian Ryegrass in double cropping systems with corn silage, soybeans or sorghum.  Plant a shorter season corn and have Italian Ryegrass in the ground by the first week of September.  Then take a cutting off in the fall (or graze it) and another cutting about April 15 and again about May 10.  If you’re not in a hurry to plant corn, you can cut it again about June 1.  It needs lots of Nitrogen, so apply some after each cutting.

With this system and a highly-digestible corn silage (such as Baldridge or Masters Choice), you ca reduce the amount of grain and Alfalfa needed and reduce the cost of milk production, while maintaining a high herd average and cow health.  Italian Ryegrass is very digestible and higher in sugars than small grains, etc.  It works really great for fall and spring grazing too!

Researchers in Maryland have reported Ryegrass yields as high as 8,000lbs per acre on a dry matter basis when planted as a double crop with corn.  This builds more organic matter than small grains, but requires lots of Nitrogen.  It must be mold board plowed or sprayed with Roundup, etc. before planting corn.  Chiseling and discing will not kill it!  Italian Ryegrass works great no-till, drilled into old Alfalfa fields or pastures in the fall to boost yield and quality the following spring. 

Note: When buying Italian Ryegrasses make sure you get an Italian Ryegrass that was grown on certified Annual Ryegrass free soil, especially for spring seeding.  Where virtually all the Italian Ryegrass is grown, the soil is contaminated with annual seed and contamination can be as high as 5%-30%.  To our knowledge, there is not company except Barenbrug that tries to grow certified free of annual seed.  Green Spirit and Barextra are also annual free ryegrasses. 

Green Spirit from Barenbrug – Now contains Barextra  -Order Now-

This is a premium, late-maturing blend of Tetraploid and Diploid Italian Ryegrass, benefiting from the diversity of the two, and performing very well over the last 4 years.  Green Spirit is probably the singe most used Italian Ryegrass in the Midwest because of its fast establishment, high yield, and overall performance.  We have a lot of good comments on Green Spirit.  Green Spirit will be upgraded with a new release in the fall of 2003.

Triticale Plus From Byron Seeds  -Order Now-
A blend of Italian Ryegrass and Tritcale.

Barextra from Barenbrug  -Order Now-
A new release Tetraploid that stays leafy longer into the summer.  Out of 30 varieties, it was one of the top in yield in IA screening trials.  We are expecting Barextra to be one of the best releases into the Midwest for years to come.  High quality, high sugars.  In our test plots, Barextra looks very impressive number one of all Italian Ryegrasses.

Annual Ryegrass (westerwolds)  -Order Now-

If compared to Green Spirit, Annual Ryegrass:

• Will head out earlier in the spring

• Does not stay leafy after going to heads

• Will headout VERY MUCH in summer, if seeded in spring

• Is not as winter-hardy or persistent

• Has the same high feed value if properly managed

• May establish a bit faster

• Mainly to be used South of 1-70

Jumbo from Barenbrug  -Order Now-
A new release Tetraploid with very good winter-hardiness.  Faster starting in the spring than the Italian Ryegrass.  This new Tetraploid variety may serve the same purpose as Green Spirit for those who want only a cutting in the fall and one in the spring, and are looking for lower priced seed!  Caution!  Jumbo is not as winter-hardy as Green Spirit and will go to head much earlier in the spring.  It has survived several winters in Northern Maryland, Southern Indiana, and Southern Pennsylvania with no problem, but they were not really hard winters.  Jumbo has out yield Marshall, Rio, and many other annual Ryegrasses in southern trials.