Summer Annuals can produce a lot of forage in a short period of time during the summer months. Heat, moisture, and fertility will make them very productive. When moisture is short, they will wait for the rain. Our newer varieties will change the way you think about this excellent low cost crop. They can be grazed or harvested for silage or balage. Most of them work very well in double-crop situations after wheat or small grain harvest. Some of them can also work to repair a thin alfalfa stand and be drilled into it right after first cutting. Most grazing farms should devote a small percentage of their acres to some summer annuals to produce more forage during the “summer slump” period when cool season grasses are less productive.
