Perennial Forages for Hay and Silage

Selecting the appropriate perennial species to grow as hay or silage requires an understanding of the soil and site characteristics, forage species adaptation characteristics, animal requirements, and the market demands for those selling hay. This fact sheet provides guidelines for selecting the optimal perennial forages for hay and silage production in Ohio.

Soil and Site Assessment

The choice of species is limited to those adapted to the local soil and climatic conditions. Soil surveys help identify the soil map unit and soil characteristics that affect forage crop production. Soil survey information can be found at Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices or online at the United States Department of Agriculture Web Soil Survey (websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app). Keep in mind that soil pH can be increased with lime, soil fertility can be improved with fertilizer and manure, and soil drainage can be improved with artificial drainage.

Soil drainage is one of the most important, difficult, and expensive characteristics to modify. Plant-related characteristics that influence suitability of forage species to a particular use are listed in Tables 1 and 2. Selecting species that can tolerate the prevailing soil and site conditions will reduce production risk.

Species and Variety Selection

Production goals, such as use of forage for grazing or using it for hay, animal performance, and overall forage quantity and quality, should be considered when selecting forage species for hay or silage production. Tables 1 and 2 outline the important characteristics for selecting the legumes or grasses for use as stored feed on your farm. Soil characteristics are listed first in Table 1 because these determine if a species is adapted to the soil conditions on the farm. Table 2 describes the primary strengths and limitations of each forage species in terms of management.

The tables in this fact sheet focus on species the authors consider to be the most suitable for stored-feed production and especially for hay use in our region. Other species adapted to Ohio that can be grown for stored feed have additional limitations. These species include alsike clover, birdsfoot trefoil, Kentucky bluegrass, reed canary grass, and several native warm-season grasses. These limitations make them less suitable or more difficult for hay and silage compared with the species shown in the tables. They may, however, fit specific situations, or they could be included as components in hay mixtures to achieve specific objectives. For more information on these additional grass species, refer to the Ohio Agronomy Guide Chapter 7 on forage production (extensionpubs.osu.edu/ohio-agronomy-guide-16th-edition-pdf/?searchid=0&search_query=agronomy+guide).

Production Objectives

Forage production objectives should reflect the dry matter and nutritional requirements of the livestock to be fed, and how those needs are met throughout the year. If the forage is grown for the cash hay market, select species with high market demand.

Management Constraints

Harvest management, storage management, and seasonal labor availability may influence forage species selection. For example, smooth bromegrass and timothy are better adapted to a three-cut schedule than a four-cut schedule. In contrast, orchardgrass and perennial ryegrass are well-adapted to four-cut or even five-cut schedules.

Disease and Insect Pressure

Resistance to diseases should be considered when selecting forage species and varieties. Investments in resistant varieties can reduce the intensity and frequency of scouting for insect pests. For example, select alfalfa varieties with high resistance to potato leafhopper if you are not prepared or able to monitor and control that pest with insecticides in a timely fashion.

Advantages of Pure Forage Stands

Pure grass or pure legume stands generally have fewer establishment, management, and utilization restrictions:

• Pure stands are easier to manage, as only one species needs to be kept productive.
• More herbicide options are available for weed control in pure stands.
• Forage quality is more consistent and predictable for pure stands. Higher forage quality is easier to achieve with pure legume stands, and the relationship between nitrogen fertilization rate and forage quality is more predictable for pure grass stands.

Advantages of Forage Mixtures

Many reasons exist to consider mixtures. Legumes and grasses complement each other, making the best of weather and soil conditions. Mixtures often provide more uniform seasonal production and may be higher yielding and more persistent over time than pure stands.

When combined in mixtures, grasses and legumes exhibit a number of desirable traits:

• Legumes may eliminate or at least reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer on pure grass stands.
• Legumes usually improve the forage quality of mixtures and slow the decline in quality with advancing maturity to provide a wider “window” for harvesting good quality forage.
• Legumes in mixtures also reduce the potential for nitrate poisoning and grass tetany compared with pure grass stands.
• Grasses reduce erosion on steep slopes because they have a fibrous root system.
• Grasses are competitive with weeds.
• Most grasses improve hay drying.
• Grasses lengthen the forage-stand life because they are more tolerant of mismanagement and poor soil conditions than legumes.

Selecting Forages for Mixtures

Keep mixtures simple. Seldom are more than two species justified in a seeding intended for hay or silage production. Simple mixtures are easier to manage and maintain than complex mixtures. Also, only a few species will persist for multiple seasons in a field.

Develop mixture combinations by carefully considering important criteria:

Adaptation

All species in the mixture should be adapted to the prevailing soil conditions (drainage, soil moisture holding capacity, soil pH, fertility, etc.).

Rate of Establishment

Combine species with similar seedling vigor. If one species has greater seedling vigor (e.g., perennial ryegrass) it may prevent establishment of a slower-establishing species (e.g., smooth bromegrass). In such mixtures, use a very low seeding rate for the species with greater seedling vigor. The most persistent plant species are often the least competitive in the seedling stage.

Growth Habit and Canopy Architecture

Different species will grow to different heights and produce leaves at different locations (Figure 1). Choosing species that have different canopy heights can reduce space competitions, and competition for light can be reduced when the shorter species has a denser canopy than the taller species.

Time of Maturity

Species and varieties in a mixture should mature at about the same time. If one species matures later, it should be the grass component. This allows the legume to be cut at the right stage without sacrificing quality. Grasses are generally more tolerant of cutting at an early stage than legumes. Specific varieties of grasses within a species can vary widely in maturity.

Persistence

Combine species in mixtures with similar persistence. An exception to this rule is the use of “companion crops,” fast-establishing short-lived perennials, or annual species used to achieve quick ground cover (e.g., ryegrasses and small grain species). Do not exceed recommended seeding rates of these temporary companions to avoid crowding out and failing to establish the more desirable perennials.

Management Compatibility

Select species that are well adapted to the intended cutting management. For example, orchardgrass is compatible with alfalfa on a four-cut schedule because it regrows quickly. But timothy and smooth bromegrass are more compatible with alfalfa on a three-cut schedule. Early and frequent cutting reduces the energy reserves of bromegrass and timothy, and crown buds may not develop sufficiently to elongate rapidly after the first cutting.

Post-cutting Regrowth

Alfalfa produces better during the summer months than red clover. Of the grasses, orchardgrass and tall fescue produce the best summer growth. Smooth bromegrass produces moderate to light regrowth after cutting, while timothy, and perennial ryegrass are usually low yielding in the summer months. Moisture and temperature conditions affect regrowth of cool-season grasses more than alfalfa.

Variety Selection

While variety selection is important, it is not as important as good management to achieve high yields of quality forage. Choosing the optimal variety can be a challenge, especially with the many varieties of some species now available. Variety-performance trial data from locations in your region can be very useful in selecting varieties well adapted to your farm. Review variety performance across locations and years when it is available. Many land grant universities have forage-variety testing programs. Consider reviewing variety-performance results from Penn State Extension, Field and Forage Crops Official Variety Testing Program (extension.psu.edu/penn-state-field-and-forage-crops-official-variety-testing-program), Michigan State University, Forage & Cover Crop Variety Testing (forage.msu.edu/publications), and University of Kentucky, Forage Variety Trials (forages.mgcafe.uky.edu/variety_trials).

Stable yield performance across many sites demonstrates that the variety is adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions that can occur on any given farm. Stable yield performance over years is especially important for long rotations. When selecting varieties, consider the disease and insect resistance needed for your farm. Also be careful to select varieties with relative maturity that matches the other components in the mixture and your intended cutting schedule.

Seeding Rates

Table 3 provides suggested seeding rates for pure stands of each species and seeding rates for simple mixtures containing one to three species. Table 3 lists seeding rates in terms of pure live seed (PLS). Be sure to adjust the actual seeding rate based on the percentage of PLS present in the seed lot being used. Calculate the PLS percentage using the information on the seed tag:

• % PLS = % Purity x % Total Germination

Then calculate the actual seeding rate:

• Actual lb/acre = lb PLS/acre | (% PLS x 100)

Many newer varieties are sold as coated seed. Adjust seeding rates upward to account for the percentage of the total weight that is the inert-coating material (this percentage is on the seed tag).

Seeding Dates

New seedings should only be made after corrective applications of lime and fertilizer are applied according to a soil test (preferably performed the fall of the year before seeding). See Nutrient Management of Forage Crops Intended for Hay (ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-0109) for more information on fertility recommendations. Plant forages early enough in the spring to allow the seedlings to become well established and vigorous before the hot and dry mid-summer months (Table 4). Weed competition also increases dramatically with late-spring seeding. Late-summer seedings must be completed early enough (generally early to mid-August) to allow the forage to become well established before killing frosts (Table 4). Generally, at least six weeks of growth is required before a killing frost for adequate winter survival. Do not harvest late summer and early fall seedings.

First-Year Management

Be sure to scout for weeds during the first 60 days after seeding the forage crop. Weeds that emerge with the new forage seedlings have the greatest potential to cause stand establishment problems. See the Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois Weed Control Guide (extensionpubs.osu.edu/category-2c-agricultural-weed-control-2026-pdf/?searchid=0&search_query=weed+control+guide) for specific recommendations on weed control.

Wait 60 to 70 days after seeding in the spring for a first harvest. This allows the plants to become well established with subsequent harvests at 30- to 35-day intervals. Red clover should not be allowed to bloom in the seeding year because this results in decreased stand vigor the following year. An early clipping of grasses when about 10-inches tall can improve tillering, as well as preventing annual weeds from going to seed. A final harvest during the seeding year should be made by early September.

Summary

Forage species selection is a critical first step to long-term profitable forage production. Selecting appropriate forage species for specific fields is a practical and important decision-making process. The selected forages should be adapted to the specific soil and management system. They should also be selected based on the feed requirements of the appropriate livestock or the demands of the cash hay market if hay is to be sold.

Additional Resources

• Forages, Ohio State University Extension
  (forages.osu.edu/home)