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Superintendent
David Davis
21262 Genoa Road
Linneus, MO 64653
Phone: 660 895-5121
FAX: 660 895=5122
Email: DavisDK@missouri.edu

Forage Systems Update
Vol 9, No. 4

Winter Annual Forages

One of the challenges facing livestock producers in pasture-based systems is providing high quality forage late in the growing season and into the winter dormant season. Winter annual forages offer an opportunity for extending the grazing season for animals with higher nutrient requirements much later than stockpiled perennial pastures can provide. Dr. Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri State Forage Extension Specialist, has been conducting evaluation of winter annual forages at several Missouri locations over the last few years. Preliminary results from Dr. Kallenbach's research at MU Southwest Research Center can be found at the following website: http://www.psu.missouri.edu/agron/.

As the name implies, winter annuals are sown in late summer or early fall and typically flower the following spring. Most producers are familiar with winter annuals in the form of wheat and rye. A number of other options are available including annual ryegrass, several legumes, and several types of brassicas. All of these species tend to grow better at lower temperatures than do perennial cool season grasses or legumes. Forage quality is also typically quite high late in the year as they tend to remain fully vegetative during late autumn and early winter. High forage quality is what allows winter annuals to serve as a replacement for hay, and often grain supplementation, in the diets of high nutrient requiring livestock such as fall-calving cows or weanling calves or lambs.

Annual ryegrass has provided fairly consistent production in both fall and spring at Mt. Vernon, Columbia, and Linneus. Several varieties have been evaluated and, while all have performed reasonably well, there are significant yield differences among varieties. Annual ryegrass seems to be a more manageable forage in the spring than cereal rye due to later maturity and less rapid quality decline as seed stems begin to elongate.

The annual legumes included in the studies provided very little forage in the autumn or winter, but significant amounts were harvested in the spring. Early maturity and loss of palatability are problems with some of the legumes, such as hairy vetch and crimson clover. Winter annual legumes may be a valuable component in a mixture, but are likely to be disappointing if sown alone.

Brassica crops evaluated include turnips, kale, rape, collards, and rutabaga. Forage dry matter yields at FSRC were highly variable with some species producing significantly more forage than ryegrass and others producing significantly less. One kale variety had produced approximately 3.5 tons of forage per acre by early December compared to about 2 tons for most of the ryegrass varieties. Brassica forage typically deteriorates rapidly with increasing cold weather and should be utilized by January 1. Ryegrass forage is more stable and can be utilized later into the winter, though it is not nearly as durable as stockpiled tall fescue.

The recent trend toward milder winters in the Midwest have encouraged the expanded use of winter annuals in the region. We need to remain aware that a return to more severe winters could restrict the use of winter annuals, but they should certainly be a consideration for many producers.

Jim Gerrish, Editor
GerrishJ@missouri.edu