Grasses

Cereal Rye has an excellent fibrous root system that alleviates surface compaction. Rye can be successful planted later then almost any other cover crop due to its low germination and growth temperature requirements. Cereal rye is known for being the best cereal crop at retaining residual N. It's typical for a fall planted cereal rye crop to scavenge on average 25 to 50 lbs of N, with cases scavenging in excess of 100 lbs of N. The vigorous spring growth has successful weed suppression through competition and allelopathic chemicals. Rye can be terminated in the spring through the alternative methods of rolling, mowing, or crimping after boot stage. Rye will out yield any other cereal crops when planted in droughty, infertile, or sandy soils.

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Cosaque black oats offer several advantages over traditional oats, including superior nutritional value, digestibility, palatability, and a robust tillering capacity. They exhibit forage yields comparable to cereal rye and demonstrate good winter hardiness, often serving as a winter annual crop in southern regions. Notably, these oats thrive even in low-quality soils, contributing to soil restoration and enrichment due to their exceptional root system. A great fall grazing option across the U.S. and a great overwintering grass as you get south of Interstate-70.

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Cereal Rye has an excellent fibrous root system that alleviates surface compaction. Rye can be successful planted later then almost any other cover crop due to its low germination and growth temperature requirements. Cereal rye is known for being the best cereal crop at retaining residual N. It's typical for a fall planted cereal rye crop to scavenge on average 25 to 50 lbs of N, with cases scavenging in excess of 100 lbs of N. The vigorous spring growth has successful weed suppression through competition and allelopathic chemicals. Rye can be terminated in the spring through the alternative methods of rolling, mowing, or crimping after boot stage. Rye will out yield any other cereal crops when planted in droughty, infertile, or sandy soils.

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Proso millet is one of the most drought tolerant and cost effective annual grasses. It is the shortest growing millet though it grows taller in the northern plains than it might in the central or southern plains. Heading out in less than 60 days, this is a great plant for game bird mixes.

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Japanese millet, known for its quick maturity, usually offers a lower forage yield compared to other millet varieties. However, it stands out for its superior post-maturity palatability when compared to foxtail millet and its impressive regrowth capabilities. Additionally, Japanese millet exhibits remarkable resilience to waterlogged soils, thriving even in standing water, making it a valuable choice for enhancing duck habitat and nourishment in food plots.

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Grain sorghum provides an excellent opportunity for feeding wildlife. The grain heads, which mature in late summer to early fall will attract the wildlife species and provide superior nutrition. Grain sorghum is an excellent option for upland birds in particular.

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Coes is a dual purpose sorghum developed in the arid, high plains of eastern Colorado. It is a cost effective addition to a warm season grazing or hay mix but can also be used in wildlife mixes since it will produce seed heads after about 60 days. This is a short to medium statured forage sorghum and has very good drought tolerance.

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Sweet Six Dry Stalk BMR is designed for use in haying or silage situations in non-arid environments. The stalk will shatter when harvested, helping to speed the dry down process. The BMR trait contributes to a highly digestible forage option for livestock.

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RC Big Rock Switchgrass is a new late season variety of upland switchgrass developed from Cave-in-Rock. This is a native perennial warm season grass that is extremely productive, reaching 8 feet tall on the best soils of the Midwest. It also establishes faster than most native grasses because it has larger seeds with reduced dormancy and more seedling vigor. RC Big Rock can grow 2 ft tall in 2 months in the seeding year. This is a multi-purpose variety to be used for wildlife habitat, soil conservation, and forage throughout the greater Midwest where annual rainfall averages 30-50”.

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Barley has relatively low water usage compared to other cover crop species, especially during earlier growth stages. Under poor fertility conditions, barley would be a good choice and can help render P & K available for your next crop. Barley provides a good feed quality grain that can be harvested 2-3 weeks earlier than wheat which then allows your double crop/cover to be planted sooner.

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Sudangrass is a super fast growing, fine stemmed warm season annual grass. If summer weed suppression was the goal, this would be one of the best species to accomplish that. Sudangrass is commonly crossed with sorghum to make sorghum-sudan which Takes the fast, tall growing, fine stemmed traits of sudangrass and combines it with the wider leaf and oftentimes higher forage quality of sorghum. For the best grazing digestibility, a BMR (brown midrib) sorghum sudan is usually used which has less lignin.

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Spring oats are an excellent choice for quick ground cover in the spring or fall. Rapid growth aids in stabilizing disturbed or bare soil from environmental conditions. Spring oats make a great addition to any spring grazing or forage mix providing ample tonnage for your livestock. Oats can be easily chemically terminated and fall plantings commonly winterkill. Residue from oats suppress winter annuals and protect the soil throughout the winter and will decompose rapidly in the spring. Allelopathic chemicals released by the decomposing residue suppress weed germination for a few weeks. The high quality oat forage is more palatable than rye or wheat. Also, oat is less prone to insect problems than either wheat or barley. 

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Extending the grazing season while protecting and building the soil is a great benefit of this species. The biomass N content can range from 1.3-2.4% and varies depending on the amount of residual N left from the previous crop. Reports of annual ryegrass having the potential to scavenge up to 200 lbs of residual N/A/yr have been recorded. Ryegrass can be very successfully broadcast into established row crops. Winter killed ryegrass can still provide weed suppression, soil protection and trap residual N until spring. Ryegrass attracts very few pest insects that could pester the next crop. With lower needed seeding rates per acre means you will spend less of freight an your applicator can remain in the drill or in the air longer. I like the deep roots of annual ryegrass but when considering it for more northern area, it must be established prior to hard freezing in order to have the best chance of winter survival. keith@greencoverseed.com

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This product cannot be shipped to AZ or CA. 813 is a winter triticale variety adapted to the Southern and Central Great Plains. This triticale is awnletted meaning it has very short beards. 813 is a medium maturity, rust and wheat streak mosaic tolerant variety. It should be used for forage production and is known for excellent silage yields.

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White wonder foxtail millet is used primarily for hay production. The stem is not as fine as Golden German Millet but it will get taller in height, approximately three feet, given adequate moisture. Expect to cut hay in approximately 50-55 days after planting. Windrow when heads begin emerging from the boot. Foxtail millet is also a great addition to summer grazing or wildlife mixes. 

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Pearl millet is among the best grazing or haying millet varieties. Exceed BMR Pearl Millet also offers the BMR trait allowing the animal to better digest the plant for optimal nutritional efficiency to the animal. Pearl millet is very adaptable to its growing environment with great tillering allowing for more forage and better ground coverage with less seed.

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Meadow brome is a bunchgrass resembling smooth brome but behaving more like orchard grass, only with more drought tolerance. Like orchard grass, it has good regrowth and is one of the better grasses for stockpiling in winter, though it is still distinctly inferior to fescue for that purpose.

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Orchardgrass is a bunchgrass that regrows well through the summer and fall compared to most cool season grasses. New varieties such as Devour are much more drought tolerant and less susceptible to rust. As a result these varieties can be used in the Central Plains with good success. Orchardgrass is commonly seen in the wetter climates of the Eastern US and is a favorite among horse owners.

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Estancia is an erect leaf tall fescue that works great for winter stockpiling and has excellent drought tolerance. This grass maintains superior quality throughout the winter, often holding over 14% protein and above 70% digestibility. This grass also provides excellent forage for the spring and fall and will not pose any problems with endophyte toxicity. The novel or “friendly” endophyte in Estancia allows the grass to maintain a high level of toughness, but will not be toxic to livestock.

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Xtra Graze BMR is a basic BMR sorghum sudangrass. This highly digestible forage sorghum sudan is great for forage situations, where no additional sorghum sudan traits are needed.  

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Teton II Tall Fescue is a high yielding, endophyte-free tall fescue variety suited for a multitude of environments. This tall fescue is deep-rooted, medium maturity, with excellent heat and drought tolerance. Learn more about Teton II Tall Fescue here. 

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Annual ryegrass stands out as a captivating and remarkable grass within the realm of cover crops. It offers a plethora of advantages, including winter grazing, impressive yields, and an often underrated impact on breaking through compacted soils. Notably, tetraploid ryegrass boasts rapid establishment, extended and broader leaves, but that comes with a reduced cold tolerance when compared to its diploid annual ryegrass.

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Sweet Cane Max is a medium maturity male sterile, forage sorghum. This hybrid fits well in a high-quality forage production or grazing operations. It has superior standability to other hybrids. Sweet Cane should be used in single cutting/grazing or winter grazing scenarios.  When drying conditions are favorable it can be used for hay. Usually it is cut once the plant has headed out for highest sugar content or used for winter stockpile grazing. Sweet Cane will not produce grain unless pollinated with other sorghums, so isolation is recommended to protect sterility.

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This product can only be shipped from our online store to NE, KS, OK, TX, WY, SD, MO, and IA. If you're in the Eastern ⅓ of CO, please call (402)469-6784 to order. Forage FX 1001 Triticale is a beardless, high yielding forage forage triticale which can produce great tonnage on dryland acres. Forage FX 1001 is also the most cold tolerant triticale we offer. The reduced awn expression makes this variety an excellent option for grazing or haying. With excellent forage yield potentials this variety gives you the tonnage and the quality you are looking for. Forage FX 1001 is known to produce high amounts of forage even in low rainfall environments such as the western Great Plains regions. 

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Teff makes a very palatable hay and is well accepted by all livestock types. Teff can be difficult to establish. It has a very tiny seed, much smaller than an alfalfa seed. It must be planted very shallow, about one-eighth of an inch deep, or seedlings will not emerge. Seedlings also need a week or so of moist soil to become established well enough to survive. This shouldn't be a problem with irrigation.

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Notice: This product may NOT be used for grain production, seed production, or mechanically harvested forage. Cereal Rye has an excellent fibrous root system that alleviates surface compaction. Rye can be successful planted later then almost any other cover crop due to its low germination and growth temperature requirements. Cereal rye is known for being the best cereal crop at retaining residual N. It's typical for a fall planted cereal rye crop to scavenge on average 25 to 50 lbs of N, with cases scavenging in excess of 100 lbs of N. The vigorous spring growth has successful weed suppression through competition and allelopathic chemicals. Rye can be terminated in the spring through the alternative methods of rolling, mowing, or crimping after boot stage. Rye will out yield any other cereal crops when planted in droughty, infertile, or sandy soils.

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This medium maturing forage sorghum offers the BMR and male sterile traits. Excellent option for single cut harvested forage, or stockpile grazing. The male sterile trait will help ensure no pollination assuming there are no other sorghum, sorghum sudan, or sudan grass stands nearby. 

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Intermediate wheatgrass is probably the most productive of the western grasses, relatively equal to orchard grass, tall fescue, or smooth brome in yield potential, with much more drought tolerance. It is a strong bunchgrass and tends to lose quality upon maturity. 

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SugarCrest Festulolium is a perennial ryegrass crossed with meadow fescue. This grass exhibits superior forage quality, winter-hardiness, drought tolerance, and excellent seedling vigor. This is a great option for anyone looking for a high yielding, high quality forage. Learn more about SugarCrest Festulolium here. 

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Timothy grass has excellent palatability while vegetative. It is an excellent species to use for hay, especially for horses. Though many varieties lack drought, heat, and grazing tolerance, Carson timothy is an improved variety and can be added to any cool season pasture. 

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Notice: This product may NOT be used for grain production, seed production, or mechanically harvested forage. Rye has an excellent fibrous root system that alleviates surface compaction. Rye can be successful planted later then almost any other cover crop due to its low germination and growth temperature requirements. Cereal rye is known for being the best cereal crop at retaining residual N. It's typical for a fall planted cereal rye crop to scavenge on average 25 to 50 lbs of N, with cases scavenging in excess of 100 lbs of N. The vigorous spring growth has successful weed suppression through competition and allelopathic chemicals. Rye can be terminated in the spring through the alternative methods of rolling, mowing, or crimping after boot stage. Rye will out yield any other cereal crops when planted in droughty, infertile, or sandy soils.

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