Legumes
Sunn Hemp
Sunn hemp is an erect, tall growing legume with an anchoring tap root. The leaves are high in protein for grazing and especially popular with small ruminants like sheep, goats, and deer, but cattle will also eat the leaves. The stalk is very lignified making this a poor species to use in a hay mix.
from $1.90 per lb
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Austrian Winter Peas
Austrian winter peas are good companions to fall mixes, especially when combined with hairy vetch. If planted in early fall, there can be good growth for fall grazing as a protein source in the mix and they will grow much later into the fall than spring peas. In order to maximize winter survival chances, winter peas need to be planted relatively late (about the middle of wheat planting season) and deep, up to 3 inches. These conditions will help protect the growing point of the pea and assists in survival in colder climates.
from $0.80 per lb
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4010 Non-GMO Spring Forage Pea
Spring peas are one of the fastest growing spring legumes. Planted in spring after the harshest winter cold has passed, spring peas will tolerate some light freezing. Peas are commonly planted with oats as a high quality spring feed either for hay or grazing or even a green manure.
from $0.65 per lb
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Mung Beans
Mung beans are a warm-season legume known for their remarkable heat tolerance and drought resistance. They exhibit rapid growth, maturing in just 65 days. One advantage of mung beans over cowpeas is that their seed pods remain intact, unlike cowpeas, making them an excellent source of late-fall protein for grazing livestock or wildlife. However, it's important to note that mung beans are highly susceptible to cold weather and require a minimum of 60 frost-free days to ensure successful growth. They can be used for both hay production and grazing and are compatible with peanut inoculant. Mung beans typically reach a height of around 3 feet and have a low to medium water usage. Their strengths lie in nitrogen fixation, forage production, and hay production.
from $1.23 per lb
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Cowpeas (Iron & Clay)
Cowpeas are one of the most popular warm season legumes. They love the heat, they tolerate drought, and they offer nitrogen fixation in a soil building mix, or higher protein in an annual grazing mix. Cowpeas have a long maturity which means when they are planted at the beginning of summer, they can achieve a lot of growth before temperatures cool down into fall.
from $1.25 per lb
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Common Vetch
Common vetch, is a valuable cover crop widely used in the industry. As a leguminous plant, it provides nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility. Common vetch's extensive root system prevents erosion and helps control weeds, making it a natural choice for sustainable farming. It enhances soil quality by adding organic matter, supports crop rotation systems, and provides early-season ground cover. Additionally, it can serve as a habitat for wildlife and, in some cases, offer forage for livestock. Common vetch's cold tolerance makes it suitable for various climates, but it is not nearly as cold tolerant as that of Hairy vetch.
from $1.60 per lb
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Hairy Vetch
Hairy vetch is the most cold tolerant winter annual legume. Tolerating temperatures as low as -30 degrees, this is best planted before the first frost in the fall and then it will resume growth in the spring. Hairy vetch is slower to green up and has slower spring growth compared to cereal rye and wheat but once it does get going, it grows very fast, doubling it’s growth each week through the month of May. With patience and a delayed corn planting, a full stand of vetch can consistently produce over 200 lbs of nitrogen in its biomass. As part of a winter cover crop or forage mix, vetch is commonly grown with rye or triticale.
from $2.45 per lb
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Winter Lentil (Morton)
Winter lentils are a lesser used species but offer several benefits. Lentils are relatively low growing and modest in their growth however, they consistently overwinter in Zone 5B where winter temperatures can drop below -25 degrees F. Winter lentils can be added with winter cereals and other winter legumes to have a more diverse overwintering cover crop.
from $1.05 per lb
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Chickpeas (Desi)
As the most heat tolerant of the cool season legumes, chickpeas offer a versatility that can be used in both warm and cool season mixes. Though not a great biomass producer, chickpeas are very drought tolerant and can help cover the ground in the midst of a summer drought. This taprooted plant can be used with grasses to add diversity and help break up compaction. As a legume, chickpeas will also fix nitrogen into the soil.
from $0.75 per lb
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Sainfoin - OMRI Exceed Pre-Coat
Sainfoin produces most of its growth in the spring, with little production in summer or fall. It has beautiful pink clusters of flowers and is an excellent honey plant. In areas where alfalfa makes two cuttings or fewer, sainfoin will exceed alfalfa in production. In warmer areas its yield is much less than alfalfa. Newer varieties such as Shoshone are much better than older ones at yield, regrowth and persistence. Can be used as bloat prevention in alfalfa fields. Used extensively in the Northern Plains in place of alfalfa. It does not tolerate heavy grazing very well.
from $2.80 per lb
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Spring Lentil
Lentils thrives in cool, dry conditions where they can remain relatively free of disease hence, they are commonly grown in the norther Great Plains. With a shallow rooting structure that doesn't have the ability to reach subsoil moisture, lentils are a great option in front of cereals or deep rooting crops. If excessive moisture is present during the growing season it will delay plant maturity. This will be excellent for producers who want to plant a summer fallow mixture where the mix can continue to grow under ideal conditions. Lentils are known for their ability to emerge through thick cereal stubble due to their strong seedling vigor. With rapid seed germination, seedlings generally out grow the threat of insects or disease pressure during establishment. Lentils can also house mycorrhizal fungi. Mature lentil straw can be an option for feed as it is much higher in CP, digestibility and palatability when compared to cereal straws.
from $1.05 per lb
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Felix Faba Beans
Faba beans are one of the oldest plants under cultivation, having been grown in ancient Greece and Rome. Unlike other beans, they prefer cool weather, allowing them to be planted — and harvested — much earlier. Faba beans have a distinct flavor and creamy texture that make them a fine ingredient for a wide variety of dishes. This legume is a natural, organic fertilizer (called a green manure) that fixes nitrogen in the soil for other plants to use. By planting faba beans in your garden, food plot or field, you can improve soil fertility at the same time without needing to add other fertilizers and amendments.
from $0.85 per lb
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Alfalfa (Vernal) - ORMI Inoculated
Alfalfa is the most common and most productive perennial legume. It is usually used as a perennial monoculture for hay but at low rates and with good rotational grazing, alfalfa can also be used in pasture mixes to boost diversity and animal performance.
from $3.30 per lb
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Woolly Pod Vetch (Aussie)
Woollypod vetch has the potential to grow faster and earlier than hairy vetch. This vetch has been observed to produce more biomass than many other vetches and fixation of N could even start within a week of emergence. When allowed to overwinter, the extra growth aids in smothering out weed competition and protecting the soil. Woollypod vetch excretes root exudates that can reduce the growth of small grasses. Positive yield responses in corn have been documented when planted after Woollypod vetch and there is no known hazards of increasing insect pest issues.
from $12.99 per lb
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Korean Lespedeza
Korean lespedeza is a low growing warm season annual legume known for it's ability to tolerate acidic and low fertility soil. They do most of their growing in the months of July and August. Though not high yielding, Korean lespedeza is very highly palatable and does not cause bloat. Annual lespedeza is a small seeded annual legume. Korean lespedeza can be frost seeded or drilled into pastures in midwinter or early spring, emerging in summer, or similarly seeded into a growing wheat crop for a hay or pasture crop after wheat harvest.
from $2.55 per lb
