General Comments Winter rye can be planted August-September for a late summer and over-winter cover.  Stem elongation will not occur without vernalization (cold temperatures).  Planted in August, rye will produce a thick cover, but usually less than one ton of dry matter of biomass before winter dormancy.  It will grow rapidly in early spring.  Terminate […]

General Comments Radish (e.g., Tillage, Groundhog, Nitro, oilseed or forage radish) is a fast growing edible root vegetable capable of producing a girthy taproot that can extend several feet deep if planted in July or August.  Daikon radishes selected as cover or forage crops are often touted to alleviate soil compaction by “bio-drilling” down through […]

General Comments The other brassica are fairly similar to radishes but with less root volume.   Turnips will have more tuber-like growth at the soil surface and are better suited to late summer and fall grazing.  Turnips may over-winter and do not produce the odors of radish upon decomposition.  Rapeseed, also known as canola, has typically […]

General Comments Large-seeded, cool season annual.  Best companion-seeded with a spring cereal grain to encourage climbing and minimize lodging. Pea-small grain mixtures can also be harvested as forage, yielding 1-3 TDM per-acre, with slightly higher forage quality and palatability than small grain forage alone. Nitrogen credits to a following crop are minimal.  Credit 20 lbs […]

General Comments Oats will grow rapidly in late summer and continue until a hard freeze.  They will not over-winter in Wisconsin.  They are a good choice if fall-harvesting a forage is the main goal.  They are more tolerant of temporary dry conditions than legumes. Oats and barley have had equal yields in fall forage trials […]

General Comments A short-lived perennial that is best companion planted with spring cereal grains or frost seeded (March-April) into fall established cereal grains.  The early-planted MRC will establish, but stay small until after grain and straw harvest in July or August.  It will then grow vigorously and is less susceptible to dry conditions or competition from weeds […]

General Comments Crimson clover is a southern-US adapted clover that typically winter kills but may, in a warm winter, survive in Wisconsin.  Crimson is slightly more tolerant of dry conditions than berseem, but is more sensitive to lower pH. For fall forage potential, expect 0.5-1 ton of dry matter per acre. A 30-50 lbs N nitrogen […]

General Comments Berseem is a fast-growing, annual clover that will winter-kill. Berseem clover will grow quickly when planted in mid-summer if moisture is sufficient. For fall forage, 1.5 to 2 tons dry matter (TDM) per-acre biomass production is possible A 40-60 lbs N per-acre nitrogen credit is possible for a subsequent crop (following year).  However, growth and N […]

General Comments Annual ryegrass (ARG) is not a true annual, but is generally not cold tolerant so it typically dies out in Wisconsin winters   It has rapid growth with good biomass production when summer seeded on most soil types.  It has a shallow, fibrous root system desirable for erosion control. Though a somewhat popular and […]