Cow condition and calf weight gains are often compromised in the fall because of insufficient or poor quality grass. Using winter cereals or annual ryegrass can boost calf gains and cow condition in the fall and reduce winter feed costs.
“Intercropping or seeding spring and winter cereals together can provide high quality extra fall grazing,” said Patrick Ramsey, a beef specialist with Alberta Agriculture.
“When fall cereal such as fall rye, winter wheat or winter triticale is seeded in spring it remains in the vegetative state and provides excellent grazing after the spring cereal is harvested for greenfeed or silage.”
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Annual or Italian ryegrass is a new idea for providing excellent quality late fall grazing. Italian ryegrass grows best on irrigated land or in areas with 500 millimetres (20 inches) of annual rainfall. Seeded at 10-12 pounds/acre and fertilized like a normal grain crop, it produces large yields of palatable forage.
Italian ryegrass doesn’t harden off for winter and keeps growing late into the fall, resulting in a nutrient quality similar to barley silage. Annual ryegrass yields more than oats, fall rye or winter wheat in areas of adequate moisture.
Tests were conducted at Longview and High River, Alta., last summer.
Italian ryegrass
“When annual ryegrass was seeded as a mono crop, very good growth occurred. Early weaned calves were put onto the 55 acre pasture after weaning in mid September and had virtually no sickness,” Ramsey said.
The 217 calves averaged 2.7 lb./head/day over 31 days. Cows went into winter in better condition and were able to winter graze longer than with later weaning.
When Italian ryegrass was seeded as an intercrop with oats on 27 acres, excellent growth occurred. Yearlings were used to graze off the oats and were sold at the end of July. The 64 yearlings averaged 2.9 lb./head/day over 30 days.
The regrowth was grazed with 240 early weaned calves averaging 0.7 lb./head/day over 37 days and produced another 238 lb. of beef per acre.
When Italian ryegrass was seeded with barley silage on 90 acres the regrowth was not as good.
However, 35 nursing calves gained 4.4 lb./head/day over 33 days on Italian ryegrass, compared to 50 nursing calves that gained 3.9 lb./head/day over 33 days for a total of 107 lb. of beef per acre on 60 acres of fall rye.
The fall rye pasture was then grazed by 85 cow/calf pairs for another two weeks after the Italian ryegrass was gone but had the advantage of being seeded on chemical fallow.
Limited by moisture
Moisture may have been limiting for the Italian ryegrass in this location as it received 300 mm (12 inches) of rain compared to 355 mm (14 inches) at the other two locations.
Winter wheat or fall rye seeded with barley silage in the spring would have been more economical than Italian ryegrass and have the advantage of being grazed the following spring.
