Perennial Ryegrass for the USA

Introduction
Perennial ryegrass is the specie of choice in most ”grass-countries”: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany and The Netherlands. Either grazed or cut for silage it is the preferred specie for farmers in these countries. Only since recently Perennial ryegrass has been successfully introduced throughout the USA. Doubts about persistence and winter hardiness have kept farmers from using this specie throughout the country.

Through Barenbrug’s BG- products, improved perennial ryegrasses have become available to the US-farmers. The line has proven its value for many farmers already. And the number of enthusiastic users is growing fast. The components to be found in the BG-products are the results of Barenbrug’s intensive breeding programs in Europe and other parts of the world. The breeding goal is always to maximize animal performance and maximize pasture persistence.

This informative brochure contains information on perennial ryegrass in general and the BG-products in particular.

Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L. is a temperate perennial grass that originates in Europe. The root system is highly branched and produces adventitious roots from the nasal nodes of tillers. When grazed or cut intensively tillering will occur, expressing a stoloniferous type growth habit. This habit makes Perennial ryegrass popular for lawns and sport fields as well.

Perennial ryegrass goes to seed once a year in late spring. Each variety has a specific heading-date; there is a 40 days spread between the earliest heading variety and the latest heading variety. Both diploid and tetraploid varieties are commercially available. Perennial ryegrass is suitable for all classes of livestock, especially those with high nutrient requirements such as lactating cows and young growing animals. Compared to other cool season grasses Perennial ryegrass is very palatable, has a very high digestibility, establishes very quickly and copes very well with intensive grazing or cutting management.

Perennial ryegrass does not grow well under very dry conditions or on infertile soils. In colder areas special attention should be paid to the winter-hardiness of a variety.

Mixing Perennial Ryegrass
When mixing species a few things are important. The different species need to have the same palatability. If one species is less desired than others that specie will not be grazed and others will be over-grazed. Thus resulting in the least palatable specie taking over a stand. Also the heading dates of the different components should be about the same.

Perennial ryegrass can be mixed with a few other species. One of the best companions for perennial ryegrass is white clover. White clover is as palatable as perennial ryegrass and also fixes nitrogen that benefits the perennial ryegrass. Alice white clover is recommended in most areas.

Also the grazing timothy’s mix very well with perennial ryegrass. All BG-products can be blended with timothy. BG-23 is a pre-blended mix of perennial ryegrass with timothy. Timothy ads palatability and winter hardiness to a stand. Bart and Barliza are recommend varieties. 

The Products

BG-34

Very late maturing and persistent

Components: Barmaco, Barnhem, Barlet, Mara

Primarily use: later producing high quality pastures, or as a combination with alfalfa in colder areas

BG-34 is the most popular mixture of the BG-family. The combination of winter hardiness and late maturity has made many fans. BG-34 has proven performance in the Midwest, the North-East and the pacific Northwest. Extremely high forage quality has been observed by many farmers, and as a result animal performance is very impressive. Milk production increase of 8-10 lbs. per cow per day has been repeatedly reported. Also weight gains of beef cattle exceeding 2.5 pounds per day is observed

 

BG-14

“Early and winter-hardy”

Components:  Barylou, Baristra, Barlet

Primarily use: Early producing pastures and hayfields in colder areas.

BG-14 has the same winter-hardiness as BG-34 but will start growing earlier in the spring. This can benefit farmers in two ways. If a farmer establishes a few paddocks with BG-14 aside his BG-34 paddocks he can graze these paddocks about two weeks before the BG-34 paddocks. By the time he is done grazing these early pastures he can start grazing the later ones. This way he can extend his grazing season and he creates different growing stages in different paddocks. Also BG-14 is the product of choice for areas in the southern Midwest. The earlier spring allows BG-14 to produce more forage than later mixtures.

 

BG-23

Very winter-hardy”

Components: Mara, Barmaco, Bart, Barliza

Primarily use: Pastures in areas where winterkill is of great concern.

BG-23 is a new product that has the most winter-hardy product of the BG-line. It is a combination of very winter-hardy perennial ryegrass and a grazing timothy. Timothy gives extra winter hardiness to the stand.

 

Tetra-Plus

Very palatable, fast regrowth

Components: Phoenix, Barforte, Barmaco

Primarily use: later producing pastures for both grazing and hay or to combine with alfalfa in colder areas.

Tetra-Plus 34 is the counter partner of BG-34. It has the same growth rhythm, winter-hardiness and late maturity. The difference is the tetraploid component of the mixture. The tetraploid perennial ryegrass will show a better regrowth after cutting. It also has slightly higher palatability enhancing higher dry-matter intakes. The downside of tetraploids is the lesser persistence. If intensive grazing is the primary use of a pasture, a diploid mixture is recommended. If the pasture is to be cut and sometimes grazed Tetra-Plus is the mixture of choice.

 

Mara

 

Zero Yatsyn

 

Bronsyn

Grazing
Grazing is living its revival in the United States. And this time it seems like it is here to stay. More and more farmers realize that grazing is a very profitable way to make ruminants produce. The investment in ‘heavy metal’ is low, the health and durability of cows improves and labor requirements are minimized. When a farmer starts grazing, his grassland management becomes a very important part of his work. The better he manages his grassland, the better his cows will perform. The grass itself also is very important, in the past people grazed what ever was growing in their pastures. But now more and more people realize that improved pastures are higher producing, easier to manage and more profitable. BG-mixtures are very well suited for grazing since they have been bred, selected and tested in countries where grazing is very important. In order to meet recommended list criteria they have to be tested under grazing conditions for at least five years.

A few guidelines on how to graze perennial ryegrass: In order to capture the maximum quality the grass should be grazed at a height of about 7 to 8 inches. At this height there is about 2000 pounds of dry matter per acre available. A paddock should be grazed within one or two days. By than the animals should be moved into the next pasture, allowing the grass to re-grow. The rotation can be as fast as two to three weeks. As soon as the first paddock is ready to graze again, the cows should be put back on. Any remaining fields should be cut for silage.

Making Silage Out of Perennial Ryegrass
Especially in the spring harvesting excess production as silage is a great way to feed high quality grass throughout the year. This way the speed of rotation can be high, preventing grass to get ahead of the animals. If in the summer the fields lack productivity the silage can be used to feed the animals during that period. The purpose of making silage is to preserve high quality forage that is growing for usage during the winter or when fields are less productive. Perennial ryegrass is a great specie to make silage of, it is of high quality and is high in sugars. Sugars play an important role in successfully making silage.

When cut for silage the grass should be about 15 inches tall. When cut in the afternoon the sugar level will be even higher.

Grass in Alfalfa
Most farmers in the US either grow alfalfa themselves or buy alfalfa hay making it the most important forage for most farmers. In some areas, people plant grass with their alfalfa in order to boost yield and persistence. Orchardgrass and timothy are very popular for these practices.

Alfalfa is valued as high quality forage because of its high protein levels. However quality is more than just protein, energy is required to utilize the protein in the rumen. Alfalfa is to low in energy for two reasons: it has no sugars and the alfalfa cell walls stems are poorly digestible. Perennial ryegrass has two benefits: it is high in sugars and its cell walls are highly digestible. This is the reason why mixing these two species makes so much sense. Mixing can be done in two ways: in the TMR wagon by mixing alfalfa haylage and perennial ryegrass silage or by growing and harvesting the two species together at the same time.

To create a 50/50 stand use 10# of perennial ryegrass with 15# of alfalfa. Adding perennial ryegrass to existing alfalfa is also a good way to improve overall haylage production. The best time to add the ryegrass is in the fall when the alfalfa is not as aggressive. Spring planting works well if the alfalfa is beginning to thin, plant 15 pounds per acre when overseeding an existing alfalfa field. Tetra-plus and BG-34 are the best products to add to alfalfa because both are very late maturing, allowing the alfalfa to mature without the ryegrass producing seed heads.

Winter-Hardiness
Winter damage in perennial ryegrass will occur when the grass is not dormant when temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The plant still wants to grow but the temperature will kill the cells and the plant will die. Farmers in colder regions need to select a dormant variety that will quit growing late in the fall and prepare for winter. Also late maturing varieties are slightly more winter hardy than early ones. Diploid varieties are slightly more winter hardy than tetraploids.

The varieties that have been tried and have failed in the past, originated from New Zealand or the state of Oregon. Both areas have no winters to speak of, causing severe winter damage and disappointed users in the Northern states. The winter-hardy BG-products (BG-14, BG-34, BG-23 and Tetra-Plus) originate from Holland and continental Europe. Harsh winter conditions, similar to the Northern regions of the USA, are common in these countries, forcing selection for winter hardiness within the specie. The European breeders have successfully selected for years and years to come up with more winter-hardy varieties. These improved varieties have proven to persist for over six years at numerous locations throughout the Midwest and Northeast of the USA. Choosing the correct genetic makeup of perennial ryegrass is very important to improve its persistence.

Grazing the ryegrass close before winter will prevent the plant from being desiccated by cold drying winds. Snow mold is also less of a problem when the sward is grazed close before winter.

WHY SHOULD YOU GROW PERENNIAL RYEGRASS?
By Steve Wallace

In a word, “quality” is why you should grow perennial ryegrass. Quality has many terms to describe it.

The yield of BG-34 has been as high as double when compared to traditional pastures of bluegrass, quackgrass, orchardgrass, and timothy.

The density of the perennial ryegrass sward is better than any other grass, which allows for high dry matter intakes, which leads to higher level of energy intake.

The palatability of perennial ryegrass is higher than other grass species. Animal grazing highly palatable grass that is dense and high in digestibility increases the energy intake of the animal. High dm-intake is essential for high animal performance.

The feed value of perennial ryegrass is higher than any other grass species. Quality of forage means more than just protein, a cow needs both protein and energy to perform. Unlike alfalfa, Perennial ryegrass is high in both protein and energy. The energy in perennial ryegrass comes from sugars in the cells of the plant, and from the cell walls that are highly digestible. Some other grasses have sugars as well, but not as high as perennial ryegrass. And almost without exception no other grass shows the same digestible cell walls. Our on-farm research has shown in-vitro true digestibility (IVTD) of BG-34 as high as .91 mcal/lb for net energy for lactation. Tabel 2 compares this level to most feed-commodities. This high level of energy and protein for perennial ryegrass will allow for improvement in milk production, animal rate of gain, higher body condition scores, and better animal health.

The value of these qualities of perennial ryegrass added together, translates into lower cost of production. The lower of cost of production or the increase of profit is the reason to grow perennial ryegrass. You need to grow as much perennial ryegrass as you can. The amount you decide on is dependent on several factors. Soil type and climate will determine where and how much perennial ryegrass you should grow on your farm. Perennial ryegrass does best where organic matter is higher, and where there are higher levels of fertility. Dairies and stocker cattle require a higher % of high energy perennial ryegrass paddocks.

On farm research and farmers experience have proven that you can get a fast return on your perennial ryegrass investment. That is what you are doing, investing in your farming operation by improving the quality of your swards. It is the single most important thing that you can do to lower your cost of production, and maintain your competitive advantage in a changing market place.

Perennial ryegrass is your advantage if you can grow it. Through Barenbrug adapted varieties are now available for many farmers in different areas. Learn how to grow perennial grass, it does take management time and effort, but the return is great, and the financial rewards are substantial.

Persistence and fertility
Managing perennial ryegrass correctly is very important for persistence. Grazing it close and often during the grazing season will keep the growing point lower in the plant profile, thus giving it protection.

Soil fertility is critical for persistence. It appears that higher levels of Calcium and Sulfur along with micronutrients are key to added persistence. Many soils in the Midwest and Northeast are low in calcium and sulfur also micronutrients can be very low. While growing and harvesting perennial ryegrass, large amounts of nutrients are being derived from the soil. Therefore Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorous need to be put back on the field. Especially so when not a lot of manure is been put back on the field.

This added fertility also increases yield and quality during the growing season.

Establishing Perennial Ryegrass
Unfortunately not many people pay as much attention to planting grass compared to planting corn, alfalfa or any other row crop. This doesn’t make sense because a good pasture is as valuable as a corn or alfalfa field. But unlike row crops a pasture can last as long as 10 years. So why not pay as much attention to establishing a pasture as planting row crops ?

There are different ways of establishing a new pasture:

No Till Drilling
 If the land is subject to erosion or contains stones or is otherwise unsuited to till, spraying with roundup and no tilling the new forage is the best practice. Make sure to wait 10 days to 2 weeks for the old sod to die off before planting the new grass. Microbes breaking down the old sod use all the available nitrogen to ferment the sod and the newly planted grass will suffer nitrogen deficiency. Adding 50-75# of nitrogen at planting time will speed up the fermenting process and give needed nitrogen to the new seedlings.

Fall can be the best time to drill into an existing stand of grass because perennial ryegrass is very aggressive and will establish before winter. Spring interseeding only works well if you can access the field early in the year giving the ryegrass an opportunity to establish. The seeding rate for no-till drilling is 25 to 30 pounds per acre.

Total Renovation
Total renovation is the best option if the current vegetation is of such quality that all or most of it is undesired. Kill the existing vegetation with using a glyfosfate-based herbicide. If undesired legumes are apparent use a broadleaf herbicide in combination. Plowing or rotovating the old sod is the best way to prepare a seedbed. Create a firm seedbed and drill or broadcast the new seed. Finally, pack the seedbed to ensure proper moisture in the top layer. When a grain drill is being used, the seed should be drilled in two directions to reduce the space in between rows. Broadcasting the seed over a prepared seedbed is also a good way to plant perennial ryegrass. After broadcasting the seed a cultipacker should be used to ensure seed to soil compact. Although total renovation is expensive and time consuming, it is the best way to establish a new high quality field. The seeding rate is 30 to 35 pounds per acre.

Planting perennial ryegrass can be done in the spring or fall. Fall planting time will vary with each location. The idea is to plant late enough to avoid summer dryness and getting a good stand before winter. In the USDA hardiness zones 3 and 4 that time is Aug 15 to Sept 15. For the zones 5 and 6 that time should be 1 Sept to Oct 15. The benefit of fall planting is that it avoids the spring weed problems and gets the seeding established before spring so that you have maximum yield the following year. Perennial ryegrass is so fast to establish that planting in the fall works very well. When planted on time the new seeding can be grazed once in the same fall. 

Spring plantings are good because the new seeding will not go to seed at all the first year. A very high quality sward will be available all growing season. Doing the tillage or spraying roundup in the fall before planting is best so that you can plant very early in the spring. It is important to control weeds in the spring to prevent them from establishing. Starting off with a high weed content will decrease quality and yield of the new field.