Winter Barley makes a great cover crop. In fact, in many regions Winter Barley is now being used successfully as a cover crop. Newer winterhardy varieties make Winter Barley much more viable to use in the colder regions of the upper-Midwest. Winter Barley performs better on poorer soils than many other cereal grains and its early maturity and forage quality make it a top choice for dairy farmers following corn silage and subsequent manure applications. Winter Barley is not as “tough” as Winter Cereal Rye under traffic or late planting dates; however it is considerably improved over rye for forage and grain production.
Advantages of Winter Barley
- Makes excellent feed or haylage
- Up to 2 weeks earlier harvest than wheat
- Less N needed for top crop
- Excellent scavenger of N
- More tolerant of low fertility
- Excellent drought tolerance
- Exceptional erosion control
- Excellent weed suppression
Disadvantages of Winter Barley
- Somewhat less winterhardy than rye
- Less traffic tolerant than rye
Plant Winter Barley at 2 bushels/acre for cover/grain; 3 bushels/acre for cover/baleage.