Cereal Rye is an upright, cool season, and high-yielding fall-seeded forage.
It has a flexible planting window that extends long into fall, largely because it germinates in cool temperatures.
It’s extremely winterhardy, tolerant of poor soil conditions, and useful in multiple cropping systems.
Cereal rye is the most widely utilized cover crop in the Midwest.
Seeding Rate (lbs. / acre)
- Drill: 30-60
- Broadcast: increase rate 20-25%
- Forage: 100
Cereal (Winter) Rye Benefits & Info
- Huge root mass for improved soil conservation and erosion prevention
- Suppresses winter annual weeds when planted at heavier seeding rates (& through allelopathy)
- Builds soil tilth and cycles leftover nutrients from preceding cash crops with its immense root system
- Excellent choice ahead of soybeans
- Consider adding SCAV-N-GER ® Radish or other brassicas to further broaden soil-improving benefits
- Matures early in the spring
- Herbicide application or another method needed for successful spring take-out
Forage Considerations
- Harvest in the boot stage for optimal quality
- Graze in the vegetative stage for high-quality pasture, as forage quality declines rapidly with maturity