Annual grasses and legumes can provide substantial amounts of feed, particularly when grown in double-cropping sequences. Double-cropping is most commonly practiced when forage supplies have been reduced by drought. For example, when corn silage supplies are short, dairy and livestock producers frequently turn to winter small grains to be harvested as silage in the spring. In the summer, crops such as sudangrass, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids or soybeans and sorghum can be double-cropped behind barley or wheat.
 

Although we tend to associate the use of these crops primarily with periods of forage shortages resulting from droughts or crop failures, they can routinely contribute to our farm forage supplies. And they generally do so during a period of time when the land is otherwise lying idle. These crops often also serve a dual purpose as a cover crop. Increased use of small grains for spring silage production could potentially reduce the need for corn silage production on marginal soils subject to erosion. The use of small grains either for winter silage production or for fall and winter grazing is probably the most under utilized, least cost option that we have available in this region for increasing feed supplies.
 

Yield evaluations of rye, wheat, barley, winter field peas and hairy vetch, alone and in various combinations, have been conducted at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center at Clarksville and at the Wye Research and Education Center on the Eastern Shore. Dry matter yields as high as 5.1 tons/acre were obtained at Clarksville and as high as 4.7 tons/acre at the Wye Center. Dry matter yields (with conversions to 60% moisture silage) are presented in Table 1 for the 8 or 9 species or species combinations having the highest yields. (Not all the species and mixtures evaluated are presented in the table).
 

As might be expected, rye and mixtures containing rye generally provided the highest yields at both locations. However, farmers who have grown rye recognize the problems frequently encountered in making high quality rye silage. The quality of rye can change from excellent to poor within a period of 4 to 7 days due to rapid advance in maturity. Combinations of small grain species can improve silage quality since different species and varieties will reach the heading stage at different times. Our experiences in harvesting the research plots were similar to those experienced by farmers -- rye frequently reached the fully headed stage before weather permitted harvesting. Barley was usually in the late boot to early heading stage at the time of harvest (most desirable stage) and the wheat was still in the vegetative stage. Thus rye and wheat tended to offset each other when combined in the same mixture. Adding peas or vetch to the mixtures would be expected to increase the crude protein content of the silage.
 

Suggested seeding rates are presented in Table 2. If peas or vetch are included in a seeding mixture, seeding should be completed by September 30 in areas having a growing season comparable to Central and Southern Maryland and by October 10 in areas with a growing season comparable to the Delmarva Peninsula. Peas and vetch are not adapted for double-crop spring silage production in mountainous areas of western Maryland, West Virginia and western and northern Pennsylvania. If seeding mixtures of small grains only, seeding dates should correspond with the normal seeding dates for the least winter-hardy species contained in the mixture.
 

The nitrogen fertilization program used in the research trials was 15 to 20 lb N/acre at seeding and 60 to 80 lbs N/acre in late February to mid-March.
 

Early fall growth on winter small grain crops can be grazed during late fall and winter. Moderate fall and winter grazing has little deleterious effect on subsequent grains yields. Damage occurs from heavy or late spring grazing which can seriously reduce grain production. Precautions for grazing small grains are: (1) don't graze when the ground is soft and wet, (2) remove animals when plants reach early jointing stage, and (3) if seed was treated with fungicide before seeding, be sure to follow grazing restrictions on the label. In some cases the forage may not be grazed for 6 weeks after planting.
 
 
 
 

Table 1. Percent dry matter (DM), dry matter yield, and 60% moisture silage yield of the highest yielding small grains or combinations of small grains with Austrian winter field peas
or hairy vetch at two locations over three years.

                     Year 1                     Year 2                    Year 3      
Species/Varieties*  Yield(Tons/A)             Yield(Tons/A)             Yield(Tons/A)
                    %DM    DM    60%       %DM    DM    60%            %DM    DM    60%
                                                                                     

          Central Maryland Research and Education Center, Clarksville Facility                

Rye ('Abruzzi')  24.3    2.8    7.0        31.8    4.7    11.8         23.1    5.1   12.8

Rye ('Wheeler')                                                        14.5    4.9   12.3
 
Rye + peas       23.1    2.3    5.8        27.8    4.8    12.0         

Rye + wheat      22.8    2.8    7.0        29.6    4.8    12.0         16.2    4.6    11.5
        

Rye + wheat
+ peas                                                                  15.9    4.6   11.5 
 

Rye + wheat
+ barley                 22.4    3.0    7.5        27.9    4.6    11.5          16.1    4.4    11.0
 

Rye + wheat
+ barley + vetch                            24.0    4.5    11.2          15.7   4.3    10.8

Rye + wheat
+ barley + peas                             25.2    4.7    11.8          15.8   3.9     9.8
 
 

                        Wye Research and Education Center
 

Rye ('Wheeler')                                                          17.3    4.7    11.8

Rye ('Abruzzi')   23.7    4.0    9.9        34.6    4.5    11.3          25.8    4.4    11.0

Rye + wheat + barley

+ vetch                                     24.4    4.6    11.5          17.3    4.4    11.0

Rye + wheat + barley

+ peas                                       23.5    4.2    10.5         17.3    4.2    10.5

Rye + wheat + peas                                                       16.6    4.2    10.5

Wheat + barley    16.3    2.8    7.1          25.2    4.3    10.8        17.8    4.2    10.5

Rye + wheat       20.4    3.8    9.4          30.1    4.6    11.5        17.6    4.1    10.3

Rye + wheat
+ barley          20.3    3.7    9.2          28.9    4.2    10.5        16.9    4.1    10.3

Rye + barley      21.6    4.2    10.6         29.3    4.3    10.8        16.6    4.1    10.3

______________________________________________________________________________________
 

* Varieties used in multi-species mixtures:

Year 1 -- `Abruzzi' rye, `Scotty' wheat, `Volbar' barley

Year 2 -- `Abruzzi' rye, `Severn' wheat, `Pennrad' barley

Year 3 -- `Wheeler' rye, `Severn' wheat, `Pennrad' barley
 
 
 
 
 
 

Table 2. Suggested seeding rates for small grain species seeded alone and in various combinations for winter silage production.
 

Species                   lb/A                                         Species                                                         lb/A
 

Rye                     140         Rye + wheat + peas             47 + 50 + 33

Wheat                   150         Rye + wheat + barley           47 + 50 + 40

Barley                  120         Rye + wheat + barley + peas    31 + 33 + 27 + 33

Rye + peas            93 + 33       Rye + wheat + barley + vetch   31 + 33 + 27 + 8

Rye + barley          70 + 60       Wheat + barley                 75 + 60

Rye + wheat           70 + 75