by Jeremy Sweeten

I recently received the following question via email:

We would like to add a grass into the stand with a no till drill to help with color loss and softness.  What is the best variety and rate of application?  

Grasses added to an existing alfalfa stand can vary greatly, depending on the intended end-use.

Orchardgrass

2-5 lbs/A of late-maturing orchardgrass such as Devour, Alpine II, or LateMate II is a great way to add yield and lengthen the stand life of an alfalfa field.

Devour orchardgrass is a great choice if your field is dual purpose - making hay and yet grazing a harvest or two, since it exhibits tremendous grazing tolerance. Alpine II is a superior choice when you’re after as much tonnage as possible with no thought of grazing the field.

Alpine II is a top-rated, late maturing orchardgrass. This later maturity means Alpine II is able to produce high-quality forage later into the season, making it an ideal option for hay. As a top producer, Alpine II, performed well in both the Kentucky and Wisconsin forage yield trials. Alpine II produces high-quality forage with a high protein content. Alpine II displays excellent disease resistance along with good seedling vigor establishing strongly. Additionally, Alpine II also has good winter hardiness.

A Mix of Meadow Brome & Meadow Fescue

The HayMaster Mix of Preval meadow fescue and MacBeth meadow brome can be seeded into an existing alfalfa field at 4-10 lbs/A. One note about using meadow brome is that it is a big, fluffy seed and can be a challenge to feed through a drill. Brillion seeders work better with a tumbler in the grass box.

Tall Fescue

A final thought is to use tall fescue, meadow fescue, or a blend of the two. The tall fescues and meadow fescues have a higher level of NDF and a great yield component. Many dairies are opting to use a blend of the two fescues instead of orchardgrass because of their ability to provide better yield and quality - with the ability to actually hang on to that quality during the first harvest time frame.

One new variety that we’ve been having tremendous success with is Payload Tall Fescue. Payload is a medium maturity tall fescue that reaches head emergence approximately 2 days later than Kentucky 31. It’s know for it’s season-long production, outstanding disease package, which includes superior resistance to stem rust. Payload has a wide flag leaf, dark green color, and strong vigor and crown size. It was bred right here in Indiana for strong regional adaptation throughout all the Midwest.

Improved varieties of tall fescue are either low endophyte or have a novel (aka friendly) endophyte in them. They are not like KY-31 endophyte-infected tall fescue. Meadow and tall fescue have about half as many seeds per pound as orchardgrass, so seeding rates will generally be higher. I prefer 3-10 lbs/A of a 50/50 blend of tall fescue and meadow fescue.

Be sure to check out our page on cool season grasses.