Many ryegrass varieties are evaluated each year across an array of soil types within each state. It is from these annual evaluations that university research and extension professionals develop recommended varieties. These evaluations should be the first source in choosing a ryegrass variety for a beef stocker program. Choose from the recommended list varieties that have consistently performed well in your area and those that match your production plan. For example, if it is important to place animals on pasture early in the season, then varieties that yield well early may be important to the producer. Most evaluations will report on ryegrass yield such as pounds of forage harvested per acre at different times of the growing season. They will also provide a total annual yield. Information on cold tolerance, such as productivity or yield during the coldest part of the season, is generally available in annual ryegrass evaluation reports. It may be important to the beef producer who is determined to keep animals on pasture during the winter months. Animal growth performance on pasture is affected by both the quantity and quality of the grazed diet. Some states, in addition to yield information, also provide chemical analyses of the ryegrass varieties in terms of forage quality -- for example, crude protein, digestibility and fiber. Several states have conducted grazing trials using selected ryegrass varieties and have found significant differences in animal growth performance associated with ryegrass variety. For example, researchers in Louisiana reported higher individual average daily weight gains and live-weight gains per acre for steers grazing Jackson® and Marshall® ryegrass pastures, as compared to steers grazing Gulf ryegrass pastures. The estimated differences in seed costs ($3.90 more per acre at the time of the trial) for Jackson and Marshall ryegrass relative to Gulf ryegrass were justified by an estimated higher return of $20 to $28 per acre from the sale of heavier steers.
Another consideration in choosing a ryegrass variety for a beef stocker program is disease resistance. Several states rate ryegrass varieties for rust resistance and have found that some varieties are more resistant than others to rust. If a producer plans on holding cattle on pasture until late spring, disease resistance may be an important factor in choosing a ryegrass variety.
Yes, ryegrass variety does matter in a beef stocker program. The local county agent or forage specialist has a wealth of information that will assist a producer in choosing a variety or varieties of ryegrass that will fit his or her stocker program.
