This is a fast establishing biennial that will last 2-3 years if conditions are favorable (mild winters and not too hot and dry in summer). However, production is best in the first year and goes downhill afterwards. Italian Ryegrass planted in the spring will not go to heat the first summer (neither does perennial), but biennial production will suffer if we get a hot dry summer. Spring seeding works great in the northern states if moisture is plentiful. If seeded in the fall, it is rooted better by springtime and the yields will be much higher. However, once it has gone past its heading date, it heads a lot during the summer until about mid August when it calms down. The bulk of its production is from early April to early June, with another good spurt in the fall.
      As a cover/double crop, Italian Ryegrass provides higher quality forage than Rye, Triticale, wheat, etc. In fact, if it's harvested at the proper stage, it will be a better forage than high quality Alfalfa. Cows will milk better, be heathier and stay in better body condition. All of this can be done while feeding LESS GRAIN, if ration is properly balanced!
      Ryegrass will build organic matter faster than Grain Rye. We see great potential for Italian Ryegrass in double cropping systems with corn silage, soybeans or sorghum. Plant a shorter season corn and have Italian Ryegrass in the ground by the first week of September. Then take a cutting off in the fall (or graze it) and another cutting about April 15 and again about May 10. If you're not in a hurry to plant corn, you can cut it again about June 1. It needs lots of Nitrogen, so apply some after each cutting.
      With this system and a highly-digestible corn silage (such as Baldridge or Masters Choice), you can reduce the amount of grain and Alfalfa needed and reduce the cost of milk production, while maintaining a high herd average and cow health. Italian Ryegrass is very digestable and higher in sugars than small grains, etc. It works really great for fall and spring grazing too!
      Researchers in Maryland have reported Ryegrass yields as high as 8,000 lbs per acre on the dry matter basis when planted as a double crop with corn. This builds more organic matter than small grains, but requires lots of Nitrogen. It must be mold board plowed or sprayed with Roundup, etc. before planting corn. Chiseling and discing will not kill it! Italian Ryegrass works great no-till, drilled into old Alfalfa fields or pastures in the fall to boost yield and quality the following spring.

Note: When buying Italian Ryegrass make sure you get an Italian Ryegrass that was grown on certified Annual Ryegrass free soil, especially for spring seeding. Where virtually all the Italian Ryegrass is grown, the soil is contaminated with annual seed and contamination can be as high as 5%-30%. To our knowledge, there is no company except Barenbrug that tries to grow certified free of annual seed. Green Spirit and Barexta are also annual free ryegrasses.

     This is a premium, late-maturing blend of Tetraploid and Diploid Italian Ryegrass, benefiting from the diversity of the two, and performing very well over the last 4 years. Green Spirit is probably the single most used Italian Ryegrass in the Midwest because of its fast establishment, high yield, and overall performance. We have a lot of good comments on Green Spirit. Green Spirit will be upgraded with a new release in the fall.

     Bardelta is a diploid Italian ryegrass variety which which has been selected after trials in United States. It is a very dry matter producing diploid variety. Bardelta has very high crown rust resistance and excellent forage quality. It shows good winter hardiness in trials in Pennsylvania. It shows very good persistence under grazing.

     Barextra is a new and exciting Italian ryegrass variety. Barextra has shown impressive performance in university trials throughout the Midwest. It is a high yielding, winter-hardy tetraploid variety  with superior rust resistance. It is more persistent than other Italian ryegrass making it suitable for both mechanical harvesting and grazing.

     Maximus is a tetraploid annual ryegrass from Barenbrug. Maximus was developed from a naturally occuring population in Highlands of Central Mexico. Maximus is medium maturity variety with good winter growth and high dry matter production. Maximus exhibits erect growth habit with large leaves. It is highly suited for mechanical harvesting. Maximus has good rust resistance and is suitable for production in the Gulf Coast States as well as California.

     A new release Tetraploid with very good winter-hardiness. Fast starting in the spring than the Italian Ryegrass. This new Tetrapliod variety may serve the same purpose as Green Spirit for those who want only a cutting in the fall and one in the spring, and are looking for lower priced seed! Caution! Jumbo is not as winter-hardy as Green Spirit and will go to head much earlier in the spring. It has survived several winters in Northern Maryland, Southern Indiana, and Southern Pennsylvania with no problem, but they were not really hard winters. Jumbo has out yield Marshall, Rio, and many other Ryegrasses in southern trials.

     Ribeye is a diploid annual ryegrass variety for overseeding bermuda grass pastures in southern U.S. Ribeye is also suitable for overseeding crop fields in Midwest to provide winter feed for beef cattle as well as erosion control. Ribeye is an early maturing variety, with good rust resistance and cold tolerance. Ribeye is highly suited for grazing.