Rye Grain << Cover Crops (2024)

FAQs

Rye Grain << Cover Crops? ›

Cereal rye is an excellent winter cover crop because it rapidly produces a ground cover that holds soil in place against the forces of wind and water. Rye's deep roots help prevent compaction in annually tilled fields, and because its roots are quite extensive, rye also has a positive effect on soil tilth.

Cereal rye continues to be an important cover crop in the Midwest. It fulfils many roles in soil health management systems such as scavenging nitrogen, reducing soil erosion, adding biomass to the system, and suppressing weeds, especially winter annuals.

Nutrient Recycling

The high price of nitrogen has growers looking for ways to be more efficient. Using Annual Ryegrass may provide 60-80 lbs/ac of nitrogen. This alone could more than pay for the cost of the seed and planting it.

Ryegrass has an extensive, soil-holding root system. The cover crop establishes quickly even in poor, rocky or wet soils and tolerates some flooding once established. It's well-suited for field strips, grass waterways or exposed areas. Soil builder.

Rye as a cover crop is often planted at a rate of 55-75 pounds per acre, or about 1-1.5 bushels per acre.

Rye grows through the winter and takes up more soil moisture and nutrients than oats, which are winter killed; however, because rye grows through the winter, it creates more biomass for forage and ground cover.

Like many cover crops, annual ryegrass builds soil, reduces runoff and erosion, sequesters nitrogen, improves water infiltration and increases organic matter. Annual ryegrass is easy to establish in the fall with adequate moisture.

Hairy vetch ($40-70 per acre) is often considered the best cover crop if nitrogen fixation is the primary goal and can provide most or all the nitrogen needed for a subsequent corn crop.

For no-till rolling application, the best cover crop choice remains fall-planted winter rye. It is taller and has more lignin than most other small grains, which means its carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is higher – especially if left to stand until June, when some varieties may reach 6 feet tall.

Rye suppresses weeds without herbicides, making it a common cover crop on organic farms. The mechanics of how it works seem simple enough. When cut down and flattened on the soil, rye stalks block sunlight and prevent germinating weeds from getting the light they need.

Does ryegrass grow back every year? ›

While both grasses offer quick germination, establishment and color, only perennial ryegrass comes back reliably year after year as part of a permanent northern lawn. Annual ryegrass flourishes in moderate northern summers and moderate southern winters, but it struggles and dies out in extreme cold and heat.

Unlike aggressive Kentucky bluegrass, which spreads by underground stems called rhizomes, perennial ryegrass is a bunch-forming grass. Like tall fescue, it naturally grows in clumps and spreads through vertical shoots known as tillers, rather than spreading by rhizomes or horizontal above-ground stems called stolons.

The main issue perennial ryegrass has against it is its growth habit. Unlike many other turfgrass species, it forms clumps and cannot spread through stolons or rhizomes. As a result, it can sometimes appear patchy and bare spots must be regularly re-seeded as they will not fill in on their own.

When grown as a winter cover crop, winter rye can be planted well into October. When planting for fall forage, plant two to eight weeks earlier than if planting for grain to maximize growth or when sowing with hairy vetch to allow vetch time to become established.

However, don't be overly concerned with how rye ranks among the other popular cereal grains, because deer prefer wheat, oats and rye. That is, you will not notice more or fewer deer using a plot of rye than you would a food plot planted in wheat or oats (unless you hunt up north and your oats get winter-killed!).

In 2020 the U.S. produced roughly 11.5 million bushels of rye that was valued at approximately $59.8 million. The marketing year average price for rye in the U.S. in 2020 was $5.20 per bushel. The national average yield for rye is around 35 bu per acre. Winter rye is commonly planted as a cover crop.

Annual Ryegrass Naturally Dies Back in the Late Spring or Early Fall. Annual ryegrass naturally dies back in the late spring or early fall due to temperatures below freezing or warmer conditions. So if your winters are mild enough, you may see some regrowth in subsequent years without needing to reseed any new patches.

In summary, use rye for early pasture, triticale for hay, silage, and later grazing, and wheat for grazing plus grain. You may have other factors affecting your choice, but in general, these guidelines work well.

Grasses are king when it comes to growing cover crops for supplemental grazing. In addition to being the highest yielding family of cover crops, they are vital in reaching other cover cropping goals such as reducing erosion, building organic matter, and suppressing weeds.