Posted 3/16/2026 08:29 (#11586427 - in reply to #11585289) Subject: RE: What can be grown as an annual hay crop?
Sioux County, NWIA
martin - 3/15/2026 08:53
Mainefarmer mentions below about using cereal rye, and doing the same thing. Why would oats be any different than using cereal rye?
Rye cut at some point in the reproductive stage dries better than oats cut at any reproductive stage prior to dough. If we cut oats for dry hay we wait until it is close to turning, preferably early dough stage. Otherwise the oats will lay for a good week while you stew about the moisture in the stem nodes. Rye has better drydown. Rye makes nicer hay too, but oats can give a better tonnage per acre.
What can be grown as an annual hay crop?
