Forage cereals are a very reliable option for prolific winter/spring forage. Most forage cereals will prefer soils of a well drained nature, but there are varieties that handle periodical waterlogging better than others. Oats/barley/wheat and triticale are the most commonly used forage varieties and can be grazed early prior to being shut up for hay or silage. Grazing the forage crop early will usually mean a reduce hay/silage cut so if you are aiming to maximise your hay/silage yields grazing may not be advisable. Naracoorte Seeds also have reliable access to a very broad range of broadacre cereal and pulse varieties including access to some of the latest genetics being released.
Seeding Rates 80 – 120 kg/ha
Naracoorte Seeds Pasture Guide V5 – click to download
Cereals List – Autumn 2022 – click to download
| Variety | Maturity | Attributes |
|---|---|---|
| OATS | ||
| Brusher | Early/Mid | Tall hay out, very high quality, resistant to leaf rust, similar grain quality and yield to Wintaroo. |
| Mulgara | Mid | Good early vigour, resistant to stem rust, excellent hay colour and resists brown leaf tipping. Yields slightly less for hay production compared to Wintaroo but is higher quality. |
| Wintaroo | Mid | Benchmark for hay production. Makes excellent early season growth, but don’t overgraze if hay production is main objective. Offers good value for money! |
| Regency | Mid/Late | A breakthrough in breeding of forage oats. Prolific tillering variety, with extremely strong regrowth. Prefers to be sown and grazed early for maximum benefit. Has shown 200-300% more regrowth after grazing than other forage oats. Continues to produce leaf while going to head resulting in higher quality hay. |
| Forester | Very Late | Very high quality hay variety, excellent early vigour and foliar disease resistance, moderate-tall variety, better suited to high rainfall and irrigated areas. |
| BARLEY | ||
| Mundah | Early | Usually earliest to first grazing. Short growing season. Good option if hoping to go from winter forage to a summer fodder crop to maximise production. |
| Moby | Early | White seeded rapid establishing variety. Exhibits good cold season production. Awnless variety and high yielding. |
| Cape | Mid | Proven performer, offers excellent value for money for cheap grazing, hay or silage. |
| WHEAT | ||
| Bennett | Late | Awnless winter wheat with ASW classification. A genuine multi-purpose winter wheat with very good seedling vigour making it suited to grazing mixes, hay/silage or graze + grain. Excellent choice for use as a paddock clean up the year prior to sowing perennial pasture due to weed competition early and herbicide options, handles waterlogging very well. |
| TRITICALE | ||
| Wonambi | Late | Dual purpose variety, tall and high tillering, reduced awns, good resistance to rust and CCN. |
| Kokoda | Mid/Late | High yielding forage and grain variety, strong vigour early, excellent grain quality which is being used in beer production |
| RYECORN | ||
| Southern Green | Early | Fast establishing grazing option. High quality feed with greater forage than other Ryecorns. Can be sown with ryegrass to extend grazing window. |