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By: Kim Cassida
If a “new year” has you dreaming about some new forages, we’ve got some information for you. Kim Cassida with Michigan State University, has put together some details on the best forage brassicas for grazing. Cassida notes that the biggest factor affecting the current upswing in the popularity for forage brassicas in the U.S. may be their concurrent suitability as cover crops. Many producers are attracted to the prospect of improving their soil while also feeding their livestock. New seed availability and new varieties has also helped fuel interest.
In the U.S., the old stand-by brassica forages are turnips, rape and kale. Newer additions to the roster include swedes (rutabagas), forage collards, mustards, radishes and a seemingly unlimited list of interspecies hybrids. There is a brassica available to fit almost every cropping niche. However, if your primary reason for growing them is grazing, be sure to select varieties intended for that purpose. Learn more here.
You can also learn more about a Wyoming producer’s success with the alternative forage crop sainfoin, here.
And, learn how a Pennsylvania farm beats the summer forage slump with alternative forage, here.
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