Yield and digestibility of legume and oat forages

Summary

Pasture and grain legumes can be sown to produce high yielding forage crops which are later conserved in spring as either silage or hay. The species selected and the timing of the cut will have a large influence on both the yield and quality of the conserved fodder.

This Primefact describes the change in yield and quality of a large range of legume species, oats and ryegrass cut at three different stages of maturity. Values are provided for both pure swards and mixtures of legumes and oats and ryegrass. The author draws many useful conclusions that will interest farmers intending to conserve these species either as pure swards or in mixtures.