Hybrid Rye Forage for Beef and Dairy Cattle

The KWS variety portfolio includes both dual purpose and forage varieties which are designed to maximize biomass yield and quality.

Like other forages, cutting early at the flag leaf or boot stage will produce nutrient dense, highly digestible cattle feed perfect for those requiring a nutrient packed ration. Cutting late at the milk or soft dough stage will produce a forage higher in fibre with lower energy and nutrient density. With the flexibility in harvest timing, hybrid rye works well for both dairy and beef cattle farms.

Hybrid rye makes an excellent green feed or silage, but it can also be grazed in the fall, spring or after harvest if additional pasture is needed on farm. Hybrid rye forage can be successfully included up to 30% of the forage component of the ration when balanced properly.

In addition to the high yields, hybrid rye matures earlier than other cereal crops. This means that hybrid rye forage is ready for harvest much sooner than other cereal forages, and in some geographic regions, allows for double cropping due to this early spring growth. For many cattle farmers, this is a key feature of hybrid rye, allowing them to maximize total field production throughout the year by planting a secondary crop.

References:

Darambazar et al., 2022; Zhang et al., 2025