Annual forages can cut feed costs and extend grazing 

Annual forages are not a replacement for perennial pastures, but they can be a useful tool for producers looking to fill feed gaps, extend grazing, and reduce feeding costs. During an Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab (AALL) webinar on adding annual forages to a grazing plan, Dr. Vern Baron of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Dr. Erick Santos of the University of Alberta shared research and producer experiences on where annuals can fit within a forage system. 

Throughout the presentation, both speakers stressed the importance of viewing annual forages as part of a larger grazing system rather than a standalone solution. 

“Annual forages have to fit within a perennial forage-based system,” said Baron. 

The discussion comes at a time when producers continue to manage drought, weather extremes, and rising input costs while looking for ways to make grazing systems more resilient. 

Baron notes that hay and pasture acres have declined significantly across much of Western Canada over the past two decades. While cattle numbers have also decreased, forage acres have shrunk even faster, leaving fewer forage acres available per cow than in years past. 

“We’re not getting rid of perennial forage production for beef cattle, but we do think there are opportunities to innovate with annual forages and make our systems more efficient,” he said. 

Filling feed gaps throughout the year 

Rather than treating annual forages as an emergency feed source, the presenters encouraged producers to look at where they consistently run short of feed throughout the year. 

For some operations, the challenge is getting enough grazing days in the spring before perennial pastures are fully growing. Others face shortages during the “summer slump,” when hot, dry conditions slow the growth of cool-season grasses. Additional grazing opportunities in the fall and winter are another common goal. 

Baron encouraged producers to take a step back and evaluate their entire forage system before deciding which annual forage options may fit. 

“If you think of annual forages solely as a bailout in a time of crisis, you’re probably not going to take advantage of the best benefits they can offer,” he said. 

Instead, producers should focus on identifying their weak spots and finding forage options that address those specific challenges. 

“Step back and look at your system. Think about where the weak spots are and where annual forages can fill those gaps.” 

Santos highlighted the challenges many producers face during hot summer weather when perennial pastures become less productive. Cool-season grasses typically experience strong growth in the spring before slowing significantly through the hottest part of the season. 

That has led researchers to examine warm-season annuals such as sorghum-sudangrass and sorghum –sudangrass-cowpea mixtures as a way to provide forage when perennial growth declines. 

Extending the grazing system 

Reducing winter feeding costs remains one of the biggest opportunities for many cow-calf operations. 

Baron said the goal should be to maximize the number of days cattle can harvest their own feed rather than relying on stored feed. 

“The strategy has been to stretch out the grazing season as much as possible so that we can get that daily cost below what it will cost in a feeding site,” he said. 

The webinar covered several options for extended grazing, including swath grazing, corn grazing, stockpiled forage and winter cereals such as fall rye and winter triticale. 

Each option has strengths and weaknesses depending on the operation, location, and available infrastructure, but the underlying principle remains the same: every day cattle are grazing instead of being fed harvested feed helps lower costs. 

Winter cereals were highlighted as one option that can provide grazing opportunities in both the spring and fall, although management and winter survival remain important considerations. 

Research looking at new options 

Santos shared research underway at the University of Alberta evaluating a range of annual forage systems. 

One area of focus has been warm-season annuals. Research ahs shown strong biomass production from sorghum-sudangrass, particularly when harvest is delayed later into the season. However, greater yields often come with lower forage quality as plants become more mature. 

Researchers have also been examining multi-species annual forage blends that combine cereals, legumes, brassicas, and herbs. 

While simple cereal crops often produced the highest total biomass, Santos said more diverse mixtures can bring other advantages. 

“As we increase the number of species, we may not always increase biomass, but we gain other benefits from those mixtures,” he said. 

Those benefits can include improved forage quality, greater biodiversity, and potential soil health improvements. 

The work highlights the tradeoffs producers may face between maximizing tonnes of forage and achieving broader benefits within the forage system. 

Lessons from the farm 

Southern Alberta producer Susan Heather shared her experience interseeding Italian ryegrass into a barley silage crop as part of an AALL project. 

The approach involved establishing Italian reygrass beneath the barley, harvesting the silage crop in August, and then utilizing the ryegrass regrwoth for fall and winter grazing. 

The project surpassed initial expectations. While the original target was approximately 2,000 kilograms per hectare of ryegrass production, later years produced roughly double that amount. 

More importantly, the additional forage created grazing opportunities later in the season. 

“We’ve really increased our fall grazing and been able to push it farther into winter, which was our goal,” said Heather. 

She also observed benefits to soil protection following silage harvest. 

“Now there’s something growing there. It’s holding the soil, we aren’t having soil blowing, and it’s growing a better crop.” 

One practica lesson from the project was the importance of establishment. Heather found direct seeding the ryegrass produced much better results than broadcasting seed after the crop had already emerged. 

Looking ahead, she said the next step is finding the right crop rotation to make the practice fit long-term within the operation. 

No one-size-fits-all solution 

When asked what advice he would give producers interested in adding annual forages, Baron emphasized that there is no universal answer. 

“There isn’t one specific answer for everybody,” he said. 

The best option will depend on where feed shortages occur within an operation and what a producer is trying to accomplish. 

“Don’t get fixed on one species. Think about how the different options fit into your operation.” 

Heather offered similar advice. 

“Don’t be afraid to try something,” she said. “Be realistic about your own area and what can be produced there.”