Winter cereals provide green, actively growing plants during the fall and early winter periods and are the first to green up in the spring.

While we carefully select species to plant in our fields and utilize as cover crops or plan a total mixed ration, many ranchers do not know the primary grass species being consumed by their livestock.

Improving plant biodiversity on your ranch will often increase forage supply, forage quality, and soil health, along with carbon capture potential. Increasing plant biodiversity often comes in the form of interseeding or overseeding desirable grasses and/or legumes to change the composition or productivity of a forage base. Forbs can also be of interest but are not considered here.

Successful beef producers maximize available pasture. Planting annual forages is a time-tested way to increase yield per acre for a grazing herd of cattle.

As livestock graziers, “roots in the ground, all year ’round” is standard practice when managing perennial pastures, but it’s a mantra that is gaining momentum among crop growers as well.