About Barley Grass Yearly Production

Barley grass makes excellent pasture cover.

Barley grass is an annual grass sometimes used in hay and pasture cover. The quick-growing grass is cold-resistant and also works well as a winter ground cover or lawn grass.

Features

Barley grass works as either a spring hay-type crop or good pasture cover planted in the winter. As winter cover, barley grass should be planted no less than 30 days before the first frost.

Benefits

Planted as a spring crop, barley grass will usually produce two good movings. Average yield per acre is about 1.7 tons of dry material on the first cutting and about .7 tons per acre on the second cutting. A third cutting is usually a poor choice.

Potential

Barley grass serves as good ground cover for cropland during the winter to prevent erosion and soil damage. As a pasture cover, the quick growth of barley grass provides livestock with fresh green grass well into winter months.

References

• North Carolina State Univesity: Cover Crops