Evaluation of Early-Seeded Multiple-Cut Winter Cereals for Livestock Feed as a Drought Management Strategy in Alberta

1 day ago

6 min read

Funded by Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) and Coordinated by Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA)

Seeding winter cereals in spring is an emerging strategy to improve forage availability into fall, because these crops do not enter the reproductive phase when seeded in spring; they remain vegetative and can provide forage later into summer and fall. Most existing research, however, has focused on spring seeding when soil temperatures exceed 10°C. The objective of this project is to compare the establishment, dry matter yield, and nutritional quality between winter cereals seeded early in spring (2–6°C soil temperature) and those seeded later (soil temperatures above 10°C) under simulated grazing conditions.

What We Did

This 3-year province-wide study began in 2024 at four sites across the province. The Fairview Research Farm, located at RR # 35, MD of Fairview, Alberta, was one of the four sites. Table 1 presents the site history, field operations performed, and data collected in 2025. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications in small plots measuring 8 m x 1.8 m, for each seeding window. Seeding was carried out using a 6-row Fabro plot drill equipped with disc-type openers on 23 cm (9") row spacing, complete with mid-row banding.

Weather and Field Notes

Weather data was obtained from the Government of Alberta’s ACIS (Alberta Climate Information Service) station, located within 100 m of the experimental plots. The growing season (May–August), long-term average (LTA, 30+ years) mean air temperature and total precipitation at the site are 11.6°C and 8", respectively. In 2025, the mean air temperature was 17.2°C with a total rainfall of 5" (almost 6°C higher and 3" lower than the LTA). Appreciable growth was still evident after the Sept 15 silage harvest deadline in nearly all treatments.

Results Obtained

Early Seeding Window

Results on various agronomic indicators for the early seeding window are shown in Table 2.

Plant Height and Brix Readings

Plant heights ranged from 27 to 48 cm for first cut and 27 to 43 cm for second cut, and varied widely between treatments for both cuts. Triticale varieties on average were taller than Wheat and Fall Rye varieties. Brix readings ranged from 18 to 25 for the first cut and 6 to 24 for the second cut, with no significant variation between the treatments in the first cut. However, for the second cut, the check (Taza Triticale, a Spring Triticale variety) had a very high Brix reading (24.3) compared to the other winter cereal treatments.

Forage DM Yield

Three cuts were obtained for Taza Triticale, the Spring Triticale variety. In comparison, two cuts were obtained from all the other winter cereal varieties except for Tadeus triticale, which produced just 1 (but of high silage yield) throughout the growing season. Total Forage DM ranged from 960 to 2,350 lbs/ac across two triticale varieties (Taza Triticale and Tadeus Triticale), which, on average, produced higher Forage DM yields compared to the other treatments.

Forage Nutritive Value

All forage nutritive values reported here were high and varied significantly between treatments (see Tables 4 and 5).

Crude protein ranged from 15 to 22% in the first cut and 13 to 24% in the second cut, with the spring cereal control (Taza Triticale) having the lowest crude protein content in the second cut.
Energy (TDN) values were also high, averaging 69% and 68% for the first and second cuts, respectively.
Macronutrients varied significantly between treatments, with the following ranges:

0.34 – 1.10% (first cut) and 0.4 – 1.1% (second cut) for calcium;

0.12 – 0.44% (first cut) and 0.3 – 0.5% (second cut) for phosphorus;

0.16 – 0.39% (first cut) and 0.2 – 0.4% (second cut) for magnesium;

1.8 – 3.1% (first cut) and 1.7 – 3.7% (second cut) for potassium.

Micronutrients also varied significantly between treatments, with the following ranges:

4.8 – 9.5% (first cut) and 7.2 – 10.6% (second cut) for copper;

22 – 42 ppm (first cut) and 51 – 73 ppm (second cut) for zinc;

537 – 1875 ppm (first cut) and 389 – 1082 ppm (second cut) for iron;

76 – 146 ppm (first cut) and 169 – 200 ppm (second cut) for manganese.

Late Seeding Window

Results on various agronomic indicators for the late seeding window are shown in Table 3.

Plant Height and Brix Readings

Plant heights ranged from 23 to 37 cm for the first cut and 26 to 33 cm for the second cut and varied widely between treatments for both cuts. Triticale varieties, on average, were just as tall as Wheat and Fall Rye varieties for the early seeding window. Brix readings ranged from 17 to 25 for the first cut and from 6 to 15 for the second cut, and varied widely across treatments for both cuts. Just as for the early-seeded window, the check Taza Triticale had the lowest reading (16.8) in the first cut and the highest (15.0) in the second cut.

Forage DM Yield

Total Forage DM ranged between 1,450 – 3,600 lbs/ac, with Performer Fall Rye having the highest Forage DM yield. Three cuts were obtained for Taza Triticale, the spring variety. In comparison, two cuts were obtained from all other winter cereal varieties, except for Pintail Wheat and Serafino Fall Rye, which produced only 1 cut all season.

Forage Nutritive Value

All forage nutritive values were high and varied significantly between treatments.

Crude protein ranged from 21 to 28% in the first cut and 16 to 26% in the second cut, with the spring cereal control having the lowest crude protein content in the second cut.
Energy (TDN) values were also very high, averaging 71% and 69% for the first and second cuts, respectively.
Macronutrients varied significantly between treatments, with the following ranges:

0.49 – 0.74% (first cut) and 0.45 – 1.30% (second cut) for calcium;

0.17 – 0.46% (first cut) and 0.20 – 0.46% (second cut) for phosphorus;

0.20 – 0.31% (first cut) and 0.22 – 0.44% (second cut) for magnesium;

2.7 – 3.7% (first cut) and 2.1 – 4.2% (second cut) for potassium.

Micronutrients also varied significantly between treatments, with the following ranges:

5.7 – 9.5% (first cut) and 5.7 – 9.0% (second cut) for copper;

36 – 91 ppm (first cut) and 45 – 101 ppm (second cut) for zinc;

610 – 4026 ppm (first cut) and 687 – 1914 ppm (second cut) for iron;

143 – 237 ppm (first cut) and 132 – 205 ppm (second cut) for manganese.

Conclusion & Implications

Brix levels were generally similar across treatments, but Taza Triticale showed exceptionally high late-season Brix, suggesting strong sugar accumulation and better fall feed quality.
Forage DM yields were highest in early window seeded triticale varieties and in Performer Fall Rye (late window), indicating that species respond differently to seeding time.
Taza Triticale was the only variety providing three cuts in both windows, demonstrating excellent regrowth potential. Most winter cereals provided two cuts, while some (e.g., Tadeus early, Pintail and Serafino late) produced only one, though sometimes with high yield.
Forage nutritive value (CP and TDN) was high across all varieties, with CP consistently dropping in the second cut, especially in the spring check. Macro- and micronutrient levels were adequate to high, supporting their suitability for grazing and silage.
Late seeding produced generally higher DM yields, especially for Fall Rye, indicating strong fall performance under cooler conditions.

These results suggest that:

Taza Triticale is the strongest candidate for extended grazing due to its multi-cut ability, high sugar content, and vigorous regrowth.
Winter Triticale and Fall Rye varieties provide reliable biomass into late summer/fall, supporting shoulder-season grazing.
High nutritional value across cuts ensures animals maintain performance even late in the season.
Late-seeded Fall Rye (e.g., Performer) offers substantial late-season biomass, ideal for fall grazing or stockpiled forage.
Varieties producing only one cut may suit targeted, high-yield silage but are less valuable for season-long grazing.
Consistent high mineral content suggests minimal need for supplementation during extended grazing.
The appreciable Forage DM yields observed for all varieties, even after the data collection cut-off date of September 15, suggest even more potential for forage yield.

Future Plan

The trial will be continued next year, and we will monitor forage yield from regrowth in the fall and test forage materials for nitrates.

Trial Coordinator, Momna Farzand (in the middle) from LARA and Dr. Hayford Gyamfi (PCBFA Research Coordinator, right) during a site visit at the PCBFA plots (July 10th).