Do you want to increase the tonnage and Ndfd of your balage, hay or haylage? Add some of the newer grass varieties to your seeding. There are several advantages:
1. You can increase your tonnage by up to 1 ton DM per season.
2. When made before the grass heads out, you may increase the Ndfd of your forage.
3. The grass can add some sugars that will help with the fermentation of your feed.
4. When making dry hay, the grass will help in drying.
5. The grass component is very beneficial for cows rumen.
Use some of the newer, later maturing tall or meadow fescues. If you want a lesser grass component, 5#/acre will normally be fine. For a lot of grass, increase seeding rate to 8# or more.
To keep grass in the stand for a long time, it is usually best to cut a little higher then you might with a pure alfalfa stand. (3-4″) The higher the grass content of your stand, the earlier you will need to make it for top quality. As an example, a pure grass stand generally will need to be cut in the spring 1-2 weeks (depending on the weather) before a pure alfalfa stand.