Perennial ryegrass is the highest quality forage grass throughout the world. Wherever it's adapted and grows well, nothing produces more beef, milk or wool per acre than perennial ryegrass. So in pasture-dominated regions, like New Zealand, Ireland, and England, perennial ryegrass clearly is the species of choice.
Given this, you may be asking why it’s not used more in Nebraska. The answer lies in one word: "adaptation." Perennial ryegrass thrives in a wet, mild-temperature climate. It can survive quite cold winter temperatures, but it hates hot weather, especially if it also is dry. With its shallow root system, lengthy periods of dry soil, both summer and winter, cause severe stand loss.
In our region, it's our hot, dry summers and sometimes the dry, exposed winters that cause persistence problems for ryegrass.
That means ryegrass won't last long in dryland pastures, but it might work as part of the mix in irrigated pasture, especially where high quality for dairy or yearlings is needed. If you use it, though, be prepared to reseed every few years.
I think it's too risky to try pure stands of perennial ryegrass around here. But in a mix, with well-managed irrigation, and a willingness to reseed occasionally, it might work.
Bruce Anderson
Extension Forage Specialist
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