Peer-reviewed Nebraska Extension publications are available at extensionpubs.unl.edu/.

On some land annual crop production is often not profitable. This land often has a history of erosion. Including perennial grass or a grass-legume mixture in the rotation may be a means to improve soil productivity and profitability while achieving other benefits.

A new NebGuide, Perennial Grass or Grass-Legume in Rotation with Annual Crops (G2313), addresses conditions where a nine-year or longer rotation might be appropriate, as well as the potential benefits and constraints to implementation. It also provides guidelines to establishing and managing perennial grasses in crop rotations including grass species and variety selection, land preparation and sowing, weed control, grazing and haying management, fertilizer use, and termination of the grass to return to annual crop production.