Crabgrass possesses significant potential for supplying high quality summer forage although it is considered a weed by many. A primary advantage of crabgrass is that it is well adapted to Kentucky and occurs naturally in most summer pastures, especially those that have been overgrazed. It is also highly palatable and a prolific re-seeder. Planting an improved variety of crabgrass is recommended because the production of naturally-occurring ecotypes varies greatly. Crabgrass is best utilized by grazing.

Sudangrass is a rapidly growing summer annual grass in the sorghum family. It is medium yielding and well suited for grazing. Sudangrass regrows quickly after harvest and can be grazed several times during summer and early fall. This grass has finer stems than most other summer annuals which makes it better suited for hay production.

Sorghum-Sudangrass is a hybrid between sudangrass and forage sorghum. It combines the benefit of both forages with the regrowth of sudangrass and the high yield of forage sorghum. It is most often used for grazing or baleage production, but the larger stem limits it’s use for hay production. With both sudangrass and sorghum-sudangrass, new BMR types combine good forage yield with improved forage quality.

These new publications provide a full description of these forages and detailed establishment and management information. Find them at the UK forage website under the Forage Species tab or look under the Variety Trials tab and download the 2018 Annual Grass Report to determine the best varieties to plant.