Grains

Barley

Barley is a cereal grain and member of the grass family used primarily for livestock feed, forage, and malting. Barley is a widely adaptable crop but is best suited to cooler, drier areas. Barley comes in many varieties however, beardless or awnless are more palatable to livestock.

Spring

Belford – hooded, mid-season maturity, relatively weak straw, mid-tall. Hay

Hayes – hooded, shorter, good lodging resistance, mid-late maturity. Hay

Haybet – hooded, 2-row, high protein, late maturity. Hay or Feed

Poco – awned, short height, stiff straw, fast maturity.  Feed, Cover Crop, or Wildlife 

Schaller – hooded, late maturity, taller, dual purpose. Hay or Feed

Steptoe – mid-tall, rough-awned, stiff straw, good lodging resistance. Feed

Winter

Hoody – hooded, intermediate height, moderately stiff straw, mid to mid-late maturity. Feed

Valor – beardless, winter hardy, high protein, mid-tall, moderately stiff straw.  Feed or Forage

Oats

Oats are a cereal grain commonly used as livestock feed but also as a cover crop or grain crop. They are planted in either autumn or spring. There is a big difference in oat varieties for forage.

Spring

California Red – Tall, fine stemmed, leafy, purple pigment, late maturing, dryland or irrigated hay. Moderate resistance to stem and crown rusts, most susceptible of a California oat variety to barley yellow dwarf virus. Recommended better suited for grain; windrow when harvesting for grain; never sown in late winter or where heat and drought are severe. Hay or Grain

Cayuse – awned, light yellow kernels, resistant to lodging, medium-early maturity, fair tolerance to barley yellow dwarf virus. Average test weight, medium-short stiff straw, released 1996 Washington. Hay, Green Chop and Forage

Everleaf – erect growth, dark foliage, delayed heading, excellent resistance to rust, very good standability, high yielding, high quality. Haylage and Grazing

Kanota – awned, taller than most grain cultivars, early season, shatters easily, finer stems, medium height, some resistance to yellow dwarf, good straw strength, good test weight, grown for hay, released 1920s Kansas. Hay and Forage

Monida – similar to Otana Oats, good lodging resistance, moderate straw strength, susceptible to crown rust, mid-season, preferred milling type, less than Otana in test weight, superior to Cayuse, released 1985 Idaho. Forage and Grain

Montezuma – red hay oat, medium height, very good lodging and shattering resistance, strong straw, resistant to yellow dwarf and most leaf diseases, high test weight, leafy, earliest maturing of California oat varieties, high grain yield, susceptible to rusts when conditions are favorable, released 1967 California. Hay and Forage

Otana – medium-tall, high test weight, mid-season, moderate lodging resistance, moderately stiff straw, resistant to victoria blight, susceptible to shattering, stem rust and yellow dwarf, released 1976 Montana. Green Chop, Hay and Silage

Swan – Lightly awned, good yellow dwarf resistance, height similar to Cayuse, red forage oat, early maturity, dual purpose grain/hay, developed in western Australia. Hay and Grain

Texas Red: Spring planted in the Willamette Valley, hay oat. Hay

Winter

Okay – strong straw, high yielding, mid-maturing, mid-height, awnless.  Hay, Feed, or Grazing

Wheat

Wheat can be used for grain production, hay, silage, or grazing. There are many different wheat kinds, with soft white wheat being grown primarily in the Pacific Northwest. See our additional Wheat page for grain producing varieties.

Spring

Seahawk – soft white spring, awned, good straw strength, medium height. Grain

Ryan – early maturing, short height, good straw strength, awned. Grain

Twin – soft white spring, awnless, mid-maturing, good straw strength. Hay

Winter

Yamhill – beardless, tolerates wet soils, standard height, cold tolerant, adapted to winter wheat growing areas of Oregon, Washington and Northern California, fall or winter planted, forage quality and quantity are very good, developed in Oregon in 1969. Hay

Bobtail – soft white winter, semi-drawf, awnletted. Grain

Rosalyn– beardless, soft white winter, mid-maturing. Grain

Ryegrain

Ryegrain is a cool-season cereal grain used for  hay, pasture, grain or cover crop. Rye is the most winter-hardy of all cereal grains and tolerates drought better. It is one of the most popular and easiest cover crops to grown.

Elbon – early maturing, winter hardy, upright growth habit, large soft stems. Hay and Grain

Oklon – early maturing,  winter hardy, tall, increased grain yield. Hay and Grain

Triticale

Triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye commonly used as a feed grain and forage.

Spring

Merlin – awnless, intermediate growth habit, growth rate equal to Dirkwin wheat, later heading than triticale “118”. Hay and Silage

Winter

Fridge – awnletted, tall, early rapid growth. Hay and Grazing

Surge – awnless, late maturing. Feed Grain, Grazing, Hay and Silage

103BB – awnletted, tall, late maturing, high nutrient uptake. Hay and Grazing

Grasses

Bromes

The brome genus is a large family of varied grasses used mostly for pasture, hay, and conservation.

Atom Prairie Grass – a perennial grass similar to brome with high annual dry matter production and excellent animal performance

Gala Grazing Brome – a perennial grass with excellent seedling vigor, dense tillers, and endophyte free

For more information on Atom Prairie Grass or Gala Grazing Brome, visit PGG Seeds website. Ioka Marketing is the US distributor for PGG Seeds US.

Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass is a cool season perennial that spreads through rhizomes. It has low growth habit and it susceptible to heat and drought. It grows best during cool, moist weather.

Ginger – excellent early spring greenup, early maturity, aggressive rhizomes, tolerant of close grazing, palatable and nutritious for all livestock.

Orchardgrass

Orchard grass is a cool season, perennial, bunch-type, tall-growing grass. It is one of the most productive cool-season grasses. Orchard grass is tolerant to shade and fairly drought resistant with moderate winter hardiness. It produces an excellent pasture grass for cattle and horses and can be used in wildlife food plots. Orchard grass can withstand trampling and heavy grazing. It has high nutrient content.

Hallmark – Early maturing, vigorous, high yielding, good resistance to leaf disease, good seed yield

Pennlate – Late maturing, high yielding, improved stand persistence, ideal for alfalfa/clover mixes

Potomac – Productive, persistent, rust resistant, early maturing, ideal as single species hay

Ryegrass

Ryegrasses are the most widely grown cool-season grasses in the world. They establish quickly, have a long growing season, are high yielding, and possess great nutrient content. They can be grazed or used for hay and silage.

Winter Star II Tetraploid Annual – A tetraploid annual ryegrass suitable for quick, early feed with improved late season quality for silage, hay production and grazing.

Gulf Annual – An annual ryegrass that is an erect, robust cool-season bunch grass with a heavy, extensive, fibrous root system.

Crusader Italian – An Italian ryegrass that is flexible and forgiving with rapid establishment and vigorous growth.

Kingsgate Perennial – A persistent and durable diploid ryegrass that combines high yields and robustness in less than ideal conditions.

One50 Perennial – A late-heading diploid perennial ryegrass with outstanding dry matter production and that is suitable for all classes of livestock.

For more information on these Crusader Italian, Kingsgate Perennial, and One50 Perennial, visit PGG Seeds website. Ioka Marketing is the US distributor for PGG Seeds US.

Sorghum Sudan

Sorghum Sudan grass hybrids are a cross between forage-type sorghums and Sudan grasses. They are tall, fast-growing, heat-loving summer annual grasses. These hybrids produce ample biomass, suppress weeds, can be grown throughout the U.S., and is prized as summer forage.

Tall Fescue

Tall fescue is a perennial grass and a very adaptable species. It grows well in wet or dry soil conditions, is very winter-hardy, and is persistent. Tall fescue is easy to establish and long lived under harsh conditions. It is grown for hay, pasture and silage, and survives heavy grazing. Stand can persist and be productive for years.

Fawn – Cool season, heat and drought tolerant

Temora – Winter-active, drought tolerant, persistent. Viable alternative to harding grass, alfalfa or orchard grass

For more information on Temora Tall Fescue, visit PGG Seeds website. Ioka Marketing is the US distributor for PGG Seeds US.

Timothy

Timothy is an abundant, cool-season perennial bunch grass used for pasture, hay production, and forage. Timothy stores energy reserves for regrowth and tillering at the stem base, making it a better hay crop than pasture species.

Climax – leafy, fine-stemmed, developed in Canada, does not tolerate wet or drought soils, becomes weak under close and continuous grazing, high yielding, high quality, highly palatable.

Brassicas

Brassicas

Brassicas are of a wide family of vegetable varieties generally used by farmers to extend the grazing season. They are very digestible and palatable, vastly productive, and have high protein levels. Brassicas are also good for use in cover cropping.

Graza Radish – a drought tolerant radish that has rapid regrowth and can be grazed multiple times

Hunter Leaf Turnip – a fast establishing crop that can be grazed as early as 6-8 weeks

New York Turnip – a winter turnip with large bulb, high leaf production and regrowth potential

Rival Turnip – a soft, tankard type turnip, high dry matter, high energy, fast maturing

Ethiopian Cabbage PG584  – biofumigant, drought and heat tolerant, germinates quickly, maturity in 60 days, germinates quickly,

Winfred Brassica – a rape with greater versatility and the ability to be grazed multiple times

For more information on these verities, visit PGG Seeds website. Ioka Marketing is the US distributor for PGG Seeds US.

Legumes

Clovers

Clovers are legume plants and can be annual, biennial or short-lived perennial. They produce an abundant crop and grow in a wide range of climates and soils. Clovers are palatable to and nutritious for livestock and wildlife. They have high quality protein and digestibility. Clovers can enrich your soil, improving the overall health of your pasture and other grasses by nitrogen fixation. The most common are red and white clovers. Red clovers are used primarily for hay, silage and baleage. White clovers are commonly used for grazing. They can be planted alone or in mixtures with other grasses.

Balansa – an annual legume native to the northeastern Mediterranean region with quick germination, a multi-branched rosette, and saline soil tolerance. Grazing 

Berseem – a winter or summer annual with fast growth, high production potential under irrigation, heavy N production, and the least winter hardy. Chopped Forage and Grazing

Crimson – a winter or summer annual with rapid, robust growth, weed suppression, and source of N. Hay and Grazing

Medium Red – a short-lived perennial with adaption to a wide range of soil types and conditions, quick to establish, and winter hardy. Forage, Grazing and Wildlife

White – an intermediate white clover with more aggressive tillers, profuse flowering, and heat tolerance. Palatable and digestible with high crude protein. Grazing and Forage

Persian – a winter annual that tolerates a range of soils, N-fixing, and improves pest and disease control. Pasture and Hay

Strawberry – a perennial that is hardy and tolerant of harsh environmental conditions than white clover. Grazing

Dalkeith Subterranean – a reseeding cool season annual that has strong persistence in orchards and pastures, excellent weed suppression, and high palatability. Grazing

Relish Red – forage clover, semi-prostrate growth, low levels of formononetin (oestrogen). Grazing

Vetch

Vetch is a short-term legume with great nitrogen fixing ability. Vetches make high quality hay and does best as a feed when put into a mix.

Common –  Slender, viny plant, compound leaves, tendrils for attachment and support, bigger flowers, less winter hardy than hairy vetch. Well-adapted to moderately to well-drained, fertile soils.

Hairy –  Winter dormancy, fast growth in the spring, will re-seed if left to go to maturity. Winter ground cover, biomass production, nitrogen fixing.

Peas

Peas are a legume high in protein and excellent when planted in forage mixtures, used as a nitrogen fixing crop, harvested for grain, and used in rotations. They can be planted in spring or fall.

 Austrian Winter – Winter-hardy field peas with bountiful biomass, moisture efficiency, and quick growth. A great nitrogen source and provides enhancements to soil quality. Often seeded with triticale and other small grains for a boost to forage.

 Dundale – A spring field pea used to produce organic matter and nitrogen in cover crops or as forage. Dundale is drought tolerant and highly adaptable to a wide range of soils.

Faba Beans

Faba beans are a spring or winter annual legume, really a vetch and not a bean. They can grow on a wide range of soils and under a variety of drainage conditions. Faba beans are used as a spring or winter cover crop, forage, hay, silage, and green manure. They are capable of producing large amounts of dry matter and accumulating large quantities of nitrogen. They improve soil texture, suppress weeds, and support microorganisms.

Herbs

Herbs

Herbs provide a nutritious plant source to animals. They are highly palatable and are a valuable source of mineral uptake. Caution should be taken when grazing to ensure good plant survival and persistency. The use of forage herbs can create high performance pastures for livestock grazing systems.

 Choice Chicory – a perennial plant with leafy growth, a relatively deep taproot, and tolerance to drought conditions. Grazing

Tonic Plantain – a high production herb with excellent winter growth, high dry matter production, exceptional animal growth rates, and high trace element content. Grazing

For more information on these verities, visit PGG Seeds website. Ioka Marketing is the US distributor for PGG Seeds US.

Honoring the past, Ioka is named from a Chinook Indian word meaning “a thing of loveliness” or “a cherished piece of land noted for its beauty, health, and fertility”.