Winter Cereal Cover Crops: When to Choose Rye, Triticale, Wheat, Barley, or Oats

This time of year is always busy and exciting for our team at Green Cover as folks are ordering the covers they’ll plant after harvest. When it comes to fall-planted cover crops, the first species that comes to mind is often cereal rye because of its versatility, reliability and cost effectiveness. But what about the other winter cereals, what are the options and what are some examples of scenarios in which other winter cereals may be worth considering over a cereal rye?

Quick Overview:

Hazlet Cereal Rye

• A traditional “northern” variety of cereal rye

• Exceptional winter hardiness, even when planted late

• Works well as a companion with hairy vetch as they mature at similar times

• The superior choice in wet climates as it takes a bit longer to go to head out compared to elbon, allowing more time in the spring for soils to dry out for termination

Cardinal Cereal Rye

• Excellent choice for forage scenarios

• Exceptional tillering

• Uniquely suited to excel south of I-70

• Early planting is crucial for winter survival, not recommended for northern climates

• Matures later in the spring than Elbon

• Cardinal variety is exclusively available through Green Cover

Elbon Cereal Rye

• Matures especially early in the springtime

• Ideal candidate for roller crimping due to early maturity

• Smaller seed size helps offset higher cost per pound

• Regularly overwinters in the central plains up to I-90

Forage FX 1002 Triticale

• Cold hardiness and tonnage of rye crossed with forage value of wheat

• Bred to perform in harsh northern climates of MT, CO and WY

• Ideal for dryland scenarios

• Increased tonnage per acre

SY TF 813 Triticale

• Cold hardiness and tonnage of rye crossed with forage value of wheat

• Well suited for southern and central plains regions

• Overwinters south of I-80

• Offers extended grazing in the fall when planted early

Gore Winter Wheat

• High protein value grazing

• Completely beardless forage variety

P919 Winter Barley

• Makes excellent fall or spring forage

• Not suited to overwinter in northern climates

• Performs especially well in high pH or high salinity soils

• Better suited for before corn as nitrogen tie-up is limited and growth is less aggressive

• Easier to terminate than cereal rye

• Higher quality forage but lower quantity

Cosaque Black Oats

• Extremely palatable option

• An excellent fall or spring grazing option

• Well suited for southern climates (Zone 6A or higher)

• Winter survivability north of I-70 is unlikely, very dependent on snow cover

Centurion Diploid Annual Ryegrass

• Overwintering varies, best suited south of I-70

• Deep roots and high forage quality

• More cold tolerant than Ranahan

• Tolerates harder grazing

Ranahan Tetraploid Annual Ryegrass

• Overwintering varies, best suited south of I-70

• Tetraploid fiber is more easily digestible for livestock, making it a preferred variety

• Deep roots and high forage quality

• Widely used in southern US to suppress weeds

Cereal Rye

Cereal rye remains the undisputed king of cover crops due to its extreme cold tolerance and wide planting window. Cereal rye has the ability to germinate in soils as cold as 34 degrees and even photosynthesize at 38 degrees when the sun is shining. This is a huge soil health advantage to have a living, growing plant when most other winter cereals have gone dormant. 

Rye can be planted very late in the season and still successfully vernalize. It is the first crop to break dormancy in the spring so it is the best weed control of anything you can plant in the fall. 

Hazlet

Hazlet is a traditional “northern” variety of cereal rye and is exceptionally winter hardy, even when planted late. It often works well when grown as a companion with hairy vetch as they mature at similar times. Hazlet is the superior choice in wet climates as it takes a bit longer to mature compared to Elbon, allowing more time in the spring for soils to dry out. 

Cardinal is a unique variety with characteristics that make it the best cereal rye for forage scenarios. When planted early (August or September) this rye will tiller exceptionally well, survive the winter and is later maturing in the spring. This gives lots of grazing opportunities from fall through spring. Early planting is crucial for winter hardiness and it is not recommended in extremely cold climates. Cardinal is an exclusive variety at Green Cover, so you won’t find it anywhere else.

Elbon works well in the southern US and in organic systems. We like Elbon for its shorter winter dormancy period, which makes it a great option for early forage. It is the first cereal rye to mature in the spring so for those relying on roller-crimp termination this is an excellent option. Elbon has a smaller seed size which reduces the seeding rate and helps offset the higher cost of seed. Elbon regularly overwinters in the central plains up to I-90. Our 2026 inventory of Elbon is limited due to a poor production year and we are predicting we will run out. If you are set on planting Elbon this year, be sure to call your sales representative as soon as possible to get your order in.

Rye is a great fall planted cover crop but because it takes off and starts growing super fast in the spring,  it must be managed properly in the spring. Termination timing according to your goals and context is the key to managing moisture and nutrient cycling.

Winter Triticale

Winter triticale is a cross between cereal rye and wheat. It has the cold hardiness and biomass-producing traits from the rye while having better forage qualities from the wheat parent. Triticale is the best winter cereal for maximizing spring forage. It can be chopped, baled or grazed very successfully all the way through the early head stage. It is a little longer season than cereal rye so consider following it with another forage crop, milo, corn silage, or a short season grain corn. This year we’re offering Forage FX 1002 and SY TF 813 Triticale. The Forage FX 1002 is excellent for almost every forage situation including dryland scenarios. It is more cold tolerant than the 813 and is bred to perform in harsh winters of northern states like Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. If you don’t need quite as much cold tolerance, the 813 variety is well suited for the central and southern plains and provides extended grazing when planted early in the fall as well as excellent palatability and tonnage.

Winter Wheat

If you’re in wheat country and growing rye is a problem, winter wheat can be used in place of rye. Wheat does have a higher protein value for grazing and after it heads out it maintains its forage quality. Wheat has considerably lower amounts of above and below ground biomass production compared to rye or triticale. Wheat is also less active during winter than rye. Gore is a forage variety that is completely beardless and works well in forage mixes. 

Winter Barley

Winter Barley is not as winter hardy as winter wheat, triticale or rye but it does grow especially well in soils with high pH or high salinity. It is not as fast-growing or aggressive as rye, which makes it somewhat less effective for spring weed control, but this also makes it a better cereal ahead of corn as there are less nitrogen tie up effects and easier to terminate. Barley is higher quality, but lower quantity forage than rye or triticale and our beardless P919 variety makes for excellent fall and spring grazing. In areas where it will overwinter, it is fast to mature and will be ready to harvest before cereal rye. 

Winter Oats

Winter Black Oats are one of the most palatable winter cereals that you can plant. We have an excellent supply of the Cosaque Black Oats this year and while not as winter hardy as the previously mentioned cereals, they will survive single digits and even subzero temps with some snow cover. Even if they do not survive the winter in more northern climates, they are a far better fall-planted option than spring oats which will winterkill in the low 20’s most years. Winter oats are one of the best forage cereals for the south (Zone 6A or higher) and they will pair very well with winter peas or vetch for outstanding spring forage options.

Annual Ryegrass

Annual ryegrass is also a viable option especially for those in warmer climates. It has deep roots and high forage quality, though it lacks the winter survivability of other cool season annual grasses. Diploid varieties like Centurion are best suited for colder environments and tolerate harder grazing compared to tetraploid varieties. Our tetraploid variety, Ranahan, produces high quality forage and is widely used in the southern US. Ranahan is an ideal choice for beef and dairy cattle providing season long production. The higher intake and more digestible fiber of tetraploid ryegrass can mean greater animal performance. Winter killed ryegrass can still provide weed suppression, soil protection and trap residual nitrogen until spring. 

While each of these species has specific characteristics to consider, it’s worth noting that a diverse mix of these cereals can leverage the benefits of each species.

Remember that as we move into the fall, we have fewer choices to select from, but we still have good options to get the ground covered for erosion prevention, improved infiltration, compaction breaking and supplemental winter and spring grazing. Give our team a call at 402-469-6784 to get a tailored recommendation for your specific goals. Or reach out to get in contact via email.