Crusader Italian Ryegrass             

 When you depend on feed have confidence in yield

For quantities over 495 lbs. (more than 10 bags of 55 pounds) please contact us by Phone at 800 253 7346 or click here for a price quote and delivery options.

Crusader is a highly productive, rapidly establishing, late flowering diploid Italian ryegrass.  It can be used for grazing, silage or hay production.  Crusader produces more dry matter than most other short term ryegrass varieties from a combination of its early growth from establishment, excellent winter production, and strong persistence into summer.  Crusader is one of the latest flowering Italian ryegrasses, which maximizes the vegetative growth period; as a result, this extended leafiness will provide significant benefits for late spring-early summer pasture quality and animal production.  Persistence into, and through a second year is an added benefit.  Crusader has shown resilience to a range of environmental conditions and seeding techniques and is proving to have consistently high total production.

• A flexible and forgiving ryegrass variety.  It has a place in most North American farming regions.  
• Spring planted Crusader has become a powerful alternative to forage cereals in the Midwest.
• Fall planted Crusader, in the Intermountain regions and the West Coast, can extend quality feed past the life span of annual ryegrass.
• Crusader's rapid establishment and vigorous growth offers early grazing opportunities and maximum yield potential for winter feeding.
• Crusader is a diploid variety with high tiller density and excellent heat tollerance.  With a heading date later than a common annual, Crusader provides productive and leafy pasture in late spring- early summer.
• Residual management of Crusader in the fall has greatly increased its winter survival.
• Crusader makes it easier to manage and budget winter feed.  Its increased early growth provides the winter grazing needed for a better start to the spring.
• Crusader Italian Ryegrass will lengthen a corn/alfalfa/cereal crop rotation.  An 18 month Crusader break rejuvenates the soil, cycles more manure and reduces input costs.
• Suitable for Cattle, and Sheep

Sowing:

Plant at 25 pounds per acre

• Seed in fall or spring (in summer only if in moist areas)
• Seed at 25 pounds  per acre, Seed at 20-30 pounds per acre 
• Seed at 10 pounds per acre with 2 pounds brassica, such as Hunter forage brassica or Winfred rage.