To compare legume-grass sward composition when using orchard grass or a less competitive low alkaloid reed canary grass. To ascertain if clipping of forage plots can predict sward composition under actual grazing conditions. To investigate the relative advantages of various forage mixtures and lead to recommendations on their use in Ontario sheep pastures. Palaton reed canary grass is not suitable for short-term pasture mixtures. We found Kay orchardgrass to be much more aggressive in mixture.
Pasture management has a much greater influence on forage quality than mixture type.
Forage quality can be extremely high, but achieving small plot quality from actual grazing can be difficult. This finding suggests that producers should concentrate on pasture management before species or mixture selection. Reasonable average daily gain of lambs can be achieved on well-managed pasture, but the primary benefit appears to be total gain per acre. White clover mixtures showed a slight advantage in animal production despite equal or lower forage yields. This was apparently due to both extremely high forage quality and high forage utilization.