Annual ryegrass is the grass of choice for frost seeding to improve pasture quality because it establishes rapidly, yields better than other ryegrass types through summer, and has the highest yields in the seeding year. It is also recommended for use as a cover crop when establishing new seedings of pasture. Adding it to a seed mixture with a legume and a more permanent cool season grass, like bromegrass, timothy or orchardgrass, will provide rapid growth and high quality forage in the seeding year. The ryegrass will die in 1 to 3 years leaving behind the other grasses and legumes. Both forage and turf types of annual ryegrass are available.
Turf types are low growing and have poor yield.
Turf types are also infected with a fungal endophyte that lives inside the plant, protecting it from insect attack, but producing a toxin reducing performance of grazing animals. Plant only forage type cultivars for grazing or mechanically harvested forage. The U.S. has about 250,000 acres, most of which are in the northeast and on the pacific coast in Oregon and Washington. It is best adapted to mild-temperate climates. It is one of the highest quality forage grasses.