Forage Crops
Sort by:
34 products
34 products
Phacelia is a fast-growing, multi-purpose cover crop valued for its ability to improve soil health, attract pollinators, and support beneficial insects. It is highly adaptable across New Zealand farming systems and is ideal for use as a green manure, soil conditioner, or biodiversity enhancer in both cropping and pasture rotations.
With its fine fibrous roots and rapid canopy cover, Phacelia helps reduce erosion, suppress weeds, and enhance soil structure. Its striking purple flowers make it a standout species for encouraging bees and beneficial insects, improving pollination in surrounding crops.
Sowing Rate: 1-3kg per hectare in a mix
Key benefits
- Fast Establishment: Germinates rapidly and covers soil within 4–6 weeks.
- Flowering Period: Produces abundant purple-blue blooms over 6–8 weeks.
- Soil Health Benefits: Fibrous roots build structure and improve aeration.
- Attracts Pollinators: Highly attractive to bees, hoverflies, and other beneficials.
- Adaptable: Performs well in a range of soil types and climates.
- Non-Brassica: Safe to include in rotations with brassicas or other broadleaf crops.
Forage Peas are a high-value, high-biomass legume crop selected for its excellent forage quality, strong nitrogen fixation, and versatility in mixed feed and silage systems. This is well suited to New Zealand conditions and (when properly managed) delivers both high feed value and soil fertility benefits.
Sowing Rate: 200-250kg per hectare
Key benefits
- High Feed Quality: Delivers legume-rich feed with elevated protein levels which support animal performance and complement cereal forages.
- Soil Fertility & Rotation Value: Adds nitrogen to the system and breaks cereal disease cycles, improving long-term productivity.
- Flexible Use & Improved Feed Balance: Whether used solo or in a mix, the pea component improves palatability, digestibility and feed value of the crop.
- Supports Silage & Baleage Systems: When paired with cereals, it aids in achieving high dry matter yield and consistent feed quality.
Bolt Triticale is a medium-height, high-yielding forage and grain triticale bred in New Zealand for strong winter growth, disease resistance, and consistent performance. It establishes rapidly after autumn sowing and produces excellent feed through winter and spring, making it an ideal choice for wholecrop silage, baleage, or greenfeed systems.
Developed using doubled-haploid breeding for uniformity and stability, Bolt delivers reliable results for farmers looking for a versatile, low-risk forage cereal option.
Sowing Rate: 150-180kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Reliable Winter Feed: Rapid establishment provides valuable early feed during pasture slow-downs.
- High-Yielding Silage Option: Produces bulk feed with excellent energy and fibre balance.
- Flexible Management: Can be grazed, cut for silage, or harvested as grain.
- Improved Feed Efficiency: Uniform maturity simplifies harvest timing for consistent feed quality.
Faba Beans are a cool-season annual legume grown for forage, green manure, and grain across New Zealand. Known for their excellent nitrogen fixation, deep rooting, and high protein content, they are a valuable addition to mixed farming systems.
As a rotation and soil-improving crop, Faba Beans enhance soil structure, suppress weeds, and provide high-quality forage or silage with exceptional feed value.
Sowing Rate: 80-120kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Improves Soil Fertility: Fixes nitrogen for following crops or pastures.
- High-Protein Feed Source: Excellent forage or silage for dairy, beef, and sheep.
- Rotation Value: Breaks cereal disease cycles and improves long-term productivity.
- Weed Suppression: Dense canopy helps shade out competition.
Mustard is a fast-growing, multi-purpose brassica crop widely used across New Zealand as a bio-fumigant, green manure, and soil-conditioning species. It is highly effective at suppressing soil-borne pests and diseases, improving soil structure, and providing quick canopy cover between cash crops or pastures.
With its rapid establishment, deep taproot, and high biomass production, Mustard is an excellent choice for short-term cover cropping, soil health improvement, or rotational grazing.
Sowing Rate: 1-3kg per hectare in a mix
Key benefits
- Type: Cool-season annual brassica for soil improvement, cover, and forage.
- Fast Establishment: Germinates and covers ground within 3–5 weeks.
- Bio-fumigant Properties: Natural glucosinolates help suppress nematodes, weeds, and soil diseases.
- Deep Taproot System: Breaks up compaction and improves aeration and drainage.
- Flexible Sowing Window: Suitable for spring, summer, or autumn sowing.
Forage Sunflowers are a high-energy, summer forage crop valued for their exceptional drought tolerance, feed quality, and soil health benefits. Fast-growing and deep-rooted, they deliver reliable feed through dry summer months when pastures slow down, while also improving soil structure and microbial activity.
With their broad leaves, strong stems, and high biomass, Forage Sunflowers produce excellent-quality silage or grazing material rich in energy and oil content. They also attract pollinators and beneficial insects, making them an ideal choice for regenerative and mixed farming systems across New Zealand.
Sowing Rate: 4-6kg per hectare in a mix | 12-14kg per hectare on its own
Key benefits
- Drought Resilient Feed: Maintains production and feed quality in hot, dry conditions.
- High Energy Value: Excellent source of digestible fibre and natural oils for livestock.
- Soil Health Improvement: Deep roots enhance structure, aeration, and nutrient cycling.
- Supports Regenerative Systems: Promotes biodiversity and soil biological activity.
- Flexible Management: Works as a standalone crop or in multi-species mixes.
Forage Maize is a high-performance summer greenfeed maize blend developed for New Zealand farming systems. It combines several maize hybrids of varying maturities to deliver rapid establishment, high dry matter yield, and excellent feed value for dairy, beef, and deer operations.
Although not designed for ensiling as a dedicated silage maize, Forage Maize excels as a grazing or cut-and-carry crop, providing reliable, high-energy summer feed during periods of limited pasture growth.
Sowing Rate: 30-35kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Blend of Hybrids: Includes multiple maize maturities for season-long growth and yield stability.
- Rapid Establishment: Strong early vigour and reliable stand establishment under variable moisture conditions.
- High Dry Matter Yields: Typically produces 10–18 t DM/ha under good management.
- Deep Root System: Accesses subsoil moisture and nutrients, providing drought resilience.
- High Feed Quality: Leafy, palatable forage with excellent energy content for all livestock classes.
- Flexible Use: Suited to grazing or cut-and-carry systems.
Linseed is a versatile cool-season annual crop grown for its high-value oilseed and soil health benefits. It is increasingly used in New Zealand farming systems for rotation diversity, soil structure improvement, and as a valuable break crop between cereals and pasture.
With its fine fibrous roots, Linseed enhances soil tilth, reduces compaction, and improves moisture retention. Its short, fast-growing cycle also makes it suitable for mixed forage or cover crop programs
Sowing Rate: 2-4kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Fast Growth Cycle: Matures in 90–120 days depending on conditions.
- Deep, Fine Root System: Improves soil structure and water infiltration.
- Break Crop Benefits: Reduces cereal disease pressure and improves rotation diversity.
- Drought Tolerant: Performs well in low to moderate rainfall areas.
Kraken Forage Barley is a two-row, awn-less barley variety bred for high-quality winter forage and silage production under New Zealand conditions. It offers rapid early growth, strong winter performance, and an extended growing season compared with many standard forage cereals.
Kraken is an excellent choice for farmers needing to fill winter feed gaps, produce silage or balage, or include a flexible cereal in their winter–spring feed rotation.
Sowing Rate: 150kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Fills Winter Feed Gap: Reliable early feed when pastures slow down.
- High-Quality Forage: Leafy, digestible material for excellent animal performance.
- Versatile: Ideal for multiple uses - grazing, hay, or silage.
- Low Management Risk: Improved disease resistance and standability.
- Multiple Grazings: Strong tillering and regrowth capacity under good management.
- Fits Rotations: Useful break crop before new pastures or summer crops.
Vetch is a fast-growing annual legume ideal for greenfeed, silage, hay, or green manure across New Zealand farming systems. It establishes quickly, fixes high levels of nitrogen, and produces high-quality, protein-rich forage during autumn, winter, and spring.
As a versatile and dependable crop, Standard Vetch performs well either as a stand-alone legume or in mixtures with cereals such as oats, barley, or ryecorn. Its ability to improve soil fertility, suppress weeds, and provide valuable animal feed makes it a key component in mixed or rotational farming systems.
Sowing Rate: 3-10kg per hectare in a mix | 50-60kg per hectare on it's own
Key benefits
- High-Protein Feed: Excellent energy and protein balance for cattle, sheep, and deer.
- Improves Soil Fertility: Fixes nitrogen naturally, reducing fertiliser requirements.
- Soil Structure Enhancement: Deep roots increase soil porosity and organic matter.
- Weed Control: Strong early growth outcompetes winter weeds.
- Flexible Management: Can be grazed, cut, or incorporated as green manure.
Blue Lupins are a high-protein legume crop widely used in New Zealand for green manure, forage, and grain production. Known for their strong nitrogen fixation, deep rooting, and adaptability, they’re an excellent option for improving soil fertility, breaking disease cycles, and producing high-quality animal feed.
With their tolerance to acidic soils and ability to grow in cooler regions, Blue Lupins are a reliable choice for both cropping and pasture systems. They are particularly valuable in mixed rotations, providing both soil and stock feed benefits.
Sowing Rate: 5-25kg per hectare in a mix | 100-120kg per hectare on it's own
Key benefits
- Nitrogen Fixation: Adds 80–150 kg N/ha to the soil through strong nodulation.
- Deep Root System: Improves soil structure and accesses subsoil nutrients.
- Adaptability: Performs well in lighter, low-fertility, or acidic soils.
- High Protein Content: 22–30% crude protein for animal feed or silage.
- Good Cold Tolerance: Suitable for autumn or spring sowing in cooler climates.
- Weed Suppression: Dense canopy reduces weed competition.
Buckwheat is a fast-growing summer crop valued for its rapid canopy development, weed suppression, and soil health benefits. It establishes quickly in warm conditions, providing an excellent short-term cover or green manure crop between spring and autumn plantings.
As a non-grass, broadleaf species, Buckwheat is ideal for crop rotations to break disease cycles, improve soil structure, and enhance nutrient availability - particularly phosphorus. It’s also highly attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects, making it a valuable addition to regenerative and sustainable farming systems.
Sowing Rate: 5-15kg per hectare in a mix | 50-60kg per hectare on it's own
Key benefits
- Type: Fast-growing summer cover and soil-improvement crop.
- Rapid Establishment: Emerges and covers soil within 3–5 weeks of sowing.
- Short Growth Cycle: Ready for incorporation or harvest in 6–10 weeks.
- Weed Suppression: Dense canopy outcompetes weeds and shades the soil.
- Soil Health Benefits: Excellent at mobilising phosphorus and building organic matter.
- Attracts Pollinators: Abundant flowering supports bees and beneficial insects.
- Frost Sensitive: Best grown during warm months (late spring to early autumn).
- Non-Grass Species: Breaks disease and pest cycles in cereal-dominant systems.
Wrangler Barley is a high-yielding, dual-purpose forage and grain barley developed for reliable winter–spring production across New Zealand. With its fast establishment, strong early growth, and exceptional palatability, Wrangler provides a top-quality option for greenfeed, silage, or wholecrop systems.
It performs strongly under both irrigated and dryland conditions, offering farmers a versatile cereal that produces bulk early feed and excellent-quality silage.
Sowing Rate: 150kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Type: Dual-purpose forage and grain barley.
- Rapid Establishment: Vigorous early growth for quick ground cover and early feed supply.
- High Yield Potential: Proven to deliver excellent dry matter and grain yields.
- Excellent Feed Quality: High ME (11–12 MJ/kg DM) and good digestibility.
- Palatable Forage: Leafy and soft, ideal for all livestock classes.
- Cold Tolerance: Performs well in cool winter and early spring conditions.
- Disease Resistance: Tolerant to leaf rust and powdery mildew.
Rahu Ryecorn is a fast-establishing, cold-tolerant cereal bred for reliable winter and early spring feed across New Zealand. Known for its vigorous early growth, strong rooting, and adaptability, Rahu provides dependable feed when pasture growth is limited.
As a true dual-purpose cereal, Rahu is ideal for early grazing, greenfeed, silage, or grain production. Its strong performance in cool, marginal soils and excellent disease resistance make it a valuable option for short-term winter cropping, pasture renewal, or soil improvement
Sowing Rate: 120-180kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Reliable Winter Feed: Consistent growth through cold months when pastures slow down.
- Fast Feed Supply: Quick establishment provides early grazing opportunities.
- Soil Health Boost: Improves soil structure and organic content for following crops.
- Drought & Frost Resilient: Stays productive in challenging conditions.
- Weed Suppression: Dense canopy shades out competing weeds.
- Versatile Management: Fits well into crop rotations or as a break crop.
- Suitable for multi graze use.
Black Oats are a versatile, fast-growing annual oat variety widely used across New Zealand for winter and early spring feed, green manure, and cover cropping. Known for their vigorous establishment, strong root system, and cold tolerance.
Sowing Rate: 120-130kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Better suited for cereal grain.
- Fast Feed Production: Provides high-quality feed early in the season when pasture growth is limited.
- Soil Health Improvement: Builds organic matter, improves structure, and enhances microbial activity.
- Erosion Control: Dense canopy and fibrous roots protect soil over winter.
- Weed Suppression: Competes strongly with broadleaf and grass weed
Maxum Oats is a high-performing, dual-purpose oat variety bred for outstanding early growth, yield, and feed quality. Ideal for autumn and winter feed production, Maxum provides quick establishment and vigorous tillering, making it an excellent choice for both greenfeed and silage systems.
With its excellent adaptability to a wide range of New Zealand conditions, Maxum offers farmers reliable performance in cooler months when feed is most needed. Its high tiller density, disease tolerance, and consistent quality make it a preferred option for boosting feed supply and maintaining stock performance through winter.
Sowing Rate: 120-130kg per hectare
Key benefits
- Fast Feed Supply: Provides early, high-quality feed for stock when pasture growth slows.
- Reliable Winter Production: Consistent performance under cool and variable conditions.
- High Animal Performance: Leafy, digestible forage supports weight gain and milk production.
- Soil Protection: Dense canopy reduces erosion and suppresses weeds.
- Versatile Use: Suitable for greenfeed, silage, or grain harvest depending on management.
- Fits Rotation Systems: Ideal as a short-term winter crop or break crop before summer pasture renewal.
Daikon Radish (also known as Forage Radish or Tillage Radish) is a deep-rooted brassica bred to improve soil structure, nutrient recycling, and feed diversity. Its powerful taproot penetrates compacted soils, increases aeration, and draws up nutrients from deeper layers - making it a valuable component in pasture renovation, cover cropping, or mixed forage systems.
Daikon produces high-quality leafy forage with a large, white taproot that’s palatable to livestock, particularly in autumn and early winter. It’s ideal for soil health, grazing, and regenerative farming systems across New Zealand
| Persistence | Up to 6 months |
|---|---|
| Sowing rate |
1-3kg per hectare in a mix |
- Deep Taproot: Breaks through compacted layers and improves soil drainage and root access.
- Nutrient Recovery: Extracts nitrogen and minerals from deep soil layers, cycling them to the surface.
- Fast Establishment: Germinates quickly and establishes within days under warm soil conditions.
- Soil Conditioning Benefits: Improves soil tilth, reduces compaction, and promotes biological activity.
- Cold Tolerant: Performs well in cooler autumn conditions.
- Flexible Cropping Option: Suited for standalone use or as part of multi-species blends.
Marco Turnip is a fast-growing, high-quality, early-maturing summer turnip bred for rapid establishment, excellent palatability, and reliable yields. It produces smooth, white-fleshed bulbs with a high leaf-to-bulb ratio, offering balanced, energy-rich feed for sheep, beef, and dairy systems.
As one of the earliest-maturing turnip varieties available, Marco is ideal for quick summer feed or as a bridge crop between pastures. Its sweet flavour, strong tops, and uniform bulb size make it a farmer favourite for finishing lambs and supplementing dairy herds.
| Persistence | Up to 3 months |
|---|---|
| Sowing rate |
2-3kg per hectare |
- Very Early Maturity: Ready to graze in 55-65 days after sowing.
- High Leaf-to-Bulb Ratio: Excellent combination of top and root feed.
- Smooth, White-Fleshed Bulbs: Sweet, soft bulbs encourage full grazing and minimal waste.
- Good Disease Tolerance: Resistant to common leaf and bulb diseases.
- Adaptable Performer: Consistent results across diverse soil types and regions
Barkant Turnip is a high-yielding, early-maturing, leafy turnip bred for superior bulb development, strong leaf production, and excellent palatability. It’s one of the most popular turnip varieties in New Zealand due to its fast establishment, reliable yield, and high-energy feed value.
Designed for summer and early autumn grazing, Barkant provides a well-balanced mix of leafy tops and smooth, white-fleshed bulbs - ideal for lamb finishing, dairy supplementation, and beef production.
| Persistence | Up to 3 months |
|---|---|
| Sowing rate |
2-3kg per hectare |
- Early Maturity: Ready to graze in 8–10 weeks after sowing.
- Leafy Growth Habit: Produces abundant leafy tops for early feed and bulb grazing later.
- Excellent Palatability: Sweet, soft bulbs and lush tops are readily grazed by all livestock classes.
- Good Disease Resistance: Tolerant to common brassica diseases, including leaf spot and mildew.
- Reliable Performer: Proven adaptability across a wide range of New Zealand soils and climates.
- Short-Term Crop: Ideal for quick feed supply or as part of a pasture renewal rotation.
Rival Turnip is a fast-growing, high-yielding summer turnip bred for early feed and excellent palatability. It produces a balanced combination of leafy top growth and white-fleshed bulbs, making it a reliable option for summer and early autumn grazing.
| Persistence | Up to 3 months |
|---|---|
| Sowing rate |
2-3kg per hectare |
- 60-90 Days until maturity.
- Fast Feed Supply: Ideal for summer and early autumn grazing when pastures slow down.
- Excellent Animal Performance: High-energy, palatable feed supports fast growth rates.
- Flexible Use: Suitable for direct grazing or as a short-term break crop before regrassing.
- Low Waste: Sweet, soft bulbs and leafy tops ensure high utilisation.
Recently viewed products
We are a family-based business that lives and breathes farming. In 1937, we purchased our first family property for growing seed crops in North Canterbury. Four generations and 86 years later in 2023, we are still immersed in the industry.
We are a family-based business that lives and breathes farming. In 1937, we purchased our first family property for growing seed crops in North Canterbury. Four generations and 86 years later in 2023, we are still immersed in the industry.
