Spring Barley

Barley is a cereal more tolerant of high pH soils than other cereals, including both calcareous and salty or saline-sodic soils. Haybet is a forage variety of spring barley. It is a two-rowed, beardless barley with excellent forage yield. It can be planted either in early spring for hay or pasture in May or June, or planted in August for late fall pasture. Yields are similar to oats at neutral pH soils, with oats being superior on acid soils and barley being superior in higher pH soils. On soils with iron chlorosis issues on soybeans, barley can be used as a cover crop prior to soybeans to alleviate iron chlorosis problems. See our tech bulletin on this subject for further information. Optimum pure stand seeding rates range from 60 lbs per acre for cover purposes, to 90 lbs per acre for forage, with a 1 inch planting depth recommended. Spring peas are an excellent companion in the spring, and brassicas such as radishes are a good companion in the fall in addition to peas.