Hay Varieties

Coastal, Jiggs, & Tifton85 Bermudagrasses:

• Perennial grass that is frequently used for hay fields or grazing pasture in the southern portions of the United States. 
• The plants grow rapidly when temperatures are warm and moisture is abundant. 
• Adapted to a variety of soils and provide as much or more grazing than any other summer pasture grasses.
• Bermudagrasses are the easiest of all the grasses to manage, responding well to fertilizer and weed control programs.
• These are hybrid bermudagrasses and do not produce viable seed. They are propagated vegetatively by rhizomes.
• Tifton85 has the widest leaf of the three, therefore the highest in protein, then Jiggs, then Coastal. If horses have trouble with coastal, vets will usually suggest moving the animals over to Jiggs or Tifton85.

Perennial Peanut:

• High-quality, persistent, tropical forage.
• Can be grazed or fed to horses, dairy and beef cattle, hogs, goats, sheep, deer and rabbits.
• Ideal substitute for imported alfalfa.
• Florigraze & Arbrook varieties available.
• Has high yield, quality, persistence, disease resistance, and drought tolerance.
• Well-adapted to dry, sandy soils.
• Planted using rhizomes, or underground stems, dug from our well-established nursery. 
• Our farm offers sod services for perennial peanut. Check out our sod-specific website for more information: ecoturfsod.com
• Does not require nitrogen fertilizer, and once established, is low-maintenance. No pesticides for insects or diseases.
• Hay yields in north FL range from 3-5 tons per year for well-established stands. 
• Quality and uses are so similar to alfalfa that perennial peanut has been coined “Florida’s alfalfa”.
• Herbicides will be needed during establishment and occasionally post-establishment.
• Environmentally sound, low-energy-consuming crop.