The use of annual forage mixtures as a fall-winter cover crop offers multiple benefits for both livestock and the environment. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the quantity, quality, and cost of 16 three-way cover crop mixtures for use asa fall cattle feed. The cover crop mixes were grown for 2 years (2014 and 2015) in a randomized complete block design where every mixture had one species of each: grass, brassica, and legume. Seeds were sown in August each year, and forages were clippedat approximately 45, 74, and 92 days after planting (DAP) and analyzed for nutritive value, forage mass production, and cost to produce a pound of forage, pound of protein, and pound of energy based on seed cost. Averaged across years and sampling dates, total forage mass production and crude protein (CP) varied by treatment (P = 0.001) with a range of -1,400 lb/acre from high to low forage mass production, and CP concentrations ranging from 18.6 to 24.7%. As plants matured, the forage nutritive valuedeclined as indicated by increasing neutral detergent fiber (NDF), decreasing total digestible nutrients (TDN), and lower CP (P < 0.05). Cost per pound dry matter (DM) and energy produced per acre were different by treatments (P < 0.001) while the cost of producing each pound of protein was not (P = 0.44). Mixtures that included oat (Avena satlva) or the mix of barley (Hordeum vulgare)/ turnip (Brassica rapo)/clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) were the most economical forage option for fall grazing by cattle.
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