Elego Winter Rye
The ideal forage or cover crop rye variety
Rye can be drilled across a wide window while still being early to mature. It is particularly good at tillering and drilling can begin from early September through to the end of autumn. It’s recommended that seed rates are increased when drilling after the middle of October. It has a vigorous growth habit, out-competing weeds from the start. Like triticale it is an excellent crop for drought prone, light land, where its long rooting system is ideal for scavenging for water and nutrients.
Elego is becoming increasing popular with both with growers and millers. Elego is a population winter rye variety bred by Austrian plant breeder Edeloff, one of the countries most established rye breeders.
Why choose Elego?
Elego has become increasingly popular with UK growers because it offers more than grain yield. Its vigorous growth, adaptability and multiple end-uses make it one of the most versatile winter rye varieties available.
High untreated yield potential
- Elego has been selected for strong untreated performance, helping growers reduce input costs while maintaining reliable crop performance.
Ideal for light and drought-prone land
- Its extensive rooting system helps scavenge water and nutrients, making Elego particularly well suited to lighter soils and drought-prone conditions where other cereals may struggle.
Excellent disease resistance
- A strong disease profile supports lower-input production and makes Elego well suited to conventional, regenerative and organic farming systems.
One crop, multiple markets
Elego is a true dual-purpose rye suitable for:
- Milling
- Livestock feed
- Forage production
- Autumn and spring grazing
- Wholecrop silage
- Cover cropping
Its flexibility allows growers to respond to changing markets while making the most of every hectare.
Why grow winter rye?
Winter rye is one of the most resilient cereal crops available to UK growers.
Compared with many cereals, rye offers:
- Excellent performance on lighter and poorer soils
- Strong drought tolerance
- Vigorous early growth
- Outstanding weed competition
- Wide drilling window
- Lower input requirements
- Excellent biomass production
These characteristics make rye an increasingly valuable crop as growers look to improve resilience, reduce inputs and diversify rotations.
Proven on farm
Real-world experience reinforces Elego’s versatility for grazing, weed suppression and multiple end markets.
When should you grow Elego?
Elego is an excellent choice if you want a flexible cereal that fits a wide range of farming systems.
It is particularly suited to growers who:
- Need a crop for light, sandy or drought-prone land.
- Want to produce grain for milling or livestock feed.
- Are looking for a competitive cover crop that suppresses weeds.
- Need an early autumn grazing crop or forage option.
- Want to reduce production costs with a low-input cereal.
- Are introducing more diversity into cereal rotations.
Its ability to establish quickly, tiller strongly and perform under challenging conditions makes Elego a dependable choice across a range of enterprises.
Wide drilling window
One of Elego’s greatest strengths is its drilling flexibility.
The variety can be drilled from early September through to late autumn, allowing growers to spread workloads and establish crops over a long planting window. Where drilling is delayed beyond mid-October, seed rates should be increased to maintain optimum plant populations.
Excellent weed suppression
Elego’s vigorous establishment and tall growth habit help it compete strongly with weeds from the outset.
This natural competitiveness makes it particularly valuable as a cover crop or where growers are looking to reduce herbicide reliance. It can be grown alone or in mixtures, particularly with winter vetches.
Grazing and forage performance
Unlike many grass leys, Elego continues to grow in cooler soil temperatures.
This allows:
- Later autumn grazing
- Earlier spring grazing
- High-quality wholecrop forage
- Excellent biomass production
These characteristics make it particularly attractive for mixed and livestock farms.
Population Rye vs Hybrid Rye: Which is right for your farm?
Both population and hybrid rye varieties have an important place in UK agriculture. The right choice depends on your farming system, end market and management priorities.
Elego is a population winter rye, making it an excellent choice for growers looking for a versatile, resilient crop that performs well across a wide range of situations.
For growers looking to maximise versatility, Elego offers an excellent balance of agronomic performance and flexibility. It can be grown for milling, forage, grazing, wholecrop silage, livestock feed or as a competitive cover crop, making it particularly attractive where resilience, lower inputs and rotational diversity are priorities.
Hybrid rye varieties continue to offer excellent grain yield potential, particularly in intensive production systems. However, where growers are looking for a crop that can deliver across multiple enterprises while maintaining lower establishment costs and excellent adaptability, population rye remains a compelling choice.
What is Elego Winter Rye?
Elego is a dual-purpose population winter rye suitable for milling, forage, grazing, cover cropping and livestock feed. It combines high untreated yield potential with excellent disease resistance.
What soils are best for Elego?
Elogo performs particularly well on lighter, sandy and drought-prone soils where its deep rooting system helps access water and nutrients.
Can Elego be grazed?
Yes. Elego can be grazed later into autumn and earlier in spring than many grass leys because it continues growing in cooler soil temperatures.
Is Elego suitable as a cover crop?
Yes. Its vigorous establishment, tall growth and strong weed competition make it an excellent cover crop, either grown alone or with winter vetches.
Can Elego be grown for milling?
Yes. Its stable Hagberg Falling Number and tolerance of poor harvest conditions make it well suited to milling as well as livestock feed.
Get in touch
Speak to COPE about growing Elego