Ryegrass - Annual, Italian, Hybrid or Perennial form the basis of most improved pastures in southern Victoria. Ryegrass is easy to establish and provides high quality feed through autumn, winter, spring and into summer. The various classes compromise between production and persistence - Annual produce the most feed but only last for one season through to Perennial which produce the least feed in most years but will persist for a number of seasons (up to 7-8 years).

Tall Fescue - Continental (summer active) and Mediterranean (winter active) tall fescues are gaining popularity in specialist pastures. In general, continental types respond to late spring and summer rain and produce a valuable feed source out of season. Continental tall fescues respond well to irrigation and will produce large quantities of feed off little irrigation. Mediterranean tall fescue produces feed at similar times of the year to perennial ryegrass but in environments where perennial ryegrass doesn't persist. The Mediterranean tall fescues are very summer dormant enabling them to survive long hot and dry summers.
All tall fescues can get rank and un-palatable to stock if left too long between grazings, careful attention to grazing will get the most out of fescues with short rotations giving better utilisation of feed. Tall Fescue is not a vigorous seedling and doesn't establish well when mixed with other grasses, in particular ryegrass. Good forward planning will assist in establishing a tall fescue pasture and ideally, the pasture will be sown in early autumn after a summer crop or in spring after a hay crop. Tall fescues are very susceptible to damage from insect pests such as Red legged earth mite and use of seed treatments should be considered. Traditionally, fescue in Australia has been endophyte free but is now available with an animal safe Max P endophyte assisting establishment and persistence.

Phalaris - A very persistent species once established. Like tall fescue, is slow to establish and care need s to be taken in the establishment phase. There are two classes of phalaris, winter actives and Australian types. Some newer varieties have been selected to have reduced toxicity, increased acidity and salt tolerance and out of season production like the winter actives. Generally, phalaris suits long rotation paddocks in dryland lower input systems.

Cocksfoot - Traditionally a lower input grass that offers good persistence. Some new varieties may lift production and nutritive value of cocksfoot in the better cocksfoot country but the older varieties may still set the bar in terms of persistence in harsh environments.