Every farm is different. Soil type, rainfall, stock class and management all affect what species and varieties should go into a pasture mix.

Vernado custom blends pasture seed mixes for dairy, beef, sheep and mixed farming systems throughout New Zealand.

Whether you're establishing a permanent pasture, short-term feed crop or renovating tired paddocks, we can design a mix to suit your farm and your goals.

Delivered nationwide from Manawatu and Canterbury.

Common Pasture Seed Mixes Used in New Zealand

Barley / Pea Mix

Barley / Pea Mix is a fast-establishing, high-yielding forage option ideal for short-term feed, silage, green chop or filling seasonal feed gaps. Barley provides quick early bulk and energy, while peas contribute high-quality protein and help improve soil nitrogen levels. This mix is well suited to dairy, beef and sheep systems looking for rapid feed with excellent utilisation.

• Typical Uses

• Short-term grazing

• Silage or green chop

• Catch crop after winter or summer cropping

• Soil conditioning and nitrogen contribution

Recommended Sowing Rate

• 180–200 kg/ha (typical mix: ~50–60% peas / 40–50% barley by weight)

• Sowing Tips

• Best drilled into a firm, moist seedbed

• Sow 20–25 mm deep for best establishment

• Ideal sowing window: spring or early autumn

• Light nitrogen at establishment can help early barley growth, especially after cropping

• Ready for grazing or silage in approx. 90–120 days depending on conditions

Oats / Pea Mix

The Oats / Pea Mix is a versatile, highly palatable forage option that produces excellent early bulk and quality feed. Oats provide rapid canopy development and fibre, while peas lift protein levels and improve overall feed value. This mix is popular for grazing, silage and emergency feed situations.

Typical Uses

• Grazing or silage

• Autumn or spring feed gaps

• High-quality green feed

• Flexible short-term forage option

Recommended Sowing Rate

• 180–220 kg/ha (commonly ~40% oats / 60% peas by weight)

Sowing Tips

• Drill for best seed placement and establishment

• Sow into warm soils with good moisture

• Rolling after sowing improves seed-to-soil contact

• Can be grazed lightly once well anchored

• Typical time to graze or silage: 70–90 days

Oats / Annual Ryegrass Mix

This mix combines the fast early growth of oats with the regrowth potential of annual or Italian ryegrass. It delivers rapid feed early, followed by multiple grazing or cutting from the ryegrass component. Ideal for dairy and livestock systems needing immediate feed and winter feed with ongoing flexibility.

Typical Uses

• Rapid autumn or spring feed

• Multiple grazing rotations

• Silage followed by grazing

• Cropping or regrassing transitions

Recommended Sowing Rate

• Oats: 80–100 kg/ha

• Annual Ryegrass: 20–25 kg/ha

• Total: 100–125 kg/ha

Sowing Tips

• Drill into a clean, firm seedbed

• Sow ryegrass no deeper than 10–15 mm

• Nitrogen at establishment supports fast early growth

• First grazing when plants are well rooted (avoid pulling)

• Oats provide early bulk, ryegrass carries later grazing's and or cutting

Ryegrass & White Clover Mix – Premium 

The Premium Ryegrass / Clover Mix is a higher-performance pasture blend focused on production, quality and animal intake. Designed for intensive dairy and finishing systems, this mix delivers excellent feed quality, strong clover content and high utilisation.

Typical Uses

• Dairy platforms

• Intensive grazing systems

• Finishing paddocks

• Long-term high-output pastures

Recommended Sowing Rate

• 25–35 kg/ha 

• High-performance ryegrass: 22–30 kg/ha

• White clover: 3–5 kg/ha

Sowing Tips

• Drill into a fine, firm seedbed, direct or roller drill

• Control weeds prior to sowing and following if required

• Maintain grazing residuals to protect clover

• Soil fertility (pH, P, K, S) and micronutrients is critical for maximum performance

Rye/Clover Mix – Bushburn

Our Bushburn Ryegrass / Clover Mix is cheap cost option designed for challenging hill country, bushburn and lower fertility environments. This mix prioritises persistence, ground cover and resilience, delivering dependable pasture establishment in tougher conditions. (Not recommended for Diary and high production areas)

Typical Uses

• Hill country and bushburn areas

• Sheep and beef systems

• Renovation of lower fertility paddocks

• Long-term pasture stability

Recommended Sowing Rate

• 18–25 kg/ha total

• Ryegrass mix: 20–22 kg

• White clover: 3–5  kg

Sowing Tips

• Suitable for oversowing, direct drilling or full cultivation or mixing with fertiliser application

• Time sowing with reliable rainfall

• Light grazing once established encourages tillering

• Ensure soil pH and phosphorus levels are adequate for clover performance

Multi Species Mix Blends

Our Multi Species Mixes are custom designed to your requirements to help improve pasture resilience and soil health by combining Multi Species. These mixes help promote deeper rooting, improved nutrient cycling and more consistent growth across variable conditions.

From Cover crops, Summer and Winter Crops to longer term mixes of plant types that perform both above and below ground

Typical Uses

• Regenerative and resilient pasture systems

• Improved summer and or winter performance

• Soil structure and biology improvement

• Diversified grazing systems

Recommended Sowing Rate

• 35–150 kg/ha (rate depends on species)

Typical Components

• Forage grasses

• Legumes

• Faba Beans

• Vetch

• Phacelia

• Buckwheat

• Mustard

• Radish

• Sunflower

• Forage Pea

• Herbs -Plantain, chicory

• Etc

Sowing Tips

• Avoid burying small-seeded species

• Grazing management is critical – avoid overgrazing early

• Soil fertility and moisture drive success

• Excellent option for improving soil

• Paddocks need to be weed free and have a good clean history before sowing and starting on this journey

More Common Pasture Seed Mixes Used in New Zealand

Permanent Dairy and Beef Pasture Mix

• 25-35 kg perennial ryegrass

• 3-5 kg white clover

• 1 kg plantain

• 1-2 kg red clover

Short-Med Rotation Mix

• 25-30 kg Abound hybrid ryegrass

• 3-5 kg white clover

• 1 kg plantain

• 1-2 kg red clover

Lamb Finishing Mix

• 25-30 kg perennial ryegrass

• 2-5 kg white clover

• 2 kg chicory

• 1 kg plantain

Or 10-15 kg chicory and 3-5 kg red clover

Winter Dairy or Beef Feed Mix

• 25 kg Dominate annual or Exalta Italian ryegrass

• 80-100 kg oats

Pasture Repair Mix

The Pasture Recovery Mix for Pasture Repairs and stitching-in is designed for over-sowing or under-sowing into run out or damaged pastures to restore and build up paddocks following drought, flooding, pugging, grass grub and porina damage. With a fast-establishing Italian ryegrass, longer lasting perennial and high-quality clover mix, this mix delivers quick ground cover, strong regrowth, and sustained pasture improvement. 

Containing Exalta Diploid Italian, Stride tetraploid & Supremacy diploid Perennial Ryegrass, Med & Large leaf white Clover. 

Or a custom mix to suit your system. 

How it comes together

We start with a conversation covering farm system, paddock history, what’s worked and what hasn’t in the past, timing and targets. Resent soil tests etc, After sign-off, we blend, check and supply—ready for the drill.

Better establishment, reliable feed supply, aligned to your farm, supporting digestability, ME, persistence and animal/crop performance.

Delivery Nationwide to farm

Typical Mixes

Ryegrass with clovers and or herbs,

Hybrid or perennial ryegrass with red/white clover and plantain,

Brassicas sometimes get added to perennial mixes for that early feed required,

Annual or Italian ryegrass with annual clovers,

Forage Fescue with clovers, chicory/plantain.

Red clover and Chicory,

Annual or Italian and Oats for that Winter/Spring feed,

Multi species and regenerative seed mixes.

These are starting points—final blends are built to your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best pasture seed mix for dairy farms in New Zealand?

There is no single best mix, as the optimal seed blend depends entirely on your specific climate, soil type, and farming system. Most used pasture seed mix for dairy farms in New Zealand typically relies on Perennial Ryegrass and White Clover as the foundation. The ideal combination—such as high-performance tetraploid ryegrasses paired with diploid ryegrasses and clover balances year-round dry matter (DM) yield, nutritional feed quality, and sward density for grazing management

What species should be included in a pasture mix?

Common species include perennial ryegrass, hybrid ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, white clover, red clover, chicory and plantain. But many other options are available

Can Vernado custom blend seed mixes?

Yes. Vernado produces custom pasture seed blends tailored to individual farming systems and paddock requirements.

What is the difference between perennial and hybrid ryegrass?

The primary difference between perennial and hybrid ryegrass is their lifespan and growth traits. Perennial ryegrass is a long-lasting pasture grass designed to persist for 5+ years, while hybrid ryegrass (a cross between perennial and Italian ryegrass) lasts 3 to 5 years and prioritizes quicker establishment and winter growth

Can seed mixes be treated?

Yes. Seed can be treated with insecticides, fungicides, biologicals and inoculants to improve establishment.

What is the best pasture seed mix for beef and sheep farms in New Zealand?

There is no single best mix, as the best seed mix depends on your specific climate, soil type, and farming system. However, the most successful and widely used foundation for beef and sheep farms in New Zealand relies on a Perennial Ryegrass and White Clover blend, while some will add herbs, Cocksfoot, Subterranean Clover (Sub Clover) or go down the Regenerative / Mixed Species path.

Suggested Products

Perennial Ryegrass