Annual ryegrass (lolium multiflorum) is NOT the same as cereal rye (Secale cereale).
Annual ryegrass is less stemy than cereal rye and easier to plant the next crop seeds into.
Annual ryegrass seed is inexpensive and easy to establish.
Growing Annual Ryegrass
Annual ryegrass grows well in cool and wet climates. It germanates easily, within a week of planting if moisture is present, and has the potential to grow an immense root structure - to depths of 60 inches - over the winter.
For decades, annual ryegrass has been a preferred forage crop for livestock. Increasingly, it is being used as a winter cover crop to improve soil conditions and speed up the process of converting from conventional to no-till.