Planting spring oats with brome/orchard

Trying to figure out what to plant in the fields that were a failed attempt at planting into grass last fall. I would really like to still plant them into orchard grass or brome but I'm a little hesitant to plant grass in the spring here......especially orchard. I spring planted brome last year and it established well but was much lower yielding than a fall planting. Hard to pencil out a 40-50 bale yield for the season which is about all I can expect out of spring planted grasses here.

I am thinking about planting spring oats and planting orchard or brome with the oats. I know the oats would give me a good cutting of hay and was thinking the grass could grow the rest of the year to be well established for next year. Maybe even possibly get a fall cutting off the grass if we have enough moisture in late summer?

Has anyone had any experience planting orchard or brome with oats? Will what I'm thinking of doing work well or would I be better off just planting oats by themselves this spring and trying to plant the grass again in the fall? I'm thinking maybe the oats should be planted thinner to ensure they don't smother out the grass seedlings? Maybe reduce the amount of N as well to ensure the oats don't lodge and smother the grass?

Hayden

Planting spring oats with brome/orchard