Of the small cereal grains listed winter rye (fall rye grain, NOT ryegrass) has a host of attributes not found in other small grains. The hardiest of all cereal grains, rye can be seeded late fall. Germination can occur at temperatures as cold as 34 degrees. Surviving the most brutal winters, rye will resume early spring growth at approximately 38 degrees. Some other grains will suffer winter kill and are more suited to warm weather plantings. Rye out performs all other cover crops on marginal soils, grows on a wide range of soil conditions from acid to alkaline, sandy to clay and even performs well on poorly prepared and drained areas. Rye also offers awesome whitetail nutrition and ranks as one of the grains highest in crude protein. Rye will feed your whitetails in the fall and again in early spring. It is one of the first early spring plants to become available when hungry whitetails need a food source to sustain them until additional spring food sources such as clover begin their growth.