Climate change has become even more pronounced in dry continental Central Europe. Intense, high-sugar grasses (Lolium multiflorum, Festulolium-type grass hybrids) and whole-crop winter cereals such as rye (Secale cereale) cut in early spring minimise weather risk. Early spring harvesting allows double cropping having many environmental benefits for dairy farms. This offers a promising opportunity to mitigate climate change risks and minimise maize yield losses. Early cut whole-crop cereals and intensive grasses can therefore be part of a new forage strategy. The use of novel crop rotation systems such as maize and whole-crop rye, maize or BMR sorghum and intensive grasses has proven to be very effective in the reduction of climate change-induced yield losses in arid continental areas. Hungary has been developing this strategy since 2008. Now, a 10-year NIR database is available on the fundamental forages of the new climate change strategy. The authors aimed to describe the nutritional value of the early cut whole crop rye (Secale cereale) and intensive high sugar grass (Lolium multiflorum, Festulolium-type grass hybrids) silages based on 10-years NIR-database (dry matter, crude protein, soluble protein, crude ash, sugar, fiber fractions, nitrate, organic matter digestibility, NDF- digestibility).

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