Quick answer: Teff is a fast, fine-stemmed warm-season annual grass that goes from seed to first cutting in about 45–55 days and yields 2–5 tons per acre over two or three cuttings. Plant it into a firm seedbed once soil hits 65°F, no deeper than ¼ inch, at 5–8 lb of seed per acre. Cut the first crop at boot stage before it lodges, leave 3–4 inches of stubble so it regrows, and bale the soft, low-sugar hay dry. It is prussic-acid safe and a favorite in the horse-hay market.
If you need feed in a hurry — a prevent-plant field, a thin alfalfa stand to nurse along, or just a quick crop to sell into the horse market — teff is hard to beat. It is cheap to plant, it grows like a rocket in July heat, and it makes a soft, palatable hay that horse owners pay a premium for. This guide is for hay growers trying teff for the first time, pulled together from university forage research and the hard-won experience of growers who have already made the mistakes for you.
What teff is — and why growers plant it
Teff (Eragrostis tef) is a fine-stemmed, warm-season annual grass native to Ethiopia, where it has been grown for thousands of years as a grain. In North America it has found a different job: a fast, one-season hay crop. Because it is an annual, you reseed it every year — but in exchange you get a crop that establishes in days, tolerates marginal ground, and finishes before many perennials hit their stride.
The draw is speed and a premium market. Growers who hit it right report strong tonnage off poor ground and a clear path into horse hay:
"Planted 30 acres last year, it was very dry here and on poor soils and got 3 ton per acre. Sold into horse market at $200+ per ton."
— ButchAutomatic, east-central Minnesota · HayTalk thread 11205
It also fits neatly into a rotation. Several growers use teff as a one-year bridge crop, often right after tearing out an old alfalfa field, where alfalfa's own autotoxicity rules out reseeding alfalfa immediately:
"At $400 a ton I'm sure I can make better money than oats. I've heard it's a good rotation after alfalfa."
— Markpnw, Pacific Northwest · HayTalk thread 100642
Compared with summer annuals like sorghum-sudangrass, teff has one big safety advantage: it does not produce prussic acid, so there is no cyanide risk after frost or drought (University of Nebraska–Lincoln CropWatch). If you have grown sorghum-sudangrass and worried about that, teff is a simpler animal.
The catch: teff needs warmth and will not take frost
Teff is the opposite of a cool-season grass like orchard grass. It does nothing in cold soil and dies at frost on both ends of the season. Wait until soil temperature is reliably 65°F or warmer — usually late spring to early summer — before planting. Plant into cold ground and the tiny seedlings simply sit and rot.
That short, warm window is also teff's strength: it lets you plant after a failed crop or a wet spring and still make hay the same year. Growers routinely seed it in June and even early July and still get two cuttings.
Seeding teff: tiny seed, shallow, and a firm seedbed
This is where most first-year teff fields succeed or fail. Teff seed is dust-fine — roughly 1.3 to 1.6 million seeds per pound — so the agronomy is all about shallow placement and seed-to-soil contact, not pounds in the drill.
Three rules carry the day:
- Go shallow. No deeper than ¼ inch. Better slightly too shallow than too deep.
- Firm the seedbed. Roll or cultipack before and after seeding. Teff wants ground firm enough to walk on without leaving deep prints.
- Bump the rate if broadcasting. Drilled with a small-seed box, 4–6 lb/acre is plenty; broadcast onto a rough seedbed, go to 6–8 lb/acre.
Growers describe the same recipe again and again:
"You don't want Teff too deep, not more than ¼". Brillion would be the best choice... Teff likes firm ground, you may want to roll it before you seed."
— swmnhay, southern Minnesota · HayTalk thread 101580
"I plant teff every year into tilled ground by rolling the dirt until it's firm with a cultipacker, then broadcasting seed with a 3pt hitch fertilizer spreader, and rolling it again with the cultipacker. I have to duct tape the openings on the spreader to reduce the seed flow. I do 30+ acres a year this way. 10 lbs/acre is what I plant."
— Hogfarmer10 · HayTalk thread 101580
Expect your drill's seeding chart to be useless — the seed is too small for the factory settings. Calibrate by hand and check what is actually coming out:
"Factory chart setting for Teff wasn't even close... Started out on 2 and ended up about 0.10."
— swmnhay · HayTalk thread 102188
Two practical tips from the field: coated seed meters more easily through a drill and improves soil contact, and mixing in a few pounds of annual ryegrass as insurance gives you a fallback stand if the teff is thin. Just know the ryegrass can compete, so plan to cut early.
| Decision | Target |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature at planting | 65°F and rising |
| Seeding rate (drilled / broadcast) | 4–6 / 6–8 lb per acre |
| Seeding depth | ¼ inch maximum |
| Seedbed | Firm, cultipacked before and after |
| Nitrogen at planting | ~40 lb/acre, more after each cut |
Fertility: feed it, but do not overdo nitrogen
Teff responds to nitrogen, but it is easy to push too hard. A common starting point is about 40 lb of N per acre at planting, then a similar shot of nitrogen after each cutting to drive regrowth. Always base phosphorus, potassium, and lime on a soil test rather than guessing.
The danger with heavy nitrogen is lodging — teff is fine-stemmed and will flatten if it gets too lush, and a lodged crop is miserable to cut and dry:
"I also over fertilized and it lodged, but it rained a bunch before I could cut it, so it went to seed."
— mmkuz · HayTalk thread 101580
When and how to cut teff
Teff grows slowly for the first two or three weeks, then takes off. Time your first cutting for the boot stage — just before the seed heads emerge — which usually falls around 45–55 days after planting. The bigger risk is waiting too long, because teff lodges fast once it is ready:
"The seedlings take a few weeks to get going and then it really jumps! Beware, it can lodge completely within a 3-4 day stretch somewhere shortly after the ~40 day mark."
— Jimmy Bartlett · HayTalk thread 102188
The single most important cutting decision is leave enough stubble. Teff regrows from buds at the base of the plant, so cut at a 4–6 inch height and never scalp below 3 inches — mow it short and the regrowth stalls. Manage it well and you will take two or even three cuttings, with regrowth ready every 28–35 days. Total-season yields of 2 to 5 tons per acre are realistic:
"We cut it on the 8th week and averaged around 3 ton and then we cut it right after a frost 6 weeks later and got another 2 ton... We also put on 40 lbs of nitrogen at plant."
— Erock813 · HayTalk thread 11205
A standard sickle mower or disc mower-conditioner cuts teff fine; just keep the cutterbar sharp and in good adjustment so you shear the fine stems cleanly instead of pulling plants.
Drying and baling fine-stemmed teff
Teff's strength — soft, leafy, fine stems — is also what makes drying tricky. The thin stems do not give up moisture as predictably as a coarse grass, and a wad that feels dry on top can be tough underneath. The growers who do it well lean on one tool:
"It is a real soft and very palatable. It's a little hard to dry cause its stems are so fine, so use your moisture tester."
— Erock813 · HayTalk thread 11205
Condition it at cutting, ted if the weather is marginal, and rake gently to keep the leaf attached — the same leaf-saving habits that pay off in any quality hay (see how to make dry hay faster and our hay moisture tester guide). Target the same moisture you would for any dry grass hay — roughly 15–18% for round bales, drier for small squares — and confirm it with a probe rather than your hand. Our baling-moisture guide covers the targets and the heating risk above them.
Then protect the crop you waited all summer for. A teff round bale is soft, leafy, and headed for a buyer who is fussy about quality, so full edge-to-edge bale net wrap earns its keep: it holds the bale's shape, sheds rain, and cuts the weathered, dusty outer layer that horse customers reject. That matters most for any bales you store outside (see storing net-wrapped bales outside).
Is teff worth the trouble?
The honest knock on teff is that it is an annual — you till and seed every single year, which is real cost and time that a perennial stand does not ask for. One grower put the question bluntly:
"With teff being an annual, does the yield make it worth the extra work of having to till and sow seed every year? What's the draw?"
— Hayjosh · HayTalk thread 100642
The answer comes down to your market and your situation. For a grower who needs feed this year off a field that would otherwise sit idle, or who can sell into the horse trade, the math works. Teff hay typically tests low in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), often around 8–12%, which makes it a sought-after hay for horses with metabolic issues like laminitis or insulin resistance (Penn State Extension). That is a premium niche a fast, cheap annual can fill — just test each cutting, because NSC varies with management. To turn that quality into the right asking price, see how to price hay.
Teff hay, start to finish
- Wait for warmth. Soil at 65°F and rising; plant late spring to early summer.
- Firm the seedbed with a roller or cultipacker before seeding.
- Seed shallow — ¼ inch max, 4–8 lb/acre — and calibrate by hand, not the factory chart.
- Cultipack again to set the seed, and consider coated seed plus a little annual ryegrass as insurance.
- Fertilize modestly — about 40 lb N at planting, more after cuts — and avoid over-feeding nitrogen to prevent lodging.
- Cut at boot stage (~45–55 days) before it lodges, leaving 3–4 inches of stubble.
- Dry to a tested moisture, condition and ted as needed, and confirm with a probe.
- Net-wrap the bales to protect soft, premium hay through storage and sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does teff take to grow before the first cutting?
Teff is fast. It is slow for the first two to three weeks, then grows rapidly and is usually ready for a first cutting at boot stage about 45 to 55 days after planting. Cut before it lodges, which can happen in a 3 to 4 day window shortly after the 40-day mark.
How deep should you plant teff seed?
No deeper than ¼ inch. Teff seed is tiny — 1.3 to 1.6 million seeds per pound — so it needs shallow placement and a firm, cultipacked seedbed for good seed-to-soil contact. When in doubt, plant slightly too shallow rather than too deep.
Is teff hay good for horses?
Yes. Teff makes soft, palatable, fine-stemmed hay that is popular in the horse market. It typically tests low in non-structural carbohydrates (around 8 to 12%), making it a good fit for metabolic horses, and it is prussic-acid safe. Test each cutting to confirm NSC.
How many cuttings of teff can you get?
Most growers take two or three cuttings in a season, with regrowth ready every 28 to 35 days as long as you leave 3 to 4 inches of stubble. Total-season yields commonly run 2 to 5 tons per acre depending on moisture and fertility.
What moisture should you bale teff at?
Bale teff like any dry grass hay — roughly 15 to 18% moisture for round bales and drier for small squares. Because the fine stems dry unevenly, confirm with a moisture probe rather than feel, then net-wrap the bales to lock in quality.
Related guides
Hero image: The Teff Harvest, Northern Ethiopia by A. Davey, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
