If you did need RR, your choices are pretty much limited to Eagle brand soys. Delta and Pine had a RR variety of forage bean(I think it was something like Deltapine 7.333), but when they were absorbed by AsGrow(Monsanto) many of their varieties were shelved because they competed with the AsGrow varieties. If you are looking at non-RR, you have a few choices. Tyrone is one of the more popular varieties. Laredo is also another one that has been around since the early 1900's, it was the original "forage" type soybean. If Laredo produces pods that the critters don't eat, they will even reseed themselves, as the seed has a hard black seedcoat that allows them to carry over to the next year. To my knowledge they are one of the few types of forage soybean that possess this trait. If you can get a hold of the guys at OakHaven Forages, they have a couple of promising varieties. They used to sell a few varieties called Bowdacious, Quail Haven, and another type called Top Gun Reseeding soybean. QH and TG are reseeding types. Problem with them is they are either sold out or I don't get an answer when I try to reach them. Their website is ok, but it is still hard to get a hold of someone there. I checked their website and they apparently have their OakHaven Forage soybean blend, which is a mix of Bowdacious, Tyrone, and QH in stock for $35 for a 55lb bag, not a bad price. They also have a type called Lamar, that is apparently "deer-resistant" because they are bitter in the early stages of growth? I wish they stocked half the stuff on their website, I have wanted to try many of their products for a while now, but they are always "out of stock". Donegal and Derry are two other USDA released forage types that see little use, and other than everyone wants the RR beans, I cannot figure out why. Donegal is highly resistant to lodging and gets between 4'-6' in height. They have tested very well in trials in WI. The Evolved Harvest "Mean Bean Tiffypop Blend" apparently has a forage soybean variety named Hinson, don't know much about it. PlotSpike also has a forage soybean, but it most likely is just a common type that is in a pretty bag. Some of these beans are "vining" or climbing type beans and do very well planted with a small amount of sunflowers, EW, or corn to act as a trellis for them to climb up. There are many choices out there as long as you aren't stuck on the RR trait. Good luck and let us know what you decide.
