Balance chicory has been selected for its rapid establishment, perennial nature with excellent winter growth. Balance is a high quality leafy herb with a deep taproot, providing excellent quality feed for high levels of stock production. The plant grows from a low rosette producing broad upright leaves and is best suited to fertile, free draining soils with a pH from 5.5 - 8.
Animals fed chicory perform very well. Chicory provides them with a highly digestible feed source with a good protein/energy ratio and a high mineral content resulting in high liveweight gains. Balance should be sown in the autumn with soil temps above or around 10°C, or in high rainfall/irrigation it can be sown in the spring. It can be sown in a pasture mix and is very responsive to nitrogen fertilizers. Rotational grazing management should be applied as chicory will not persist under close continuous grazing. Chicory should be grazed hard during spring to manage the reproductive phase.