ABSTRACTThree grass‐ and two lucerne‐based harvest schedules were applied to pure sowings of timothy, smooth hrome grass, lucerne and the single grass/lucerne mixtures. Harvesting at the medium‐bud stage of development of lucerne was selected as the criterion which provided the highest DM yield in conjunction with high and consistent levels of rVD and CP from harvest to harvest, as well as persistence of the species in the pure sowings of lucerne/grass mixtures. On the same basis, the heads‐emerged stage of development proved most satisfactory for harvesting pure sowings of timothy and hrom