The purpose of this trial was to assess vetch as a dual-purpose crop by quantifying the potential yield and the economic trade-offs associated with grazing it before harvest. 

• Early-season growth was constrained by low stored soil moisture and limited post-sowing rainfall. Although plant establishment averaged 57 plants/m², within an adequate range, biomass development was further restricted.
• The first grazing was applied on 6 August (late winter) under suboptimal feed-offering capacity. While grazing was intended to test the potential for a second grazing timing, none of the varieties recovered sufficient biomass to support it without materially compromising grain yield. Where regrowth occurred, it was too close to reproductive development and harvest timing to be considered viable. Under these seasonal conditions, vetch functioned effectively as a single-graze crop.
• Grazing concentrated nitrogen in new regrowth (higher %N), but reduced total leaf area and biomass, lowering whole-plant crude protein. Due to higher biomass volume, non-grazed crops retained more leaf, resulting in crude protein levels averaging 5.3% higher than grazed treatments.
• Despite these constraints, Volga recorded the best trade between yield and feed on offer for grain and grazing, with a yield penalty of 0.72 t/ha and a late-winter grazing capacity of 1.38 t/ha. Timok was more sensitive to grazing, while RM4 showed comparatively low grain performance under both grazed and ungrazed treatments. Further evaluation across seasons is required to determine the long-term viability of this dual-purpose approach in the region, given the complexity of the practice.