ABSTRACT Objective The objective was to study the effect of stocking rate on animal performance and the performance of Nelson annual ryegrass. Materials and Methods In 3 consecutive years, steers were continuously stocked under 4 different stocking rates. Cattle were weighed and ryegrass samples were obtained fortnightly. Forage mass, nutritive value, grazing days, ADG, production per area, DMI, and forage allowance were determined. Mixed models were used to determine the effect of treatment and year, and regression analyses were conducted for forage data. Results and Discussion Increases in stocking rate decreased (P Implications and Applications Differences in animal production and nutritive value of annual ryegrass due to increasing stocking rates were obtained, and year was an important factor influencing the final data. The experimental evaluation of stocking rates, as with other grazing management techniques, is very dependent on weather and production site.