Gabby, I don't know much about Russell. I have a friend who tends a research plot with it in it and he likes it a lot. Coming from him this means a lot. He has seen them all and is not easily impressed.
I do like 85 but may be a bit biased towards it. A close friend of mine helped develop it and he is the one who helped me get started with it even though many people tried to talk me out of it. It is every bit as good a grass as he told me it would be.
85 is a little harder to cure but I use a conditioner mower so I can get it to dry a little faster. Usually takes me three days to cut, fluff and bale. 85 does get a bad name by some hay producers cause, unlike some of the other bermudas, it will tell on you if you try to grow quantity and not quality. However, based on my personal tests last year, given the same amount of fertilizer and the same amount of time, 85 will yield an additional 1.2 rolls to the acre as compared to Alicia. More importantly, the food value is so much better(20%) and the cows will eat from a 85 roll quicker than any other variety I grow. Another thing people don't talk about is its ease of overseeding for winter grazing. Since it doesn't form a thick mat on the ground but it has isolated mother plants, there is a lot of bare soil between the mothers which is ideal for cover crops such as clover and ryegrass.
In a normal year, 85 is no trouble to grow. However in a wet year like 2004, 85 can be troublesome. To remedy this, I have a balance of 85, alicia and coastal. In good years, I'll put my money in the 85 but if its wet, I'll graze the 85 to keep it in check.
PS
Next time I see my friend I'll ask him how the Russell did since this will be its second growing season in the test plot and I'll let you know what he said.
