Mixtures of annual legumes with cereal grasses in forage production are considered to have great advantages and are extensively used in the agro-pastoral region of China.However, the effect of sowing ratio on forage yields and economic benefits of oat (Avena sativa L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) intercropping remains largely unknown. A 2 yr field experiment was conducted with seven sowing ratios (sowing ratio of oat as 0, 25, 33, 50, 67, 75, and 100%) for oat and common vetch intercropping in northeastern China. Intercropping showed significant advantages in forage yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), and net income in the 2 yr. Oat was the dominant partner in the mixtures, strongly outcompeting common vetch. A sowing ratio of oat at 50% produced the highest forage yields of 10.8-11.1 t ha -1 in spring seeding and 4.9-7.7 t ha -1 in summer seeding, which were 28.7-66.4% and 12.6-166.9% higher than those in monocultures, respectively, if we considered two years together. In any case, oat forage yield just slightly decreased with a decreasing share in the intercrops, whereas common vetch forage yields strongly decreased. The highest LERs were detected in a sowing ratio of oat at 50%, which was 11-57% higher than other sowing ratios. Similarly, the highest annual net incomes of US$1,336 and $1,088 ha -1 were also obtained in a sowing ratio of oat at 50% in the 2 yr. In conclusion, oat and common vetch intercropping have greater forage yields and economic benefits compared with the corresponding monocultures in the agro-pastoral region of China, and a sowing ratio of oat at 50% is recommended.