Alfalfa Basics

Description:

• Alfalfa is a tap-rooted perennial legume.
• It is very productive, drought-tolerant, widely adapted, and is the second most commonly planted forage legume in the world.

Best Uses:

• Dry hay and haylage production, grazing, soil-building plowdown.

Adaptation:

• Best performance on well-drained soils with a pH of 6.8 – 7.5.
• Deep-rooted and very drought-tolerant once established.
• Not well-adapted to poorly-drained or acidic soils.

Management considerations:

• Pasturing livestock on alfalfa must be managed to prevent bloat.
• Final cutting should be taken 6 weeks before killing frost.

Planting Dates:

• Early to late spring, late summer.
• (In southern MN: April 1 – May 15, August 15 - Sept. 1)

Seeding Recommendations:

• Drill ¼ - ¾ inches deep in a well-prepared seedbed. Can be broadcast or bulk-spread and rolled in. Do not drag deeply.
• A cover crop of oats, barley, wheat, or Italian Ryegrass is often used.
• To maximize establishment and productivity, either bale the cover crop or straight seed the alfalfa.

Seeding Rate: 15 -18 lbs./acre alone. 2 – 14 lbs. in mixtures.

Seeds per Pound: 227,000

Feed quality of alfalfa harvested as haylage or hay depends, to a great extent, on the maturity of the stand. With increased maturity, plant structural carbohydrates increase. These fiber fractions represent the indigestible parts of the plant. As a result, digestibility and energy obtained through fermentation decrease with maturity. Harvest pre-bloom for optimum quality.

Recommendation:

• Direct-seeding grass and legumes produces a forage crop more quickly than using a small grain as a nurse crop.
• In a dry spring, a grass/legume mix can be hurt by the small grain sucking up available moisture and out-competing your under-seeding.
• A good alternative to oats is to use Italian Ryegrass at a rate of 4 lbs./acre as a nurse crop and increase your seeding year tonnage by as much as ½ ton per acre.