Alfalfa Production

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Alfalfa Production

• Introduction and Evaluation

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Introduction

• Medicago sativa
• Introduced into US 1736
• Oldest cultivated forage crop
• Rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals
• Very high yield

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Benefits

• Beneficial insects
• Attracts wildlife
• Nitrogen fixation
• Alfalfa replaces high N-requiring crops
• Alfalfa provides N to a subsequent crop
• Improves Soil Tilth
• Protect groundwater

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Basics

• Grown for seed,meal, cover, mostly for hay
• California, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota
  are leading alfalfa states
• Alfalfa lives from 5 to 7 years

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Consumers

• Dairy 60
• Meat Animals 25
• Horses 15

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Plant Biology

• Alfalfa is a legume
• Grow about 3 ft.high compound leaves
• Stems grow from buds on crown (base)
• Racemes.
• Alfalfa roots 25-30 feet or more under favorable
  conditions

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Types of Alfalfa

• Hardy northern part of the US and in Canada.
• Medium hardy are raised mainly in the central
  United States.
• Nonhardy thrive on irrigated land in the Western
  United States

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Growing Alfalfa

• Flourish in fertile, well-drained soil that is
  neutral or slightly alkaline
• Plant in early spring or late summer
• Cut after the plants begin to produce flower
  buds, but before the seed pods form.

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Variety Selection Factors

• Yield Potential -5 improvement in yield
• Stand Persistence- lt5 plants/square ft.
• Hardiness Dormancy
• Disease and Insect Resistance

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Visual evaluation

• Stage of maturity-maturity at harvest influences
  quality more than any other factor.
• Leafiness-contain highly digestible energy and at
  least two-thirds of the protein found in hay.
• Color-bright green is a good indicator of proper
  curing, good palatability.
• Foreign material-weeds and straw have little or
  no feeding value
• Odor and condition

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Designations

• Premium-Prebloom stage low fiber, high
  energy/protein TDN (54 and higher)
• Good-Early bloom stage, low to medium fiber, high
  protein and energy TDN (52-54 )
• Fair-Mid-late bloom coarse texture TDN (49-52)
• Poor- full to late bloom very coarse very little
  leaf TDN (lt49)

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Laboratory analyses

• Quality Designations
• Relative Feed Value Acid Detergent Fiber
  Crude Protein
• RFV ADF
  CP
• Supreme Over 180 Under 27
  .22 or over
• Premium 150-180 27-29
  .20-.22
• Good 125-150 29-32
  .18-.20
• Fair 100-125 32-35
  .15-.18

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Laboratory analyses

• Dry matter (DM)
• Crude protein (CP)
• Acid detergent fiber (ADF)
• Total digestible nutrients (TDN)
• Relative feed value (RFV)

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Alfalfa

• Perennial
• Deep rooted
• Needs good soil Good Drainage
• Dormant, Semi Dormant, Non-Dormant

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Alfalfa

• Deep loam 8 40
• Ph 6.5 7.5
• Level fields
• irrigation slope .2 - .4/100

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Seedbed

• Laser level
• Borders 100 200 wide (Border Machine)
• Pre-plant fertilizer 6-20-20, 9-19-0, 11-46-0
• Pre-plant Herbicide incorporated eptan,
  balan. Established Karmex, treflan

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Seedbed Preparation

• Heavy work
• Disc 2xs with stubble disk
• Sub soil
• Finish work
• Landplane 2xs
• Put up borders

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Plant

• September and sprinkled up
• Brillion seeder
• 25-30 lbs./ac
• 15 lbs./ac 64 plants/sq. ft.
• 25 lbs./ac 107 plants/sq. ft.
• 35 lbs./ac 150 plants/sq. ft.
• 45 lbs./ac 193 plants/sq. ft.

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Plant

• Time
• Fall or Spring
• Method
• Broadcast
• Drill
• Depth
• Lightly cover

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Irrigation

• Problems Too Soon Too Much
  Too Little Too Late
• Alfalfa will extract
• 46 of its water from the top 2 26 of its
  water from the top 2-4 18 of its water from
  the top 4-6 10 of its water from the top
  6-8

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Irrigation

• Total for season
• 4-5
• Timing
• 1st. Irrigation critical
• 1st. Choice is no irrigation before 1st. Cutting
• Number of irrigations
• Depends on the number of cutting and weather
  conditions
• Source of water
• Ditch water or well water

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Irrigation

• Loss wind, temperature, radiation, Humidity
• ET Evapotranspiration Rate KMJ

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Pests Egyptian Alfalfa Weevil

• 1. Alfalfa caterpillar
• 2. Army worm
• 3. Aphids
• 4. Alfalfa Weevil (Hypera postica)
• 5. Egyptian Alfalfa Weevil( Hypera
  Brunneipennis)
• Different Species but almost identical in most
  respects.

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• A. Thrive in cool spring weather
• B. Adults lay eggs in the stem
• C. When the eggs hatch, the larvae emerge and
  begin feeding on the leaves.
• D. So. Calif. Arizona - Feb to April
• E. No. Calif. March to May
• F. Weevils generally affect 1-2 cuttings
• G. Parasitic wasp (Bathyplectes curulionis)
• H. Furadan Permit gets bees
• I. Lorsban non permit doesnt bother bees.

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Diseases

• A. Phytophthora moisture related
• B. Nematodes Sandy Soils
• C. Leafspot spotted leaves
• D. Anthracnose Leaf
• E. Rhizoctonia - _at_ crown moisture related.
• F. Fusarium Wilt

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Weed control in established stand

• Main weeds
• Fiddle neck, chickweed, foxtail, groundsel,
• Malva, curly dock, ect..
• Control
• Depends on the time of year and type of weed.

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Fertilization of established stand

• Spring
• 250lbs./ac ammonium phosphate 11-52-0
• Lime

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Harvesting

• 24-35 Days ( depends on the farmer)
• Re-growth of shoot and maturity.
• Swather windrows
• Rake 55 - 65 moisture
• Bale 17 - 23
• Cured 10 - 12

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Harvesting

• Swather cost
• Curing time
• Depends on weather
• Raking
• Types
• 41/2 to 5 mph
• Lube every 50 75 hours
• Baling
• Big bale
• Small bale
• Moisture

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Custom Harvest

• Swath
• Rake
• Bale
• Roadside

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Yields

• Tons per acre
• 6 to 8 tons per acre
• Number of cuttings
• 6 to 8
• Cash cost per acre