Alfalfa in forage system extends feed in drought

Another drought year ahead or not, adding more forages to the grazing mix helps during the annual summer slump, says a University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.




Rob Kallenbach, Columbia, advocates more alfalfa, although the legume called “the queen of forages” has fallen out of favor with some farmers.



Planting alfalfa can boost production on any pasture-based livestock farm, Kallenbach says.



“Yields in 2012 were an eye-opener for those who had alfalfa in their forage mix,” he adds. “Alfalfa kept growing long after other crops had dried up and died. The deep-rooted legume was noticeably greener.”



Drought brings renewed interest in establishing the protein- and nutrient-rich legume.



Kallenbach admits alfalfa is a picky plant. “It likes deep, rich, well-drained soils. Alfalfa won’t tolerate wet feet.”



But the legume responds well to good management, especially when lime, phosphorous and potash levels are kept up to soil-test recommendations. “Alfalfa pays well for extra attention. With a little care, it grows more tonnage per acre.”



In addition, the legume fixes enough nitrogen for its own use. That cuts fertilizer costs.



Almost every farm big enough to maintain a livestock herd has some land that will grow alfalfa, Kallenbach says. A 1,000-acre farm with 300 cows will have 80 or 100 acres suited for alfalfa.



While he favors the prime legume, every farm can benefit from clovers, red and white, and lespedeza seeded into grass pastures. Those legumes extend grazing into the summer slump.



Clover’s big advantage is ease of establishment. The legumes can be frost-seeded into grass pastures in February. However, grasses must be grazed down short before seeding. That allows seedlings to get started in the spring. Tall grass makes too much competition.



Kallenbach’s main message: Diversify forage beyond toxic tall fescue, Missouri’s dominant pasture forage.



Warm-season grasses also hold up well in what are the usual summer dry spells. They can extend the grazing season.



“Last summer the drought-tolerant species delayed need to start feeding hay,” Kallenbach says. “However, in extreme droughts nothing keeps growing without rain. The cool-season grasses dry up early.”



Grazing provides less expensive feed than baled hay. A dry-weather grazing plan requires advance planning. Many producers started feeding baled hay in July last summer because of grass shortages.



Summer grazing also comes from annual warm-season grasses such as sorghum-sudan and pearl millet. However, they must be planted when there is moisture in the soil. “If you wait until going into a drought, it’s too late to plant supplemental forages,” Kallenbach says.



All forages benefit from managed grazing. With rotational grazing, dividing large pastures into grazing paddocks, less forage is lost to trampling. The rest periods in management-intensive grazing boost production of forage per acre.



Forage that cows waste in continuously grazed pastures could have been used to replace high-priced baled hay.



Dry-weather grazing may become the new norm, according to some climatologists looking at long-range forecasts.



Mixed-species pastures with managed grazing may become part of the survival of beef herds in Missouri.



For Kallenbach, better grazing plans include alfalfa. It has a bright future on more Missouri farms, he says. Even if drought doesn’t come, alfalfa producers have high-tonnage forage to be grazed, baled or put up as balage.



If not needed on the home farm, alfalfa becomes a highly marketable feed. Someone, somewhere, will need it and be willing to pay big bucks for it.

Avoid Late Fall Harvest of Alfalfa

The drought has growers scrambling to make use of any available forage resources.  Care should be taken not to harvest alfalfa after September 10^th in our local area. Once alfalfa is cut, it must regrow enough in the fall to replenish the carbohydrates which will allow it to survive the winter.

 

Often, growers will indicate that have cut alfalfa before and not seen the damage.  However, it is hard to realize the damage as it is across the field. Late cutting of alfalfa will reduce the number of plants in the field. The amount of damage is dependent on weather.

 

Another option to utilize alfalfa is to graze it once it becomes dormant.  The tops of alfalfa are killed by frost at lower temperatures than other plants. Once it is frosted and soil temperatures have dropped so it will not come out of dormancy, then it can be grazed.

 

For more information, contact Wayne Flanary at 660-446-3724 or Heather Benedict at 660-425-6434, Regional Agronomists, University of Missouri Extension.

Learn the Latest Research Regarding Alfalfa Management

Growers interested in learning how to improve their alfalfa management and obtain the latest research information are invited to attend an alfalfa meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 22 starting at 9AM. The school will be held at the Nodaway County Administrative Center in Maryville.

Various aspects of alfalfa production will be discussed. Those include variety selection, site selection, fertility, planting practices, growth and development, cutting management, economics, feeding alfalfa and measuring the quality of alfalfa.

Pre-registration is required for attendance. There is a fee to cover the cost of materials. For more information or to register for the class, contact Wayne Flanary, Regional Agronomist, University of Missouri Extension at 660-446-3724.

Regional Alfalfa School Scheduled

Growers interested in learning how to improve their alfalfa management and obtain the latest research information are invited to attend an alfalfa meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 22 starting at 9AM. The school will be held at the Nodaway County Administrative Center in Maryville.

Various aspects of alfalfa production will be discussed. Those include variety selection, site selection, fertility, planting practices, growth and development, cutting management, economics, feeding alfalfa and measuring the quality of alfalfa.

Pre-registration is required for attendance. There is a fee to cover the cost of materials. For more information or to register for the class, contact Wayne Flanary, Regional Agronomist, University of Missouri Extension at 660-446-3724.

USDA Deregulates Roundup Ready Alfalfa

Roundup Ready alfalfa has approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to be granted what is called a non-regulated status. This allows alfalfa growers to plant Roundup Ready Alfalfa. Roundup Ready Alfalfa has been genetically modified to be resistant to the Roundup herbicide.

This decision has been determined based on a thorough plant pest assessment prepared by APHIS. Their findings indicate there is not any plant pest risk associated with the use of Roundup Ready alfalfa.

Farmers can plant Roundup Ready alfalfa seed without further oversight from APHIS. However, farmers will be subject to contract restrictions within Monsanto’s technology use agreement. These non-regulatory restrictions include managing hay to prevent seed production, harvesting at or before ten percent bloom in areas where seed is produced, and prohibitions on use in wildlife feed plots. Also, growers whom grow alfalfa for seed must follow Forage Genetics Best Practices.

This information has been published by APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Services January 2011: “Questions and Answers: Roundup Ready Alfalfa Deregulation.”

For more information, contact Wayne Flanary at 660-446-3724 or Heather Benedict at 660-425-6434, Regional Agronomists, University of Missouri Extension.