Alfalfa Field Planted - Informational entry

Alfalfa, queen of forage crops, is the nation's most important forage. Most authorities believe that alfalfa, which means "Best Fodder" in Arabic, originated in southwestern Asia. Alfalfa was brought to the New World by 16th Century Spaniards and introduced to the United States by missionaries from Mexico
Dad has worked tirelessly preparing the field for the last 10 months. He and his small Kubota rototilled it numerous times turning under the weeds. We decided not to plant this summer and wait for the first rains of the winter. The ground was nicley moisturized after a week of rain. With the help of Uncle Ronald and Aunt Terry, Mom and Dad we spread the seed. AmeriLeaf 721 a hybrid for the warmer climates.
Within 24 hours you could see a small 1/8 inch stem appearing. In 48 hours the leaves were evident. The field has a green sheen to it. We also planted corn and an assortment of vegetables along the edge of the field. Uncle Ronald used his engineering skills and came up with 1/8 acre.

"AmeriLeaf 721: Big leaves, big yields

Up to 20% more leaf mass than conventional varieties like Pioneer brand 5683
Resists all root rots and wilts common to western alfalfa production
Unique resistance to Western Crown Rot complex
Combined Aphid and Nematode resistance ensures long stand productivity
Excellent eye appeal and dark green color make this variety a great choice for dairy quality hay production
First non-dormant with advanced seedling resistance for extra disease protection during stand establishment
AmeriLeaf 721 is the revolutionary next step toward bigger, higher quality yields. The photo above, illustrates leaf size difference between AmeriLeaf 721 and conventional varieties. Amerileaf 721 has up to 40% larger leaves and 20% more leaf mass than conventional varieties. AmeriLeaf 721 is the new yield and quality champion.
AmeriLeaf 721 and several other America's Alfalfa varieties adapted for western cash hay production fight Western Crown Rot. This crown rot is caused by a complex of diseases including, Anthracnose, Phytophthora, Fusarium, Stagnospora and other pathogens. These pathogens work together to rob western hay stands of yield, quality and persistence. Only varieties from America's Alfalfa are selected to minimize the damaging effects of this complex. That is just one of the reasons our varieties start strong and yield long.
Plant at 25-30 pounds per acre. This seed is treated and coated with inoculum.
Pest Resistance Levels:phy-tophthora,Anthrac-nose,Vertic-illium Wilt,FusariumWilt, BacterialWilt, WesternCrown Rot, SouthernRoot KnotNematode, Stem Nematode
SpottedAlfalfaAphid, BlueAlfalfaAphid, PeaAphidDuring Establishment -

Have a soil test taken to determine lime and fertilizer needs for alfalfa establishment. Fields to be seeded to alfalfa should be limed to pH 6.5 to 7.0. Needed lime should be applied at least 6 months to a year before seeding to allow the lime time to react with the soil and minimize triazine herbicide carryover. For maximum production, seed only in soils that are already at a pH of 6.2. Generally, for soils below this pH, lime should be applied but seeding delayed. Starter fertilizer applications of up to 20-60-20 per acre are desirable at seeding time.
Established Stands - High levels of phosphorus and potassium must be maintained in the soil for high crop yields and long-lived alfalfa stands. Determine lime and fertilizer needs by soil test. High alfalfa yields can reduce plant nutrient levels in soil rapidly. Thus, for top production and stand persistence, annual soil testing is recommended.
When a soil test indicates the need for fertilizer, topdress after first and/or last cutting. Split applications, one-half in fall and one-half after first cutting, may result in more efficient use of fertilizer, especially potash. Recent research suggests that, based on nutrient removal, a 0-1-4 ratio of N-P2O5-K20 is best when high yields are anticipated. If the soil test is 1 part per million (ppm) or less of boron (B), or plant tissue has 25 ppm or less B, then topdress with a fertilizer containing at least 2 pounds of B per acre.
At present, there is no evidence to indicate a general need for other fertilizer nutrients. Recent research does suggest that in certain isolated cases small responses from sulfur may be obtained
A minimum of five alfalfa plants per square foot should be present.
Management of forage insect pests is aimed primarily at the alfalfa weevil and the potato leafhopper in alfalfa.
Seeding Year - When alfalfa is spring seeded, the first cutting can be made 60 days after emergence if one cutting during the seeding year is allowed to reach early bloom before it is harvested.
Cutting pre- or early bud alfalfa is not recommended because there is a higher risk of losing the stand. Also, fiber levels may be undesirably low when cut extremely early. If an alfalfa stand has been weakened by winter stress, make the first cutting at the early- to midbloom stage.
Generally, summer cuttings are permitted to reach early bloom (approximately 35 days between cuttings). In Pennsylvania, the average cutting intervals between first and second cuts and second and third cuts, for producers who make four or more cuts per year, is 37 and 33 days, respectively. Stage of growth when alfalfa is harvested (Table 2) is the major factor in determining forage quality. Total Dry Matter (DM) yield increases at a constant rate from first growth until the half-bloom stage. Dry matter in the leaves increases until the early-bloom stage, with little increase thereafter. Allowing alfalfa to grow beyond the early-bloom stage (when new growth starts from the crown) decreases the leaf-to-stem ratio, resulting in low quality forage. A change in the ratio has a drastic effect upon the energy and protein content (B.R. Moss, MSU Animal and Range Sciences Department.Recent studies show that whole-plant digestibility decreases by 0.3 to 0.5 percent per day from early flowering to near maturity (Table 3). The crude protein decreases at similar rates in the stems and leaves, but the leaves contain a much higher protein content. This loss of energy and protein emphasizes the importance of early harvest and harvest methods that preserve the leaves.
Stage
%Digestibility:Pre-bud 66.8, Bud65.0,early bloom 63.1,Mid-bloom 61.3,Full-bloom 69.4
Late-bloom,57.5,Mature55.8
Alfalfa becomes more difficult for livestock to digest as it matures beyond the optimum (early-bloom) stage. The intake decreases as the digestibility decreases.
Research indicates that intake drops about 2 percent for each day that cutting is delayed after early bloom.
Recommends that growers leave a 2" stubble when cutting healthy, unstressed alfalfa in spring and summer. Adjust cutting height upward when the crop has been stressed by drought or flooding, or in fields that have been cut early and often.In his tests the past two seasons, total dry matter yield from three cuttings increased an average 1/2 ton/acre for each 1" reduction in cutting height. Lower cutting reduced relative feed value by about four points per inch. But potential milk yield per acre – a combined measure of forage yield and quality – increased by 900 lbs/acre for each 1" reduction in cutting height. Can cut to 1" height but there is a problem w/ rocks.


A good stand of alfalfa (36 or more plants per square yard) with proper fertility and pest control, can yield 5 to 7 tons per acre under irrigation.

The question is how much fresh cut hay to feed in comparison to Alfalfa Hay cubes.?
In a experiment w/ mice weighing 45 Gm they weighed the fresh alfalfa and found it was 3.9 X heavier than dry alfalfa. Fresh=39 Gm vs dry 9.8 Gm = 3.9 gm fresh to 1 gm dry wt.
I feed 5lb dry alfalfa cubes and would need 19.5 lb fresh cut alfalfa to be comprable.
19.5 lb X 8 horses = 156 LB/day to replace 40Lb dry cubes/day.

http://www.tqhp.com/ interesting new way of processing, drying and baleing hay making it feasible to grow hay in Hawaii. The recommended distance of the fields from the processing plant is 30 miles or less. The hay is cut in the field, processed and baled in 4 hours.