Defining business objectives based on the markets you serve, then solidifying your alfalfa management plan and establishing appropriate yield and quality goals for 2017 allows you to chart the best path forward to achieving what you want to accomplish.

What will 2017 look like?

For alfalfa growers, I think that 2017 will look similar to 2016. Dairy prices have rebounded a bit, and any rally spilling into 2017 and beyond may largely be due to dairy markets outside the U.S. The hay export market was fairly strong last year and should continue to be in 2017.

However, the overall farm economy is marginal in that corn, wheat, feeder/live cattle and other commodity prices are significantly less than in previous years.

Also, a number of growers extended alfalfa stand life and chose not to rotate stands out in 2016 for economic reasons. That will be difficult to do again. The longer we keep stands, the more ground we lose. And we’re not only losing yields; we’re losing current and future years’ profits because as those stands age, they usually produce less.

I recommend rotating out old stands and planting new ones – even putting in additional alfalfa stands to kick-start your yield and quality goals – especially if most of your stands are near the seven-year national average for productive alfalfa. Some university data cites four-year rotations as providing the most economical yields.

Quality counts

Chances are yield goals receive most of your focus. Targeted nutrient, weed control, insecticide and perhaps fungicide applications, as well as other crop management tactics, will help put you on the road to achieving optimal yield potential.

However, don’t overlook your quality goals, which can be just as important – if not more so – depending on the markets you supply.

Though many growers have said their barns are overflowing with forage, not many have said their barns are overflowing with high-quality forage.

Proper equipment and setup, in addition to adapting a new seed technology (specifically genetically enhanced reduced-lignin alfalfa*) will allow growers additional tools to manage the yield potential- versus-quality dynamic.

Fertility remains at forefront

Fertility is the most important piece of the alfalfa management puzzle. You have to get the fertility piece right. And providing more-than-adequate fertility is important whether you grow alfalfa in a very short (very dormant, winter hardy) or long (non-dormant, with winter activity) growing season.

However, fertility and cutting management go hand in hand. If you live in the Midwest or the eastern U.S., and a cutting does not go well because of weather or another issue, you may only have two more chances to get it right. In the Southwest, you may have 10 more chances.

Currently, nearly all fertilizer products, such as phosphorus and potassium, are priced lower than in previous years. Depending on what part of the country you’re in, this could be significant, especially where you may be limited on manure, litter or slurry.

As an alfalfa grower, you know you can’t skimp on fertility and catch up later. Have your fertility plan set before establishing a stand, and stick to it. If you do end up having a discrepancy in phosphorus, potassium or pH before planting alfalfa, the bright spot is that those amendments are cheaper than they have been previously. However, accurate application timing is vital.

Dealing with dormancy

Where you are located is certainly important in choosing the most appropriate fall dormancy. However, what’s even more important is the type of operator you are. Yield and quality goals, as well as the type of hay or silage you are producing to be fed on-farm or marketed, are critical elements to consider.

In most geographies, there are two fall dormancies to choose from, sometimes three. Since alfalfas with a higher fall dormancy rating (and thus are less dormant) tend to start growing earlier in the spring, recover more quickly post-cutting and go dormant later in the fall, your haycrop will require more aggressive management and thus cutting more frequently. Plants with higher dormancies are more upright and less forgiving if your cutting schedule is delayed.

It is common to look at a higher fall dormancy for a geography with a wider, longer growing season and expect higher yields automatically. This isn’t always the case.

Alfalfa doesn’t always “like” to be cut, as it opens stands up to disease, compaction and wide soil temperature and moisture swings (just to name a few), but it is a surprise when we see lower cutting frequencies respond with higher yields, i.e., three- versus four-cut systems.

How could this be? While it’s common to “push the bar” with aggressive cutting schedules, mainly to achieve higher quality with acceptable yield, it’s also common to realize a higher yield cutting fewer times, though quality losses may warrant this not being an option. Regardless, the reduced-lignin technology should be a game-changer in addressing this dilemma.

Long seasons add to weed pressure

If you’re an alfalfa producer in the Southwest with non-dormant stands that don’t ever stop growing (though they grow at different rates during different parts of the year), or a short-season grower with two to three cuts, controlling weeds is imperative.

A technology system that uses glyphosate becomes an even more important tool because you want stands to have a competitive advantage both at establishment and in-crop.

It’s not that you can’t have excellent returns using alfalfa with glyphosate technology with a shorter growing season, as in the Dakotas or upper Midwest.

But certainly, as you extend the growing season, you are asking that crop to compete for longer periods of time with a wider variety of weeds and life cycles – typically with very little, if any, crop protection to aid the stand.

New alfalfa technology shows tremendous value potential

To add value in 2017 and beyond, consider introducing a new alfalfa seed technology, such as a genetically enhanced reduced-lignin variety. Regardless of whether you are looking for higher-quality alfalfa or greater yield potential, this technology is designed to give you the ability to better manage the yield- versus-quality trade-off.

You have the option to choose to maintain your current harvest schedule for higher-quality forage or delay harvest a few days for increased tonnage without sacrificing acceptable forage quality.

So know your goals and create a plan to achieve them. Even though you’re dealing with a complex biological system, budgets can adapt. And remember, growing alfalfa is a marathon, not a sprint.

Talk with your agronomist about achieving targeted fertility and high yields, maintaining quality and how some of the newer alfalfa technologies could work on your operation. Doing these things will go a long way toward making 2017 a successful alfalfa growing year.  

*HarvXtra Alfalfa with Roundup Ready technology

PHOTO 1: Some growers chose not to rotate stands out in 2016 for economic reasons, but that will be difficult to do again in 2017.

PHOTO 2: Don’t overlook quality goals, which can be just as important – if not more so – than yield goals, depending upon the markets you supply. Photos provided by W-L Research.

• Jeremy Hayward

• Brand Manager
• W-L Alfalfas
• Email Jeremy Hayward