COLUMBUS, Ohio – Alfalfa has been grown as a forage crop since the beginning of recorded history. Remains of alfalfa more than 6,000 years old have been found in Iran, and the oldest written reference for alfalfa is from Turkey in 1300 BC. Alfalfa has a long association with many ancient civilizations. It was first brought to North America by the European colonists in the early 1700s.

Today, the United States grows about 23 million acres of alfalfa each year. It is third in value behind only corn and soybeans, and it’s worth more than $8 billion annually, not including the value of dairy products. It is grown to some extent in every state. For example, while 350,000 acres are grown in Kentucky, up to two million acres of land in the Bluegrass State are suitable for alfalfa production.

“Alfalfa has not been used to a great extent in the U.S. and that puzzles me,” said. Dennis Hancock, director of the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, Wis. “Alfalfa is a virtuous queen. There is a long list of well-known production and environmental benefits that she brings. The United States should continue to look globally for opportunities and further develop our export markets, to include alfalfa. There are end users that remain untapped.”

Hancock is quick to point out the many benefits associated with alfalfa, noting that it helps prevent erosion, has deep roots, suppresses weeds, requires low pesticide use, can be used for pasture, silage and more.

“Alfalfa acreage has been declining in the U.S. and throughout the world for many years,” said the native Kentuckian. “The descent in alfalfa acres has not been because of significantly higher output per acre. Hay yields have been flat while haylage yields have posted a modest 1 percent gain annually over the past 20 years. We can’t blame the shrinking acreage on fewer mouths to feed, because both dairy and beef cow numbers have held relatively steady in the past 20 years.”

Hancock admitted that the cost of producing alfalfa is exceptionally high relatively to other feedstuffs. Alfalfa has a relatively short yield peak comprised only of its second and third production years. Producing alfalfa also brings with it the expense of multiple cuttings per year with the potential for variation in forage quality. In the silo, alfalfa is subject to significant nitrogen losses in the form of ammonia because of its high soluble protein content.

“Even with the laundry list of grievances to air, alfalfa still has a lot of opportunities, and I still believe in the future of alfalfa,” Hancock said. “It is the ultimate cover crop, offering long-term groundcover and the ability to capture nitrates from deep within the soil profile. We need to better define alfalfa’s role in the carbon market, promoting its benefits in crop rotation and perennial forage-based livestock systems. We also need to do a better job of promotion alfalfa’s ecosystem services as a beneficial crop for pollinators and other wildlife species.”

And there’s more, Hancock said, pointing to the fact that alfalfa tends to pass through the rumen faster than grasses, thus lowering gut fill and enhancing dry matter intake, which drives milk production.

“With all this, why aren’t we growing more alfalfa?” Hancock asked. “In my opinion, we need to develop varieties and strategies that will enable alfalfa to get out of the gate quicker and persist longer.”