By VICKI JOHNSON
Ohio Correspondent

DEFIANCE, Ohio — Regional demand for alfalfa is higher than supply, giving farmers another option for making money and adding a legume to their crop rotation.

The rising need prompted Ohio State University Extension educators in four northwest Ohio counties to host an alfalfa field day June 21 at the Andy Helmke farm. About 90 people attended and 17 companies and organizations sponsored the event.

Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension educator in Defiance County, said there hadn’t been a day devoted to alfalfa as a cash crop in the 14 years he’s been in the area.

“With corn and soybean prices where they’re at it’s probably going to keep acres in corn and soybeans,” he said. “But it’s an economic decision.”

Clevenger said new large dairy farms are one reason for the greater demand, but not the only reason. Horse farms are seeking new hay markets and a Toledo company called Alfagreen Supreme is requesting high-quality alfalfa which it then dehydrates as a component in its pelletized animal feed.

Although the main reason is a lack of acres producing alfalfa, this spring’s dry weather compounded the problem by reducing the first cutting by about 40 percent.

“Alfalfa is the queen of forages,” said Gary Wilson, Extension educator, Hancock County. He talked about alfalfa establishment.

Farmers thinking about planting alfalfa should get soil tested a year in advance, he suggested, so lime can be added if needed to bring the soil to a Ph of 7 or 8.

“You have to make sure you got that Ph up there,” Wilson said. “The biggest thing with an alfalfa crop that will give you dividends is to get that Ph up there. It’s more important to alfalfa than any other crop we grow.”

When establishing an alfalfa field, Wilson said fertility and good drainage also are essential.

He said manure can be used as a fertilizer, but must be closely monitored.

“It can be done and it should be done,” he said. “It’s a great source of nutrition.”

Wilson also discussed moisture levels, weed and insect problems, as well as longevity.

“If you want a long stand, it’s all about roots,” he said.
Dr. Mark Sulc, OSU Extension forage specialist, talked about five factors that can cause an alfalfa stand to decline - environmental factors, soil factors, disease, weeds and cutting management.
“One of the most main things that can stress alfalfa is lack of drainage,” he said. “Saturated soils really stress alfalfa.”
Moisture also contributes to diseases. “Potassium is very important for stand persistence,” Sulc said.

When harvesting alfalfa, Sulc suggested the first cutting be taken in mid-May and then every 30 days, leaving at least six weeks for the plant to recover before the first killing frost of fall. Four cuttings per year is usually best. In dry weather, he said plants should be allowed to go into the bloom stage before they are cut. Waiting won’t reduce the quality of the hay, but will allow the plants to recover from a lack of moisture.

Sulc mentioned quality testing, mainly a test called neutral detergent fiber (NDF) rating to determine the relative feed value.
After cutting, Sulc said the plants should be dried as quickly as possible.

“Sunshine is the best thing,” he said. A cool sunny is better than a cloudy warm day.

While some factors of alfalfa quality are beyond the farmer’s control, Sulc said cutting management is controllable. He suggested leaving wide windrows.

“Do everything you can to save leaves and you’ll be helping your quality,” he said.

During a panel discussion about marketing, most questions were about bale size.

“It depends on who you target as to what size is best,” said Ken Vaupel, chief executive officer of Alfagreen.

Panelists said most buyers can handle mid-sized square bales, while some smaller operations prefer the more labor-intensive small square bales.

Round bales are more difficult to transport and are used mainly on individual farms.

Andy Helmke said he has 180 acres of alfalfa.

“Finding a market was at first a little bit of a challenge,” he said.

But now about 90 percent of his hay goes to dairy farms and 10 percent to horses.

“One of the biggest challenges we have in the business is to get good forage,” said Marcello Oberto, an animal nutritionist with Cargill.

This farm news was published in the June 27, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.