Change in Yield and Quality of Alfalfa by Dan Undersander, Extension Forage Agronomist Many growers are asking about the tradeoffs in alfalfa yield and quality as they enter quality pricing contracts for hay or haylage. This is difficult to assess since both alfalfa growth and forage quality vary considerably depending on environmental conditions. The USDA-Dairy Forage Research […]

Seven Unique Factors of First-Cut Alfalfa by Mike Rankin, University of Wisconsin Extension The uniqueness of alfalfa spring growth has been a core factor for many discussions, research trials, media articles, debates, and flat-out arguments among forage brethren. Generally, the conversation centers around when to cut and the best method to determine forage quality of the […]

Heaving in Alfalfa Fields by Dan Undersander University of Wisconsin Heaving is a problem in some alfalfa stands each year in the Midwest. Heaving occurs on heavy soils that have high moisture contents. Repeated freezing and thawing causes soil expansion and contraction that pushes the tap-rooted plants (and fence posts) out of the soil. The need […]

Maximizing Forage in Winter Injured and Killed Stands by Dan Undersander, Extension Forage Agronomist When significant winter alfalfa stand damage occurs consider the following. The situations vary from low spots only in fields to significant portions of the fields. I recommend the following: First, make sure that “dead” spots are actually dead and not just delayed: Dig […]

Evaluating and Managing Alfalfa Stands for Winter Injury by Dennis Cosgrove and Dan Undersander Introduction Each year in Wisconsin, alfalfa stands are at risk of being injured or killed by winter conditions such as cold temperatures, ice sheets and heaving. Having the ability to evaluate this injury early in spring is helpful in making crop rotation […]

Getting the Most from Drought Stressed Forages by Dan Undersander, Forage Agronomist Good management of moisture stressed forages will increase maintenance of a good stand and reduce the loss of forage production.  Management of alfalfa, grass hayfields, pasture and corn each have some special considerations. Alfalfa Moisture stress has the following effects on the alfalfa plant: Cell […]

Frost Injury to Alfalfa by Dan Undersander and Paul Peterson We are seeing some frost injury to alfalfa leaves. It appears as the misshapen leaf tips shown in the circles of the picture to the left. Frost can damage leaves in early stages of development and then damage becomes visible as the leaves mature. The frost injury is […]

Roundup Ready, Low Lignin and Other New Traits in Alfalfa’s Future by Dan Undersander¹ Abstract The benefits of using new breeding techniques for alfalfa improvement are just being developed. These GMO alfalfa varieties will revolutionize the using and management of alfalfa. This paper presents information on the development of two GMO alfalfa traits (Roundup Ready and […]