FAQ’s about Liming in Wisconsin by John Peters Beginning in 2007, Wisconsin has a new lime recommendation program.  Will this increase or decrease the lime rates that are being recommended? Neither. In some cases the recommendations may be a bit lower and in some cases higher, but the new system will more accurately assess the level […]

Is Sulfur Needed for Alfalfa in Wisconsin? by John Peters and Carrie Laboski Extension Soil Scientists, University of Wisconsin What role does soil type play in sulfur availability to alfalfa? Research studies in recent years have shown that sulfur (S) may be deficient in some parts of Wisconsin. Sulfur deficiencies are most likely to occur when […]

Alfalfa Stand Assessment: Is This Stand Good Enough to Keep? by Dan Undersander, Craig Grau, Dennis Cosgrove, Jerry Doll, and Neal Martin As alfalfa stands age and thin, the primary question becomes: is this stand good enough to keep? Alfalfa stands are often assessed in the spring, but our research shows that evaluating stands in the fall is better because it […]

Seeding Rate of Different Alfalfa Seed Lots by Dan Undersander Many farmers neglect to calibrate their alfalfa seeder as they begin seeding in the spring. In doing so they are failing to take into account differences in seed size and may be seeding at higher rates than necessary. With good alfalfa seed costing $7 to $12 […]

Hard Seed in Alfalfa by Dan Undersander, Ken Albrecht, Nick Degenhart, Jim Moutrey, and Mark McCaslin Questions that arise about hard seed in alfalfa are becoming more important with increased seed production in the northwestern United States where seed tends to have higher levels of hard seed.  To answer questions about hard seed, studies were initiated at three sites […]

Establishing Alfalfa During Late Summer by Mike Rankin, Crops and Soils Agent, Fond du Lac County Introduction Seeding perennial forage species such as alfalfa during the late summer in Wisconsin can result in vigorous and productive stands when proper establishment practices are followed. Late summer alfalfa seeding does not replace traditional spring-seeding recommendations, but rather provides […]

Determining the Optimum Alfalfa Seeding Rate by Mike Rankin Introduction Virtually everyone who has applied their trade as an alfalfa researcher has done a seeding rate study at some point in their career. The scientific literature is full of such studies and most come to the same conclusion: very little of what we dump in the […]