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Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK |
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Oklahoma Alfalfa |
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Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK |
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Oklahoma Alfalfa |
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FALL HARVESTING ALFALFA For many years we have been told that harvesting alfalfa during the fall is bad. We believed that stands would decline drastically and the remaining plants would not yield well. We were told that harvesting alfalfa within a few weeks of the first killing freeze would be an invitation to disaster. These concepts are correct for northern parts of the U.S. Alfalfa grown in the southern plains is hurt very little (or none at all) by harvesting in the fall of the year. O.S.U. researchers have been working with these concepts for 15 years and have identified no particular date that stresses alfalfa any more than others. Frequently it is worth while to harvest late-summer and fall growth. Many fields have 1/2 ton/acre of hay, and some have well over 3/4 ton/acre. There is no reason to waste the forage. Grazing after the first hard freeze is usually the most economical way to utilize fall alfalfa. There is relatively little probability of bloat during this time of year. Generally, alfalfa should be stocked heavily for a short time rather than putting a few animals on a large area for many weeks. The stocking rate should be high enough to clean off all the available forage in 7 to 10 days. Electric fences can be helpful in confining animals to a small area for a few days and then moving them on to an nongrazed area. If cattle are left on an alfalfa meadow for a long time, they start grazing only regrowth from plants that were grazed earlier. This may be about the same (to the plants) as harvesting hay from a meadow every 10 days or so. Some extras come with grazing alfalfa. Perhaps the most important is the removal of stems in which alfalfa weevils lay eggs. If there are no convenient stems for the weevils, they lay fewer eggs and the onset of weevil damage the next spring will be delayed. Grazing may also help clean up fields of weeds. Cattle may kill certain weeds while grazing during the winter or late fall. The act of eating some of the small weeds kills them outright, and cattle hooves tear up the soil surface enough to destroy others. In addition to providing good pasture, winter and fall
grazing helps control insects and weeds. |
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| FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Alfalfa Harvest Management Discussion with Cost-Benefit Analysis. OSU Extension Circular E-943. HTML Format (faster) or PDF Format (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). |
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| John Caddel, Forage Agronomist Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Oklahoma State University  |
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