CMancastw Fanning, Saturday, May 13, 1995
Grazing
Gazette
pennState
College of Agricultural Sciences
m cooperation with USDAMRS
INCLUDING ALFALFA IN
THE GRAZING SYSTEM
Dr. Marvin Hall
Dept of Agronomy
Penn State University
Alfalfa grazing is not new. Al
falfa has been grazed alone or in
mixtures with grasses and other
legumes since its introduction into
the United States. Compared with
other management systems, how
ever, grazing alfalfa has never
been a widespread practice in this
country. While alfalfa has been
used extensively as a grazing crop
in other countries, grazing of alfal
fa in this country traditionally has
been relegated to a clean-up
operation in the fall.
Grazing systems to optimize al
falfa’s grazing potential requires a
higher level of management than
do some grazing systems. In spite
of this, interest in grazing alfalfa
has been increasing.
Alfalfa Grazing Management
Rotational grazing is a “must”
for optimum returns in an alfalfa
or alfalfa-grass grazing system.
Rotational grazing is more labor
intensive than continuous grazing
A * *
because of the need to provide and
maintain electric fencing and to
move animals from one paddock
to another on a carefully planned
and executed schedule. Care also
must be given to avoid damaging
the alfalfa stand, because com
paratively high numbers of ani
mals graze on a relatively small
area of alfalfa'. However, the re
wards can offset the extra effort.
There is no set rule on number
of paddocks required or on pad
dock size. Most recommendations
call for fields to be divided into a
minimum of six to eight paddocks
for most effective management
Paddock size depends on the num
ber and size of animals being graz
ed. However, there should be
enough animals in a paddock to
harvest the available forage in less
than four days.
As an example of a rotational
grazing practice, a recent demon
stration successfully grazed 24
beef cattle on a four-acre alfalfa
plot The field was subdivided into
eight half-acre paddocks. After
four days grazing on each pad
dock, the cattle were rotated. After
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all eight paddocks had been graz
ed, cattle were returned to the first
paddock, which had recovered
and was ready for another round
of grazing.
Determining the number of ani
mals that each acre of alfalfa will
support in a grazing system is a
difficult process. The number of
animals per acre can be increased
as alfalfa becomes more produc
tive beyond the first year of stand
life and as the management skills
of the farm operator improve. A
conservative suggestion is two to
three dairy cows or three to five
Stockers per acre during the early
part of the grazing season.
The numer of animals per acre
is normally reduced when alfalfa
production declines, such as dur
ing the typical mid-summer slump
period. It is very important to
closely monitor grazing to prevent
overgrazing. Overgrazing can
force animals to consume more
supplement, if one is supplied, in
creasing production costs. Over
grazing also may force animals to
eat the basal stems which are not
very nutritious, thus limiting ani
mal gain. Severe overgrazing also
could damage the crowns of the
alfalfa plants.
Undergrazing, on the other
hand, can lead to uneven grazing.
When unevenly grazed, the re
maining plants become larger and
less palatable. When the field is
grazed again, the animals once
more will favor the young tender
plants. This in effect reduces the
productive acreage unless the old-
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er, larger plants are clipped
periodically.
One or more “sacrifice” pad
docks also enhance a grazing pro
gram where alfalfa is the tnain for
age. A sacrifice paddock is an
area, preferably with gra& sod.
that can be used to hold animals
during wet weather or to allow,
adequate growth of the alfalfa
paddocks. Hay may be fed in
sacrifice paddocks to keep pasture
growing at an optimum rate.
Reducing the Risks of Bloat
Bloat can be a problem when
animals are grazed on young lush
alfalfa. Bloat can be prevented
through management practices,
feeding poloxalene, or a combina
tion of both. New grazing-type al
falfa varieties are just as likely to
cause bloat as traditional hay-type
varieties. Some of the manage
ment tips include:
• Fill animals with another
roughage before turning them on
to alfalfa the first time. Don’t al
low animals to get hungry. Hun
gry animals may over-eat and
bloat when they get fresh pasture.
• Gradually (over a five- or six
day period) increase the time that
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animals have access to alfalfa pas
ture.
■ Observe animals at least twice
a day when they are turned onto
alfalfa pasture. Some animals are
chronic bloaters and should be
watched especially close or re
moved from the pasture.
• Once theyare used to alfalfa
pasture, leave the animals on the
pasture constantly, even at night
• Extra caution should be taken
during wet, cloudy periods in the
early spring when alfalfa is mak
ing its most rapid growth. Do not
put animals onto alfalfa pasture if
a heavy dew is present
• More mature alfalfa is less
likely to cause bloat. Minimize
potential problems by initially
turning them onto alfalfa that has
reached the bloom stage.
• Begin feeding poloxalene two
to five days before turning ani
mals onto alfalfa pasture. Use
higher dosages when animals are
first placed on alfalfa pasture, and
reduce the rate if no problems oc
cur. Animals on lush alfalfa will
require more poloxalene than on
more mature alfalfa. "
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