GRAZING ALFALFA IN PENNSYLVANIA Penn State Agronomy Facts 42 Alfalfa grazing is not new. Alfalfa has been grazed alone or in mixtures with grasses and other legumes since its introduction into the United States. Compared with other management systems, however, graz ing alfalfa has never been a widespread practice in this country. While alfalfa has been used exten sively as a grazing crop in other coun tries, grazing of alfalfa in this country traditionally has been relegated to a cleanup operation in the fall. Grazing systems to optimize alfal fa’s grazing potential requires a higher level of management than do some grazing systems. In spite of this, inter est in grazing alfalfa has been increasing. Establishing Alfalfa For Grazing Establish alfalfa for grazing just as you would if it were to be used for hay or silage by following these guidelines (refer to the Penn State Agronomy Guide for more information on alfalfa establishment); • Plant on a well-drained soil. • Use a soil test as a guide for rates of lime, phosphorus and potash. • Select an adapted, high-yielding, disease and insect-resistant variety. Use certified seed to ensure seed qual ity and purity. • Inoculate the seed with fresh alfal fa inoculant just before seeding. Make sure the word “alfalfa” appears on the inoculant container. For pre- THE WRAPPER THAT WRAPS BALES OTHERS WONT A complete range of Round, Square & Rectangular Wrappers. Patented advantages like the unique “Deep Cradle” continuous full width belt, and fully supported turntable where four poly urethane wheels provide Tanco’s renowned even and balanced operation, even with overweight and misshapen bales. Quality wrapping and quality machines that has made Tanco among the World's leading manufacturers. For further information on Tanco bale wrappers, silage wrapping, and your nearest dealer, contact: 111 ❖ Special Report * AV X tv V* \ 1 i I ' >■ inoculated seed, check the date the seed was inoculated. • Sow into a firm seedbed. Alfalfa can successfully be sown with a cultipacker-seeder, with a seeding attachment on a cultipacker, by broad casting or with a drill, followed by roll ing. Plant no deeper than V* inch in heavy soil or 'A inch in light soil. • Add lime, phosphorus, and potas sium as soil tests indicate. A good time to lime and fertilize for stand mainte nance is at the end of one growing sea son and before growth starts the next season. Rotational grazing is a “must” for optimum returns in an alfalfa or alfalfa-grass grazing system. Rotation al grazing is more labor intensive than continuous grazing 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 comparatively high numbers of ani mals graze on a relatively small area of alfalfa. However, the rewards can offset the extra effort. There is no set rule on number of paddocks required or on paddock size. Most recommendations call for fields to be divided into a minimum of six to eight paddocks for most effective man agement. Paddock size depends on the number and size of animals being grazed. 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 graz- HUMUS art MUEHR 100-120 Lehigh Ave. • RO. Box 928 Bat&via, New York 14021-0928 716/343-5411 Serving Farmers Through Farm Equipment Dealers Since 1961 * R, . Alfalfa Grazing Management Why spend your dollars on a “job shop” type machine that requires a large tractor, needs near perfect bales to work properly, and is scary to see in operation. Don’t forget: “Penny wise, pound foolish”. It takes a quality product to do quality work. Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1, 1997—Page ing practice, a recent demonstration successfully grazing 24-beef cattle on a four-acre alfalfa plot. The field was subdivided into eight half-acre pad docks. After four days grazing on each paddock, the cattle were rotated. After all eight paddocks had been grazed, cattle were returned to the first pad dock, which had recovered and was ready for another round of grazing. Determining the number of animals 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 pro ductive beyond the first year of stand life and as the management skills of the farm operator improve. A conservative suggested is two to three dairy cows or three to five stockers per acre during the early part of the grazing season. The number of animals per acre is normally reduced when alfalfa produc tion declines, such as during the typical mid-summer slump period. It is very important to closely monitor grazing to prevent overgrazing. Overgrazing can force animals to consume more sup plement, if one is supplied, increasing production costs. Overgrazing also may force animals to eat the basal stems which are not very nutritious, thus limiting animal gain. Severe over grazing also could damage the crowns of the alfalfa plants. Undergrazing, on the other hand, can lead to uneven grazing. When unevenly grazed, the remaining plants become larger and less palatable. When the field is grazed again, the ani mals once more will favor the young tender plants. This in effect reduces the productive acreage unless the older, larger plants are clipped periodically. One or more “sacrifice” paddocks also enhance a grazing program where alfalfa is the main forage. A sacrifice paddock is an area, preferably with grass sod, that can be used to hold ani mals during wet weather or to allow adequate regrowth of the alfalfa pad docks. Hay may be fed in sacrifice pad docks to keep pasture growing at an optimum rate. Inc /Wholesale 100 Stover Drive Carlisle, PA 17013 717/249-6720 Alfalfa Grazing Period Alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mixtures can be grazed -throughout the growing sea son in most areas, or can be used for grazing during only selected seasons. Spring grazing: * Grazing alfalfa for several weeks in the very early spring delays hay making until weather is better. Begin grazing when alfalfa is about six inches tall, managing the animals so that the plants are not overgrazed and maintain some leaf area. As the alfalfa growth begins to exceed animal con sumption (usually during May), per iodically reduce the size of pasture area being grazed. This decreases the amount of forage available to the ani mals and reduces waste. In addition, it establishes staggered pasture heights for rotational grazing throughout the rest of the season. Harvest the excess, ungrazed alfalfa as hay or silage. Summer grazing: • Alfalfa can be difficult to harvest for hay during July and August if top growth has been slowed by drought. Grazing may be an attractive alterna tive to alfalfa hay harvesting during this period. Rotational grazing during the sum mer will seldom harm the stand. Graz ing alfalfa during times of moisture stress does not have the adverse effects to the degree it does when grazing under normal or wet conditions. Graz ing is an excellent way to use alfalfa and provide high quality forage during the dry summer months in what nor mally would be considered the “sum mer slump" period. Fall grazing: • Fall alfalfa growth usually is slowed or stopped by a series of light frosts, rather than by one single heavy killing freeze. Forage quality of fall growth is excellent. Weather condi tions normally make alfalfa hay diffi cult to cure at this time, so grazing becomes an alternative method of harvesting. Removing this fall growth also may reduce the severity of the alfalfa weevil the following spring. However, it is important not to graze too hard within five to six weeks of the first killing frost While the stubble height or cutting height is not of great significance during the summer, it becomes an important factor when fall grazing. Leave some stubble on the field to support any growth that may occur before a killing frost and to hold snow to protect alfalfa from heaving. Leave at least a 4-inch stubble! Season-long grazing: • Grazing has a reputation for shor tening the life of an alfalfa stand, com pared to harvesting for hay. However, this is largely a misconception because there are management techniques that can take advantage of the benefits of grazing alfalfa, while reducing some of the potentially harmful effects. Follow the suggestions for spring grazing, out line above, to initiate season-long alfalfa grazing. Alfalfa should be allowed to recover for about 28 to 35 days between grazings. Rotational grazing for short grazing periods of 1 to 2 days with the long recovery period of approximately 35 days is the major key to season-long grazing, while still maintaining stands. Avoid grazing during wet weather when alfalfa is par ticularly susceptible to soil compac tion and crown damage. Managing Against Bloat When Grazing Alfalfa Bloat can be a problem when ani mals are grazed on young, lush alfalfa. (Turn to Page 20) 207
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