EVALUATING AND MANAGING
ESTABLISHED ALFALFA
STANDS
WARREN THOMPSON, JOE
BOUTON, AND JIM MOUTRAY
There are numerous ways to eval
uate alfalfa stands. One system
that's precise is counting the num
ber of plants or stems for a given
area.
Visual evaluations are the most
widely used by professionals and
farmers alike. In this publication,
Reading = 1 Less than 20 percent stand. If the land is suitable for
row crops, this would be a great time to move along with the crop
rotation. If the land is subject to severe water erosion or you want to
keep it in forage production for another year or so, overdrill with cool
Reason grass or red clover.
we are presenting a new and more
accurate method that is easy to fol
low, practical, and very reliable.
First, walk the field about 7-14
days after grazing or hay harvest.
Make 20 or more random readings
using the pictures as a guide, recod
ing the number associated with each
picture for each reading. The pic
tures visualize the alfalfa only;
grass and/or weeds will fill in the
bare soil. These must be taken into
account in your readings. When you
(Turn to Pago 22)
Fbraglng Around, Uncwter Farming, Saturday, April 18, ISgM’agi 21
Reading = 2 Stands of 20 percent to 40 percent. These stands will
usually yield less than half their potential as hay unless there is a
good stand of grass in the mix. Without grass in the mix, weeds can
become a real problem. This cover is also subject to crop rotation if
/ pi. range Wo
expected. This stand is ideal for overdrilling orchardgrass, for exam
ple, at the 4-6 pound rate in the fall or early spring. If you are going
to keep this field in alfalfa for a couple more years, why no add red
clover in the spring as well? Both grass and clover beat weeds!
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