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Talk to your Alforex Seeds’ dealer today and take your alfalfa performance to a whole new level.

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* On-farm results have exceeded replicated research claims presented.† Includes 278 head-to-head comparisons versus commercial check varieties during the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons.

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AFX 960

Non-Dormant Variety

Southwest

New! AFX 1060

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No matter where or how you farm, there’s an Alforex low lignin variety for you.

Low Lignin AlfalfaTake your alfalfa to a whole new level with Hi-Gest� Low Lignin Technology*

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Hi-Gest� low lignin alfalfa varieties bring improved animal performance without sacrifi cing yield, persistence or resistance to pests. And with these elite non-transgenic varieties, there’s no change in how you manage your alfalfa acres, no tech fees to be paid and no limitations on how or where you sell your milk, beef or commercial hay.

By Doug Rich

By Bill Spiegel

QUALITY ALFALFA

Above average rainfall, large number of fires throughout the region, increased temperatures, stress leading to leaf loss and pest pressure have all contributed to alfalfa quality issues in the western United States in 2016. Emily Glunk, Mon-tana State University, explained how these issues impacted the 2016 alfalfa crop dur-ing AlfalfaU in Dodge City, Kansas.

“Normally you would expect the more rain the better,” Glunk said.

However, above average rainfall lim-ited sunlight on the crop and increased the amount of splashing onto the leaves. Fires also impeded sunlight and increased ash content on the crop.

Glunk said increased shading leads to increased leaf drop, which, when com-bined with increased temperature, sig-nificantly reduced alfalfa quality and yield in 2016.

“Leaf drop is critical because with alfalfa about 70 percent of the nutrients are con-tained in the leaves,” Glunk said. “Protein,

energy and readily digested carbohydrates are all going decrease as leaf drop increases.”

Impact of ashFires not only added to the decrease in

sunlight, but increased the amount of ash on forage plants in 2016. According to Glunk, ash decreases overall forage quality. An increase in ash content above that which occurs naturally in the forage plant is likely from dirt contami-nation caused by soil splashing, mechanical harvesting or storage. Alfalfa contains about 8 percent ash naturally.

“On average, ash can take the place of nutrients such as energy, protein and even some of the vitamins on a 1:1 basis,” Glunk said. “If you increase ash by 0.1 percent, you are potentially decreasing digestible nutrients by 0.1 percent.”

Alfalfa containing a significantly higher ash content has reduced palatability. Alfalfa with an ash content of 8 percent and rela-tive feed quality rating of 164 will produce 2,826 pounds of milk per ton, whereas

alfalfa with 15 percent ash and a 147 RF will produce around 2,362 pounds of milk.

One way to decrease ash content is by paying attention to cutter bar height when harvesting alfalfa. Although cutting closer to the ground can increase yield, it can also decrease quality by increasing ash content. The optimum height for harvesting all for-ages is 2.5 to 3 inches. This height is the best trade off between yield and quality.

“The closer we get to the ground we lose about five points in relative feed value per inch because it is picking up more ash,” Glunk said.

The hay rake you use also impacts ash content. Rotary rakes and mergers were found to have the lowest ash potential. Rotary rakes and mergers are generally PTO or hydraulically powered.

Wheel rakes have the highest potential for increasing ash content in forage because they are ground-driven.

Doug Rich can be reached at 785-749-5304 or drich@hpj.com.

ASH CONTENT REDUCES FORAGE QUALITY

Like many things in agriculture, to pro-duce top-quality alfalfa, timing is everything.

“Forage quality is a declining function,” said Glen Shewmak-er, forage specialist at the University of Idaho, at Alfalfa U in Twin Falls, Idaho. In other words, manage perfectly and you’ll end up with top-qual-ity alfalfa every time.

But poor timing at every step along the way really messes up the end product.

1. Begin with planting. Top quality starts with seedbed preparation and planting. The bed should be firm, level and weed-free. Use a press wheel drill, or Brillion-type seeder to plant, and buy high-quality seed. “I’ve seen 6 pounds or 30 pounds succeed or fail, depending on soil conditions,” he said.

2. Cut the right way. Timing is every-thing when cutting alfalfa, and one of the few things producers have control over. The sweet spot is to cut right at the bud stage, Shewmaker said. “You can’t go back in time, so monitor your fields and determine which field should be cut first.” If money was no object, he prefers a disc mower over sickle-types. “You can cut almost twice as fast and a few hours earlier if the hay is damp,” he said. “But disc mowers cost more and require more power.”

3. Rake and cure timing. Shewmaker warns producers may not be running rakes properly. Rake teeth need to run high enough to avoid bringing dirt into the windrow. In theory, hay rake teeth should not touch the ground. “I’ve seen teeth covered with mud, and there is no reason for that,” he said.

Ideally, producers have raked alfalfa windrows together when the hay is at 40 percent moisture. There isn’t a trick to getting it to dry; weather and environment is out of our hands. “But we need to monitor the hay,”

he said. “The more mature the alfalfa was at cutting, the stiffer the windrow. It doesn’t mat down as badly and will dry more efficiently.”

4. Storage sense. Shewmaker pointed out that alfalfa quality is lost for each day of storage in the field. “Forage quality declines with time. We can’t improve it; we can only limit the decline,” he said. If you’re selling hay and sample it for qual-ity, take 12 to 20 cores per stack, per lot of hay. Pull core samples from the side, or the end of the butt part of the stack. Be systematic and consistent, he said.

5. Preservative or not? Shewmaker cited research showing a 5 percent reduction in dry matter after six months in hay baled from 11 to 20 percent moisture. Yet, ADF increased from 2.7 to 5.3 percent. A preservative would help reduce shrink in the stack, he said. “If I was a custom operator I would have a steamer, and an additive applicator, and make sure to bale before it rains,” Shewmaker said.

Bill Spiegel can be reached at 785-587-7796 or bspiegel@hpj.com.

FIVE WAYS TO MANAGE ALFALFA QUALITY

Glen Shewmaker

Sponsored by:

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By Bill Spiegel

Alfalfa production in the Northwest is pretty similar to the Midwest, except for a shorter growing season. It is a big chal-lenge to pack as much quality alfalfa into a short season, and it starts with getting a good stand from the start. Farmers partici-pating in a panel discussion at Alfalfa U in Twin Falls, Idaho, shared some secrets of their success.

Richard Larsen, who farms near Dubois, Idaho, plants 30 pounds of seed per acre into a smooth, firm seedbed. “We start with a good stand. Every year, I lose plants and therefore I don’t mind investing more money into seed.”

Tryg Koch, who has 2,000 acres of alfalfa near Kalispell, Montana, said a firm seedbed is a must. “When I step down, I want to barely leave a boot track. You don’t need to bounce a basketball, but you shouldn’t sink in more than a quarter-inch,” he said. Koch plants 16 pounds of alfalfa seed mixed with about 6 pounds of grass seed. “You have one shot at getting this right for the next seven years. You’re further ahead by putting a few extra dollars up front and getting an extra an extra year of production,” he said.

Dennis Strohm, who farms near Fair-field, Idaho, said he plans for 10 years of alfalfa production per field, cutting once or twice per year. Weed control is paramount.

A quality productKim Sommers has alfalfa and beef

cows near Denio, Nevada. Most of the hay on his irrigated ranch is destined for dairies in California. Quality, then, is of utmost importance. He plans to start using steamers to maximize leaf retention due to the arid climate. Hay is packaged in 4-foot by 4-foot bales. Field fertility is carefully monitored. “We spoon-feed that hay during chemigation and apply foliar fertility a couple of times per crop,” he said. “We do soil sampling and apply accordingly. We try to attack quality from every angle we can.”

The panel agreed hay storage can make or break quality.

Koch used to just stack the hay, but now he sheds as much as he can on beds. “We lay 3-4 inches of sand down, and put 3-5 inches of grass hay, straw hay or old hay on top of the sand. We don’t have much loss anymore,” he explained.

In Sommers’ case, the best scenario is to not store it at all. “I make sure to get it sold. I don’t want to store it,” he said. “I developed relationships with dairymen in California’s Central Valley. Part of the process is to make sure hay doesn’t sit on our place very long. Let the customer store it.”

How to sell hayThere is no secret to selling hay. Koch

and a neighboring farmer cooperate to set a price on small square bales, based on demand from the year before. Green hay, in good shape, is priced at about $185 per ton.

Strohm said most buyers prefer to get tests that include relative feed value protein and acid detergent fiber. “We have tried to use the Relative Feed Quality test, but RFV is the standard,” he said.

Larsen, who exports hay to several over-seas destinations, says the standard is simple: Green is good, brown is bad. “I can offer 200 RFV hay in China, but if it’s not perfectly green, it is a problem,” he said. “It is the same thing with small square bales in Florida.”

Bill Spiegel can be reached at 785-587-7796 or bspiegel@hpj.com.

GOOD STAND FIRST STEP IN QUALITY, PRODUCERS SAY

TWIN FALLS, IDAHO,FARMER PANEL

QUALITY ALFALFA

By Kylene ScottWhen you make the decision on which

kind of alfalfa seed to buy, you have two options: synthetic and hybrid.

Don Miller, director of product devel-opment, Alforex Seeds, said developing alfalfa hybrids had been a priority for the alfalfa industry for some time, but the plant’s uniqueness made hybrid develop-ment difficult. Miller spoke at the Dodge City, Kansas, Alfalfa U event Feb. 2.

“Alfalfa will not tolerate inbreeding,” Miller said. “So if we do one or two generations of inbreeding, you have a non-viable product.” Breeders early on questioned how to economically develop a hybrid.

“Plant breeders started to get more and more precise on how to include insect and disease resistance in the

hybrids, instead of just looking at com-mon survival out in the field or survival of the fittest,” Miller said.

Breeders began selecting individual plants, using them to make what is called a synthetic, according to Miller.

Managing hybrids can become tricky because of the varied situations involved with it.

“Hybrids are more uniform, and there will be management decisions made based on that formula,” Miller said. “So genetic uniformity of the hybrids respond very well to the persistence of management.”

Hybrids have more uniform growth, while non-hybrid fields might have some plants flowering, others do not.

There are also variations in root reserves.

“Every time you cut an alfalfa plant all that initial regrowth comes from the root system until there are enough leaves so that photosynthesis takes place and root reserves are replenished,” Miller said. “Like a bank account, you need to make deposits in that root system.”

Hybrid alfalfa also can be cut at the bud stage. The hay will be much more uniform at that stage, and the root system is left in fine shape to encourage re-growth. Syn-thetic varieties, Miller said, are ideally cut at 10 percent bloom.

Hybrid alfalfa seed costs more, but added genetic potential of hybrids tends to allow producers to achieve a more uniform stand and increased production.

Kylene Scott can be reached at kscott@hpj.com or 620-227-1804.

HYBRID ALFALFA CAN FIT CERTAIN SITUATIONS

Farmer panelists (from left) Kim Sommers, Richard Larsen and Tryg Cook agree that timely cutting is critical for having high quality alfalfa. (Journal photo by Bill Spiegel.)

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By Jennifer M. Latzke

Alfalfa producers at the Dodge City Alfalfa U agree attention to detail at plant-ing is the first step for managing alfalfa for quality and longevity.

The farmer panel included: Rex Davis, Lamar, Colorado; Joe Helger, Holly, Colo-rado; Rodger Koehn, Deerfield, Kansas; and Kevin Melvin, Greensburg, Kansas.

“We make sure we get started with a good stand,” Melvin said. “We run about 25 pounds of seed per acre.” Planting a good population and getting the stand established is also the first line of defense for weed control, Koehn added.

Once the stand is up and going, Helger and Davis both said their next concern is maintaining good fertility programs on that alfalfa and good weed control and pest control for weevils. Helger said he likes to apply fertilizer and weed and pest controls in January or February.

“Everything you do early on affects the rest of your year,” Helger said.

Gophers and voles are quickly becom-ing enemies No. 1 and 2 on alfalfa acres, Koehn said.

“We need good gopher control, espe-cially in the sand hills,” Koehn said. “They will take the farm over if you don’t

address it.” He added rusing a variety of baits is just like changing up your modes of action in chemical weed control. One gopher might like one kind of bait while another won’t touch it. Applying the bait slowly and with properly adjusted equip-ment is also critical to success.

“These gophers just eat our lunch,” Melvin agreed with Koehn. “It sounds silly, but it feels like ‘Caddyshack’ out there. It’s just hard to get rid of them without hurting a lot of other animals. And it’s terribly expensive. They hurt the stands and then we get a lot of ash content in later hay cuttings.”

Voles are another problem Koehn has, that are particularly hazardous to alfalfa stands since they will feed on the roots

and can decimate a large area in a quick amount of time.

All four agreed research needs to be conducted to achieve a better forage test for consistency across labs.

“We use forage analysis for marketing,” Melvin said. “We send all of our samples to two different labs. In the last few years we’ve had more customers insisting on this lab or that lab.” Most use RFV testing over RFQ, which has waned in popularity among alfalfa buyers and sellers in the last couple of years.

“I would like to see the tests get better, so that me and my guys would be on the same page when we look at the hay,” Davis said.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or jlatzke@hpj.com.

FARMER PANEL IN DODGE CITY TALKS GOPHERS, STANDS AND TESTING

DODGE CITY, KANSAS, FARMER PANEL

WEEDS & ALFALFA

By Jennifer M. LatzkeWhen farmers consider weed manage-

ment, they might do so to help their alfalfa yields and quality. But Doug Shoup, south-east crops and soils specialist, Kansas State University, reminded growers it’s also key to stand longevity.

“In the weed science world, we talk a lot about integrated crop management and integrated weed management,” he said. A good alfalfa stand will help suppress weeds by creating a canopy of leaves that will shade out weed seedlings. But farm-ers need to also have a good herbicide approach to provide residual activity to manage weed pressure.

Solely relying on herbicides to keep weeds in check isn’t effective when many weeds, like Palmer amaranth, common waterhemp and kochia, now have resistance.

“You must have a herbicide component to your weed management system,” he said. “But it’s more in the timeliness of the application.”

For example, farmers need to consider residual herbicides applied during the dor-mant season. That’s especially critical for established alfalfa stands.

“We can put it on in March, before the alfalfa has broken dormancy, and it lays a residual foundation for the season and we can get pretty good weed control,” Shoup said. “So, when the alfalfa greens up, before we get that pretty good leaf canopy, we start out with clean alfalfa.”

These residuals are especially effective when Mother Nature decides to rain on the field after the alfalfa has been cut and before the crop has regrown its canopy to

block the sun from weed seedlings.“Most of our weed seedlings are in the

upper half inch of soil and take rain to activate,” he explained. But with a residual herbicide application farmers can take care of weed problems while they’re still small plants, before they get legs under them.

“You especially can’t let kochia get out of control so you need to pay attention,” he said. “The smaller the weed the better the herbicide effectiveness. You can’t do roadside scouting, you have to get out and scout your fields.”

It’s this one-two punch of a canopy that shades the ground plus good residual her-bicide applications that can keep an alfalfa field producing for many more years.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or jlatzke@hpj.com.

MANAGING WEEDS HELPS STAND LONGEVITY

Rex Davis Joe Helger Rodger Koehn Kevin Melvin

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By Doug Rich

By Doug Rich

WEEDS & ALFALFA

Weed control in alfalfa all boils down to ground cover, according to Clark Poppert, agronomist with Servi-Tech. Poppert was

a featured speaker at Alfalfa U in Grand Island, Nebraska.

“Herbicides are the last choice,” Pop-pert said.

The four keys to weed management in alfalfa are fertility, stand establishment, irrigation scheduling

and herbicide application. All of these have an effect on ground cover.

Identify a fertility baseline by composite or grid soil sampling. Poppert suggested a soil pH level between 6.5 and 6.8 is opti-mum, combined with phosphorus level in the 25 to 30 parts per million range, potas-sium above 200 ppm and zinc above 1 ppm.

When taking soil samples, Poppert noted it is not necessary to go deeper than 10 inches with alfalfa. Grid sampling is more accurate than composite sampling

and allows growers to more finely tune input application.

The biggest challenges with fall-seeded alfalfa are cheat grass, winter annuals, win-terkill, grasshoppers and cutworms, all of which can influence stand establishment. “A good stand is the most important part of weed control,” he said.

The challenges for spring-seeded alfalfa include pigweed, foxtail, crabgrass, kochia, velvetleaf and heavy rains.

“Those weeds can be taken care of but the thing that worries me the most with spring seeded alfalfa is heavy rain,” Poppert said.

Be aware of herbicide carryover when planting a new stand of alfalfa. Plan ahead two years before a field is planted and always know what was planted before on that field.

“If there is any question on carryover when going to alfalfa, put a little test strip out there,” Poppert said.

Growers should plan on tilling under crop residue prior to planting alfalfa. Tillage also helps to level the field and make a firm seedbed.

“The most important thing is to start

clean,” Poppert said.Timing is everything when it comes to

irrigation. Don’t irrigate without a canopy and do not water right before a cutting, as it can cause compaction.

“Let the top 6 to 8 inches dry out before cutting alfalfa,” Poppert said.

Before applying any herbicides, know which weeds you are trying to kill, what the end-use of the alfalfa and whether the product is labeled for bovine or equine consumption.

Dormant applications of herbicides must be on before green up. This could be delayed to the 3-inch growth stage if neces-sary, according to Poppert.

Timing is critical for post-cutting herbi-cide applications. New growth on the weeds is needed before it is sprayed for best con-trol, but too much crop canopy will prevent the herbicide from hitting weeds.

Glyphosate has proven to be a poor option even on Roundup Ready varieties because it is ineffective on waterhemp and Palmer amaranth.

Doug Rich can be reached at 785-749-5304 or drich@hpj.com.

GROUND COVER IS KEY TO WEED CONTROL IN ALFALFA

Wherever alfalfa fields are irrigated or sub-irrigated, the potential for salin-ity exists. “Anytime water comes out of the ground it picks up salts,” said Don Miller, direc-tor of product devel-

opment for Alforex Seeds. Miller presented information on salinity at all three stops of the 2017 AlfalfaU tour in Grand Island, Nebraska; Dodge City, Kansas; and Twin Falls, Idaho.

Saline, or marginal, soils refers to dis-solved salts, variations in pH or sodium lev-els that affect the drainage of that soil. Saline soils have high levels of dissolved salts above 4 electrical conductivity, known as EC, alka-line soils have a pH above 8.5, and alkali soils have sodium levels above 15 percent.

“The more salt in water the more electri-

cal current will pass through it,” Miller said.Anytime soil has an EC level above 4 it

is considered a saline soil. Alfalfa begins to show damage in any soil with an EC of 2 or greater. An EC level of 3.4 could reduce alfalfa production by 10 percent. An EC level of 8.8 could reduce alfalfa production by 50 percent. That is across the field and not just in the visible hot spots.

If a producer irrigates, he should be aware of the water quality and water source. Water from wells, reservoirs or rivers can all have different salt levels.

Applying manure to crop ground also may add salt to the soil. The manure from one dairy cow can add 4 pounds of salt per day.

Alfalfa producers need to measure soils to determine salinity level and also mea-sure salt content in irrigation water.

One way to manage saline soils is to look at the species planted on that field. Differ-

ent crops have different salt tolerance levels. Only use a crop species tolerant to the level of salinity. Miller said as soil improves with inte-grated soil and water management, growers can move to higher value, more tolerant crops.

Improving the absorption rate of the soil can improve the salinity level. Poor soil structure and poor water infiltration can lead to less leaching of salts out of the soil profile.

Alforex has developed salt tolerant alfal-fa varieties such as PGI 427 and Rugged. Improved varieties can provide better stand establishment and better yield on marginal ground, but Miller said growers should have realistic expectations.

An integrated approach that includes soil and water management along with improved alfalfa varieties is the best way to manage salinity.

Doug Rich can be reached at 785-749-5304 or drich@hpj.com.

TAKE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SALINITY MANAGEMENT

Clark Poppert

Don Miller

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7

By Jennifer M. Latzke

By Kylene Scott

ALFALFA LEAVES

Yes, alfalfa is a thirsty crop, but being more efficient with irrigation can actually result in a better stand and better yields, said Bruce Anderson, Extension forage

specialist, University of Nebraska.“The more you water alfalfa, the more it

will yield,” said Anderson, who spoke at all three Alfalfa U events. “You want to be effi-cient and effective to get as many drops of water through that alfalfa and used as pos-sible and when it’s most efficient.” Alfalfa can use up to 7 inches of water to grow 1 ton of hay, while its annual water use can range from 35 to 45 inches in a year.

Irrigating alfalfa is unlike irrigating other cash crops. All through the growing

season, alfalfa uses water every single day. However, timing irrigation to when the plant needs it the most will help.

For example, every time farmers cut alfal-fa, leaf canopy is removed and water use drops because photosynthesis drops, Ander-son explained. At this time the alfalfa relies on its root system for water and nutrient uptake, to regrow leaves. So, it doesn’t make sense to apply water right after cutting.

Instead, farmers need to help the crop develop deep root systems by building a soil water reservoir in the spring before the growing season and timing irrigation applications to keep the soil reservoir full and available to the roots.

“The older the stand, the deeper its roots will grow, up to 6 to 10 feet,” Ander-son explained. So, deeply watering between harvests will let the water soak into the soil.

What you want to do is avoid saturated

soils right after cutting, Anderson said. “A moist soil surface lets weed seeds germinate and promotes the growth of those shallow rooted weeds,” he explained. And, since there’s no canopy to shade the ground, it just gives weeds the prime opportunity to take over a field.

Additionally, since water forces oxygen out of the soil, overwatering can actu-ally reduce the rate of root respiration and stunt plant regrowth after cutting. Alfalfa really doesn’t like to have its feet wet too long, Anderson explained. He compared soil to a sponge, where you want the sponge to hold on to some water, but you don’t want it sopping wet.

“Really, farmers should water for the next cutting, rather than for current growth,” Anderson said.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or jlatzke@hpj.com.

EFFICIENT IRRIGATION CREATES YIELDS

Alfalfa leaves left behind in the field are dollars left on the ground, according to forage specialist Emily Glunk, who spoke at the Alfalfa U program in Dodge City, Kansas, Alfalfa U event Feb. 2.

Seventy percent of the nutrients of alfal-fa are in the leaves, so leaf retention and quality should be considered when buying equipment, managing stands and harvest.

Glunk, who works for the Montana State University Department of Animal and Range Sciences, gave several tips on how to keep those precious leaves attached to the plants and into the bales or end prod-uct. First, be aware of variety quality.

“If we’re going to make the economics work on one of these varieties, we have to make sure that we’re not only planting great varieties, but we’re also using the right equipment to retain the quality,” she said. “The reason why livestock owners choose alfalfa is because it typically has a higher nutrient concentration.”

Crude protein is another characteristic for choosing alfalfa.

“Alfalfa is a great source of high quality protein, which you don’t typically find in those cool season forages,” she said.

Leaf-to-stem ratio also helps determine forage quality. “We see a very strong cor-relation between leaf percentage and that forage quality number,” Glunk said.

Research shows that trying not to pack as many plants into a certain area as pos-sible can increase leaf yield and overall end-product quality. Leaf to stem ratios are optimized at more of an intermediate seeding rate.

“Establishment is one of the first parts we need to be looking at and planting at the correct seeding amounts in order to be able to have that adequate leaf to stem ratio,” Glunk said.

Maturity influences overall leaf to stem ratio, she added. “As that forage gets more mature, we’re accumulating more stem. We’re accumulating more of that less digestible part of the plant but we’re not really accumulating any more of that very digestible part of the plant.”

Leaf yield doesn’t typically change as the plant matures. The total digestible nutrients decrease as the plant gets more mature. Studies related to harvest and leaf content at various stages found standing forages have about 44.5 percent leaves with the

rest being stems. When swathed, the leaves decreased to 43 percent. The final product out of the baler showed 32 percent leaves.

Hay raking is the culprit for leaf loss, she said.

“From raking it just one time, the losses we see are typically the most digestible por-tion of the hay,” Glunk said. “We’re losing a significant amount of crude protein.”

Losses in the baler chamber were found in one study to be about 25 percent.

Glunk advises to check the settings on conditioners and balers often. Use a balled up piece of aluminum foil to test the effectiveness of the settings by running it through the machinery. She also suggested walking fields after harvest to see what is left out there and make adjustments accordingly.

“The leaf portion is the most digestible, highly nutritious part of that plant, and we can see a significant portion of the leaves just scattered on the soil surface,” she said. “You might as well be throwing dollars down on the ground because you didn’t realize what was happening.”

Kylene Scott can be reached at kscott@hpj.com or 620-227-1804.

MINIMIZING LEAF LOSS WHEN HARVESTING ALFALFA

Bruce Anderson

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