No-till seeding alfalfa can help preserve crop residue on the soil surface, reduce soil erosion, limit weed seeds on the soil surface, and perhaps most importantly this year, help conserve soil moisture.
Don't limit your planting options later due to your herbicide selection this spring. Consider whether you can control weeds and maintain the flexibility to plant any forage later just by making a small change in the herbicides you use now.
Figure 1. Now is a good time to evaluae your alfalfa stands to determine the level of winter injury they may have sustained during the bitter early-winter cold spell. (Photo by Bruce Anderson)
Bitter cold spells and desiccating winds in early winter may have endangered alfalfa stands. Evaluate alfalfa stands soon to determine their viability and the potential need for replanting or rotating to another crop.
Thin alfalfa stands can be rejuvenated by interseeding grasses and converting the field to pasture or haying as a grass-alfalfa mixture. The diversity offers a win for both the land and the livestock.
What are some of the reasons why you would choose either a per-acre or a per cow-calf pair to determine pasture rental rate? Extension Forage Specialist Bruce Anderson discusses several benefits of each method.
With temperatures beginning to warm up, now is a good time to manage weeds such as field pennycress, downy brome, mustards, cheatgrass, and shepherd's purse in dormant alfalfa without risking plant injury.
Five years of grazing research in eastern Nebraska showed that brome/legume pastures produced almost four-tenths of a pound higher average daily gain on yearlings than did straight brome pastures fertilized with 50 lbs of nitrogen. Adding legumes to your pasture mix may be just the boost your production system needs.
