When is Alfalfa Ready to Cut?

The stress of forage season is officially underway for farmers across the country. With alfalfa being one of the most important forage crops on the farm and feed prices on the rise, it’s critical to ensure your stand is harvested in a timely manner to maximize quality while preserving quantity. But when is alfalfa ready to cut? The Pennsylvania State University dairy extension team provides the following tips to consider:

HARVESTING ESTABLISHED STANDS What’s Your Crop’s Life Expectancy? - The intensity of cutting management (the number of cuttings made per year) should be based on the desired quality and life expectancy of the crop. If the goal is to have a long-lived stand, then a longer cutting interval should be considered. If the crop is being grown under a short rotation (three years or less), then more cuttings may be desirable to maximize forage quality.

First Cutting - The first cutting in the spring can be made when the crop is in the bud to early-bloom stage. During the spring there is generally limited environmental stress and the alfalfa crop can normally tolerate early cutting. Harvesting at the bud stage has allowed producers to get more cuttings per year, increase their production, and improve the quality of their forage. However, in order to cut this early, there should be optimum levels of soil pH, phosphorus, and potassium, and plants should be allowed to reach the first- bloom stage at least once during the year. Second Through Fourth Cutting - Cuttings made during the summer (second, third, and fourth cuttings) should be made when the crop is in the bud to early-bloom stage of development. Some producers are attempting to cut when the alfalfa is even less mature than recommended. A cutting interval that is consistently shorter than thirty days can be extremely stressful to the stand because energy reserves cannot be stored in the taproots and crowns. Low energy reserves lead not only to poor regrowth (which results in poor yields) but also to an actual loss of stand--sometimes in one year.

Monitor Crop Stress – Alfalfa generally maintains production during short periods of dry weather because of its deep and extensive root system. However, during extended periods of dry weather alfalfa growth is reduced and flowering may occur on short, stunted plants. Cutting during these stressful periods does not weaken alfalfa plants or cause stand reductions. If there is adequate late summer or fall growth, after the alfalfa plants have been drought stressed during the summer, an additional harvest can be made in the fall with less risk of stand loss than if the alfalfa was not drought stressed.

Source:agweb.com

Photo Credit: gettyimages-gabrielabertolini