Alfalfa for hay/plot

[BenAllgood]

My farmer has been planting corn for the last two years on 4 acres. It's been a great draw. We have a deal worked out in which he keeps the corn and puts in a cover crop after harvest. The only drawback is that the cover crop gets in late and leaves a little too much time without much food for what I want. I asked him about maybe switching to something else. He suggested alfalfa. I've never dealt with alfalfa. I've assumed there's not much to eat in late November until spring, but I could be wrong. I do have maybe a half acre section right next to it that I can put in a different mixture of something for a plot. I really like the draw of a big field though, and feel that I'll have about 4 acres of nothing with a half acre kill plot instead of the bigger destination I'd like. There's not a lot of ag around my area, and the bigger plot has been a great draw to pull deer in the area into a reliable pattern. I'd like to hear thoughts/suggestions if you could.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I have had pure stands of alfalfa in the past and I think there are few better forages for deer. When the plots are young, pretty much every deer is moving through the plot if they step foot on the property. Once a hard frost happens though, I feel like they only go through it out of habit. I started planting alfalfa, chicory, and clover together to help with the diversity. I know this doesn't help you and your farmer.

Have you looked into flying the cover crop seed onto the fields? 4 acres may not be enough to warrant the cost just for yourself, but you might have other growers near enough that do this already or are interested. I spoke with my farmer about this when he is doing corn next year. With the local NRCS programs, it works out to be slightly profitable.

 

[BenAllgood]

I have had pure stands of alfalfa in the past and I think there are few better forages for deer. When the plots are young, pretty much every deer is moving through the plot if they step foot on the property. Once a hard frost happens though, I feel like they only go through it out of habit. I started planting alfalfa, chicory, and clover together to help with the diversity. I know this doesn't help you and your farmer.

Have you looked into flying the cover crop seed onto the fields? 4 acres may not be enough to warrant the cost just for yourself, but you might have other growers near enough that do this already or are interested. I spoke with my farmer about this when he is doing corn next year. With the local NRCS programs, it works out to be slightly profitable.

Do you think the added chicory and clover would hurt the "hay-ability" of the alfalfa?

The problem with this section is it's not a farm by NRCS standards. It's only a 7 acre parcel. My 41 acre property connected to it is considered farm, and it's where I've done all my EQIP programs. It's crazy because the only part of my farm that's actually farmed isn't considered farm.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Do you think the added chicory and clover would hurt the "hay-ability" of the alfalfa?

The problem with this section is it's not a farm by NRCS standards. It's only a 7 acre parcel. My 41 acre property connected to it is considered farm, and it's where I've done all my EQIP programs. It's crazy because the only part of my farm that's actually farmed isn't considered farm.

I have almost zero experience for forage quality or quantity in terms of cattle feed, so I am hesitant to comment on that. I would think that it would lower the overall tonnage that could be bailed, but might make the stand more climate resilient.

Couldn't you just get these acres registered with the FSA? Isn't the farmer already doing this or are these acres not insured? We had about an extra 15 acres turned from pasture over into row crops this year and it was as simple as enrolling the new fields.

 

[BenAllgood]

Couldn't you just get these acres registered with the FSA? Isn't the farmer already doing this or are these acres not insured? We had about an extra 15 acres turned from pasture over into row crops this year and it was as simple as enrolling the new fields.

Maybe so. This was just a handshake deal that is mutually beneficial. I wasn't getting any money from it, just a large, free foodplot. I'll have to check into it. Thanks for bringing that up.

 

[Telemark]

Is he drilling the cover crop, or tilling the field to plant it?

A few things spring to mind here. One is to leave the picked corn field for the deer to glean in. A other would be to intersow a cover crop between the rows of corn that would then already be established when the corn came off (maybe a clover blend).

Are you allowed to bait there?

 

[BenAllgood]

Is he drilling the cover crop, or tilling the field to plant it?

He's tilling.

A few things spring to mind here. One is to leave the picked corn field for the deer to glean in. A other would be to intersow a cover crop between the rows of corn that would then already be established when the corn came off (maybe a clover blend).

I think he's picking it pretty clean from what I could tell. He does a little at a time and bags it for feed. He's not combining it, or at least didn't last year. I did think about sowing balansa clover at an early stage, but decided to go with a cover crop after harvest. The clover would have probably been the better choice.

Are you allowed to bait there?

Yes, baiting is allowed. A lot of the corn grown in the area is bagged and goes to local hunters for baiting, or they buy it by the tractor scoop and put it in the truck bed.

 

[Telemark]

He's tilling.

I think he's picking it pretty clean from what I could tell. He does a little at a time and bags it for feed. He's not combining it, or at least didn't last year. I did think about sowing balansa clover at an early stage, but decided to go with a cover crop after harvest. The clover would have probably been the better choice.

Yes, baiting is allowed. A lot of the corn grown in the area is bagged and goes to local hunters for baiting, or they buy it by the tractor scoop and put it in the truck bed.

This year I would go buy a ton or so of corn and fling it all over the field. In Ohio, a picked corn field draws deer like nothing else. It would probably enhance your field especially well to have corn and fresh green browse in the same spot.


Next year try to plan ahead and sow something earlier that's already growing and ready to shoot up once the corn is harvested. Then I would still probably scatter a bunch of corn around the plot to maximize attraction.

 

[Telemark]

What is the cover crop, by the way?

 

[BenAllgood]

What is the cover crop, by the way?

Last year was straight wheat. This year is balansa clover, crimson clover, turnips, radishes, and buck oats.

 

[Telemark]

It seems very late for turnips.

Internet says crimson clover "In corn, can be planted at the V4 to V8 stage or after canopy opens in late summer."

Crimson Clover - Best Forage

Crimson cover is an overwintering annual clover usually grown as a cover crop that is best seeded after wheat. Can be grazed or hayed in the spring.

www.bestforage.com

I don't know anything about balansa clover. But wheat and buck forage oats sound like good additions.

 

[bigboreblr]

How well is the farmer growing corn. Does he annually fertilize? Does he spray? Some boom sprayers have spreader capabilities too, not many though.

Be nice to hear more tilling details. USe a chisel harrow combo?

I dont think alfalfa will have a good enough chance to produce well, if youre going to rotate back to another crop for the next year. This would be in NY atleast. Warmer zones might do different.

 

[SD51555]

I would love to have a crack at interseeding into a mowed alfalfa field after the second to the last, and last cutting. I don’t think chicory will ever get away from you with frequent cuttings.

I think it’d be neat to blow forage collards in a week before the second to last cut, and winter wheat and flax in after the last cut. It’ll probably make the stand last longer. Lots of minerals get hauled away when harvesting everything above ground. Mixed plants should help make more available.


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[BenAllgood]

How well is the farmer growing corn. Does he annually fertilize? Does he spray? Some boom sprayers have spreader capabilities too, not many though.

Be nice to hear more tilling details. USe a chisel harrow combo?

I dont think alfalfa will have a good enough chance to produce well, if youre going to rotate back to another crop for the next year. This would be in NY atleast. Warmer zones might do different.

I really don't know. It looks good to me. He asked me what my plans were for the field going forward because he wanted to put lime on it. I told him I just wanted something that would work out for both of us. I wanted food for deer, and he could do what he wanted as long as I got that. That's when he brought up alfalfa, and keeping it in that for a while.

As far as tilling, it looked like he was just disking.

He was going to leave it in alfalfa until it played out.

 

[BenAllgood]

I would love to have a crack at interseeding into a mowed alfalfa field after the second to the last, and last cutting. I don’t think chicory will ever get away from you with frequent cuttings.

I think it’d be neat to blow forage collards in a week before the second to last cut, and winter wheat and flax in after the last cut. It’ll probably make the stand last longer. Lots of minerals get hauled away when harvesting everything above ground. Mixed plants should help make more available.


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I don't want to interfere with him haying it. We're doing this on a trade like deal. He gets to use the field for free and I get deer food from it. Would planting something in alfalfa interfere with him using it for alfalfa hay?

 

[Bill]

I have a deal like that but I get 1/3 of the field. Either 1/3 left for the deer or 1/3 of the proceeds if I decide to have it harvested. I've done both depending on how my plots do. If he left you an acre of corn it would go a long way for you. especially if you/or he mowed it and left it lay.

 

[BenAllgood]

I have a deal like that but I get 1/3 of the field. Either 1/3 left for the deer or 1/3 of the proceeds if I decide to have it harvested. I've done both depending on how my plots do. If he left you an acre of corn it would go a long way for you. especially if you/or he mowed it and left it lay.

I wish I'd have thought about that. An acre of mowed corn would work great. I might see what he says to that.

 

[SD51555]

I don't want to interfere with him haying it. We're doing this on a trade like deal. He gets to use the field for free and I get deer food from it. Would planting something in alfalfa interfere with him using it for alfalfa hay?

You may want to leave the collards and flax out, but the winter wheat shouldn’t hurt anything unless he’s marketing pure alfalfa.


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[bigboreblr]

alfalfa for a few years is good. Especially if you have some other spot you can do other foodplots.

alfalfa does not like competition. I would ask what he would do to keep it a pure stand. TO keep alfalfa for a few years, you need herbicide.

In the grand sceme of things, 7 acres can be a hassle for some farmers. MY borther-in-law does smaller fields only for free and nearby a larger field,, but the owner gets the tax credits. Smallest he pays out for is 20 acres. He only does that because he owns 450 in the same area. The guy kept bugging me leaving notes im trespassing on my brother in laws property. He had the landowner appologize to me. Kinda funny.

 

[FarmerDan]

You might be trying to make a good situation better and end up making it worse. Nonetheless...

Unless I misunderstand, you own the land and it borders other land you own? Then the comment about not being a farm for NRCS purposes is irrelevant. FSA and the local county committee ultimately have the power to decide what is and what is not a farm. Besides, for FSA purposes, the definition of a farm is different from the definition of a tract of ag land. If, for whatever reason this supposition about it not being something hurts you - or doesn't help, then go to FSA. They are the only USDA agency can make the determination for program purposes. NRCS might decide on the need for conservation on the land but they do not determine what is and isn't ag land.

Back to the situation. Alfalfa is a killer crop for harvest and for feeding whitetails. But, it takes some management to grow. Seeded yet this fall you will see no alfalfa, but planted with a cover crop...like fall oats (I know someone will want to argue against oats but I have reasons for it) farmer might get a harvest or two out of it next growing season. You will probably want to negotiate when farmer can take the last cutting to leave time for your fall needs.

If there are other inter seeded plants in the alfalfa is a point of negotiation for you and farmer. Mindset is everything.

Traditionally pure stands of alfalfa produce a lower tonnage but higher total protein production, good for dairy. In my experience alfalfa is usually seeded with another perennial forage - like grass -to increase tonnage and lower total protein percentages. It's still good enough for dairy and more than useful in beef production in certain situations.