Discussion Board - 'Nother Question

Tryin' to learn this dryland farming technique and this is all just pure speculation at this point 'cause the land deal is far from being completed yet.

But, if a guy wanted to sow alfalfa into an established grass hay field, what's the proper way to do it? Just drill over the top of the grass in the fall? In the spring?

Allan

at only one cutting of alfalfa per year - that is an expensive crop

i have also never heard of planting it in the fall

In the dry, you would not want much of anything competing with the alfalfa, I'd think you need to kill the sod. But I've always farmed swamp land, so I don't know. Had 2 inches of rain the past few days, had 5 inches in April, and they are predicting rain for 5 of the next 7 days. Sigh.

--->Paul

That really makes sense. Lemme throw another at ya.

All things considered, which is the better return on the dollar? A two-year rotation of wheat or a single cutting per year on alfalfa hay?

Thanks, I appreciate the help; this dry-land farming is totally foreign to me.

All I do know is that it looks as though I'd better be getting that silly plow bought. :>(

Allan

I have a few cattle on my small corn/soy farm, and get great benifit from rotating 18 acres of alfalfa (I tend to rotate the alfalfa bit quickly, 3-4 years, rather than the 5-6 years which gives me more start-up costs but get the soil rotation going faster) & 10% of my land in oats. Weeds, manure handling, insects, fertility, and soil tilth all seem better in the long term with some rotation beyond corn/ soybeans every year like many of the neighbors.... Perhaps I lose $5-10 an acre in the short term, but over 10 years..... :)

Just can't relate to 1 cutting of alfalfa tho..... :)

If you need the alfalfa or it brings good money, a small portion of alfalfa would look good to me in the big, long-term picture. But there are a lot of numbers to consider that I wouldn't know.... You need to consider equipment costs & labor costs - monoculture of wheat will not take much machinery, but boy the risk of decreasing yields & resistant weeds is very real, while raising alfalfa will take a whole different line of machinery, spread your work load, takes a year to establish....

You can see which way I lean, but I tend to go upstream a lot to what others that know more than me do.....

--->Paul

I would not seed alfalfa into established vegetation. To me, seeding in the dry areas of the US are perfect locations for notil. Increased moisture retention, less wind erosion, etc (I did study in the Dakotas some (took a couple of range management classes), so I am not totally a foreigner to dry weather).

I'd go with a burn down before the existing grass has used up all the soil water, soon after green up as you can. Then drill notill into the sod. I would expect the alfalfa to not compete with the established sod for limited moisture very well without a burn down.