Discussion Board - alfalfa planting

I'm in Northwest Indiana(West Lafayette), planted 3 additional acres yesterday, with a drill, seed tubes off. Thought about running a cultipacker over, but got dark and the 'rain' was coming. Now i guess I have to think if I want to pack it...

Not sure ofyour weather, but our 15 day forecast looks very good. I would hazard a guess and say plant.....

Advice on planting in Northern MN. Picture of field in implements if not here. Everyoone seems to plant oat cover crop but feed beef/dairy cattle. I will be marketing small squares to horse feeders. Soil is heavy to me but medium in soil test. Should I use oats or use drill and roll in alfafa/brohme mix without? appreciate your advixe/thoughts. Bob

The earlier ya can get it in, the better.

Last year, just to test the theory, I planted 35 acres without a cover crop and used a roller to pack it in.

I'll never do that again; I'm going back to using oats and a harrow. This heavy soil is just a bugger! :>(

Allan

Jim

Maybe I just had a bad experience or we just have bad ground.

I drilled 35 acres after discing the field twice at two different angles. Then, ran a packer over the biggest part of it.

On the packed ground, the stuff took what seemed like forever to come up and the weeds got ahead of it. Where I didn't run the packer, that alfalfa just boiled up out of the ground and is fairly clean.

We've got real heavy black dirt here and I suspect that has something to do with it.

I've still got 40 acres to go and this time I'm gonna plow 'er down, pack it and then drill with oats. 'Course, I can always use the oats/straw too.

Allan

This 40 acres was in wheat last year and is fairly good "lighter" soil.

I wait until it plows just right (read: not too wet), plow it, wait that day to take the moisture edge off it and then hit it with the packer. Makes a perfect seedbed.

No disc at all on this stuff. Plow, pack, plant.

Allan

Although, just like you Allen, I have had plenty of times were parts of fields did not come up but always had environmental factors that determined that, I don't think it was related to wheather or not I used a cover crop.

By the way, Poast Plus works good on grass!

Ray

What would you spray an alfalfa field to get rid of everything and not hurt that alfalfa? Sunflowers, broadleafs, grasses, etc.?

Thanks,

Allan

Pursuit or Raptor are labled to spray on legumes for broadleaf and grass control. You can add Poast Plus with the Raptor or pursuit if you have a broadleaf problem. If you just have grass you can use Poast for them, as Poast works much better on all grasses and is cheaper, Raptor would be put on after a new seeding, poast is used to maintain the stand year after year, it would be cheaper for you then doing your Nebraskra alfalfa harrowing which I guess could add new life to your alfalfa but does not mean it will get rid of your grass.

Ray

good luck, Ray