Roundup ready alfalfa

jon f mn · Oct 17, 2018

Anybody use it? Thinking about trying some and wonder how it performs compared to regular. It costs almost double what regular alfalfa seed costs. But it would allow for a nice clean crop.

cumminspuller · Oct 17, 2018

We have sold a decent bit of DeKalb alfalfa in my area. It has done well. How much better yielding I don't know exactly. Very helpful keeping it clean though. People keep coming back for it so something must be good about it.

tomNE · Oct 17, 2018

it's lasts much longer then reg alfalfa, some guys are close to 10yrs, already!

Case Nutty 1660 · Oct 17, 2018

10 years only? I get 25-50 years out of a field here with common seed,, ,, but then I maintain my fields also
cnt

Bruce from Can. · Oct 17, 2018

Seems pointless to me, never thought it was a huge problem to grow alfalfa. Guess it depends more on your end use of the product. Growing feed for your own stock, as you well know jon, chopped into haylage, cows will eat weeds just like the best alfalfa, and may weeds have good protein, but will drag down tons per acre at harvest.
If you are growing for the resale market, dairy cows , horse, or export market, then the purest stand could bring a better price. Trouble with hay as a cash crop, weather often plays a bigger role in hay value than what is in the hay.
I try to get three cuts each year, for three years, the turn it down. I plough down some really good looking stands of hay, but grow a great crop of corn on that field the next year

jon f mn · Oct 17, 2018

In my case it will be for sale mostly. And I have no idea what the weed control has been like on this farm other than the fields are clean this year.

Leroy · Oct 17, 2018

I don't have any faith in toundup. Tried it years ago and weeds just got worse and it did not kill a single weed. Both commercial applied and what I did myself. If I was still farming I would not buy anything that was called roundup ready.

boberjagel · Oct 17, 2018

We sell about 500 acres worth of alfalfa a year for dairy use. It's absolutely imperative that we use round up ready alfalfa to maintain dairy quality hay. Although we know roundup no longer works on some weeds it's great for sand bur and foxtail which is what we target. Cant sell hay with either of those in it and especially sand bur. Sand bur hay doesn't even work for grinding hay very well. We use Pioneer and they have been awesome in working all kinds of programs to bring the cost down to nearly regular alfalfa. Going to plant more next year since corn and beans now have such slim margins.

hiredman56 · Oct 17, 2018

The yield appears to be similar. I planted it in some fields with significant weed issues. You may want to plant about 50 percent more pounds per acre if it is treated.

Dr. Walt · Oct 17, 2018

Jon -- A local Farmer here plants 60/40 Alfalfa/Orchard Grass & he says that the Grass chokes out any weeds. The Sheep & Goats that I've had in the past have actually preferred it over straight Alfalfa.

Doc

SVcummins · Oct 17, 2018

I wish I farmed where you do . The morning glory and rag weed takes over the cropland on anything not sprayed and the sagebrush and thistle on the range ground .

K Effective · Oct 17, 2018

Since I'm feeding beef cows and the occasional horse, I have moved away from RR alfalfa and gone to a mixed forage crop- it dries faster and easier and the cows like it. Weeds do work their way in, but I'll take the shorter dry windows every time. YMMV

ss55 · Oct 17, 2018

Will Roundup ready eliminate adding any grasses in your hay fields? What type of hay do your customers want? Do you have contracts with buyers that demand pure alfalfa? Feeder cattle may gain better on alfalfa. Dairies may want pure alfalfa for lactating cows, but not for dry cows. Horses, and stock cows might prefer an alfalfa/grass mix. The sale barn market for large round bales may not always pay well enough to cover costs.

ejr-IA. · Oct 17, 2018

I have rr alfalfa does get rid of fox tail and mustard my main weeds.

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 17, 2018

Roundup ready alfalfa sounds like an invasive species waiting to happen.

What happens when you can't kill it to put in corn? Plow it under and it comes right back up. They're having issues like that with beans and corn. Spilled beans from last year sprout up in this year's corn, or vice versa, and nothing will kill it.

MJMJ · Oct 17, 2018

(quoted from post at 14:07:36 10/17/18) Roundup ready alfalfa sounds like an invasive species waiting to happen.

What happens when you can't kill it to put in corn? Plow it under and it comes right back up. They're having issues like that with beans and corn. Spilled beans from last year sprout up in this year's corn, or vice versa, and nothing will kill it.

Actually, there's nothing that can't be killed. It's just that they aren't killed with gly, and that's all they want to spray because it'c cheap. People fought RR alfalfa for years, but eventually lost that battle.

David G · Oct 17, 2018

I would not plant anything else, tired of fighting foxtail.

jon f mn · Oct 17, 2018

Thanks for all the replies. All useful info.

LarryH · Oct 17, 2018

it costs twice as much and lasts half as long I cant afford it---oh and we found it to yield less----

VicS · Oct 17, 2018

We have about 30 acres of RR alfalfa. In a bunch of small patches. The oldest is 10 yrs old. We spray it 3 or 4 times, with RR and Pounce or Warrior. Bug killer is the most important. We have a 65 gal sprayer in a kubota side by side. Just one spray tip. Supposed to spray 30 ft. But 27 ft is all ours will spray. 8 mph and 8 gal per acre. Also has a gps lightbar. Another good thing is on the go moisture testing. Think we got 200 small squares per acre. Averaging 60 lbs. But was shooting for 50 lbs. Guess you didn't ask for all this, sorry. But yes I think it is worth it. SE Illinois.

JMS/.MN · Oct 17, 2018

You can switch between Liberty and RR and the volunteer plants will die. Won"t 2,4-D kill RR alfalfa?

SVcummins · Oct 17, 2018

Just because you plant round up ready doesn?t mean you have to spray it but it also means if the field turns to rag weed ,June grass and morning glory you can spray it if you have to

MJMJ · Oct 18, 2018

(quoted from post at 22:19:19 10/17/18) You can switch between Liberty and RR and the volunteer plants will die. Won"t 2,4-D kill RR alfalfa?

Yes, it will.

Roundup ready alfalfa

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