tennhunter

I'm thinking about planting about 3 acres of alfalfa this spring. I would like to know of anyone else's experience with alfalfa as a food plot. Most of the people in my area do not farm on a full time basis, so there are not many large agricultural crops as competition for the wildlife.

greg-dude

I have no experience using alfalfa as a foodplot, but plenty growing it as a hay crop. Here's some things I think you may need to be aware of before you plant it.

1) Alfalfa is pretty particular about soil pH more so then some other legumes.

2) Alfalfa needs relatively good soil to persist a number of years.

3) It will need to be mowed a number of times during the growing season to maintain a lush desirable growth. Otherwise it's growth will become stemming and the plant itself will go into a seeding stage. There may be problems with mowing if the clippings are thick enough to choke out regrowth. With a hay crop, the cuttings are removed.

4) Alfalfa has problems with insect infestations in the spring (weavil). To get a commercial crop out of it, it needs to be sprayed. For food plots, a mowing may be okay to eliminate the infestation.

5)Grass will become a problem in Alfalfa just like in any other type of legume. Personally, I think grass is more of a problem with alfalfa then in other legumes due to the fact of the clump nature of alfalfa and the speed in which alfalfa plants die.


These are just some of the things that I can think about that you need to be aware of. I am not telling you not to plant it, just be aware of the potential problems. I think it will take more maintenance then other legumes. Deer were thick in my fields of it.

Dan O.

Alfalfa makes good forage crop for the late spring/mid summer months. The deer like to bed in the grass/alfalfa mixture that I have. In our area it's pretty robust, growing in anything from loam to clay, as long as the drainage and pH are reasonable.

I'd recommend that you plant clover as your main forage crop and use the alfalfa as a side crop. Greg-Dude is correct about the mowing.

Dan O.

1sagittarius

Alfalfa is a interesting crop, it holds its nutrition value better than any other forage crop when dried, and is somewhat drought tolerant for a legume because of a deep tap root. But it is its high protein content when dried quality that makes farmers plant and store alfalfa as a winter food source for cows and horses. Cows and horses have to eat it because they have no choice, they cannot free range and eat what ever they want like deer. The other benefit to alfalfa is it will store Nitrogen in the soil just like clovers to benefit the next crop.

However .... has a tasty food source for deer, alfalfa is somewhat limited. during periods of new growth after haying the new shoots can attract deer. Deer will eat what ever taste best to them. Once the stems become long and woody the deer don't like it as much. But in the winter when nothing else is availble, deer may dig through the snow to get to what is left.

In general deer will prefer clovers, corn, soybeans more frequently than alfalfa. It's just a matter of what tastes the best in the area to the deer at a certain time of the year.

Dan O.

There's an interesting link attached which compares the different forages as to pH and soil type.

http://www.huntfish.info/huntfish_information/#

Dan O.

LLBUX

I love alfalfa for hay for cattle or horses, but I think you'd have better luck with some of the clovers.

They seem to be a little less persnickety about soil pH and are somewhat less prone to weevil infestation. Alfalfa usually requires lime application to grow and establish a good stand that will last.

A clover stand is usually good for a longer period of time as well.

One last point is that clover can be mowed a little less frequently than alfalfa to stay leafy and lush.

In your area that should be mowing about 2/3 times as compared to 4 or so for alfalfa.

Besides, I seem to see more deer feeding in the clover than alfalfa in the late fall/early winter.

Good huntin'!
LLBUX

tennhunter

Guys, thanks for the input. You've got me leaning toward clover, with possibly overseeding the bare spots in the fall with rye.

ralphie

I agree with above posts. When checking into your clovers be sure to check with your local ag office, as they can tell you the best variety for your area. Whats best for the soil in Maine is different in Nebraska. The preferred variety for central Ky is Kenlan according to some local farmers and this differs from what is best in western Ky..