# Alfalfa Rotation Question.



## WaterShedRanch (Jan 29, 2012)

I'm a grower in north central Ohio and I have a 30 ac. field of alfalfa that is in it's 5th year. Production has slowly been declining. Last fall I seeded orchard grass into it to try and squeeze one more year out of it untill I can bring a new field up to full production. My question is this. The field in question is on more highly erodable soil. I dont really want to tear it up to put in a row crow for rotation. Is there any other forage crop that works well to rotate out an alfalfa field for a year? Could I burn it off and drill a good grass mix into it and then after a year re-seed it to alfalfa?


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

How we farm is evolving all the time.

I now plant wheat after alfalfa with to use the nitrogen, For our climate I like wheat as it uses less water than corn or cotton. Though in theory it is good plant a large seed following alfalfa.

Starting this Fall I plan to plant a tillage radish into the wheat stubble. Then back to alfalfa that Fall.

In years past I would follow alfalfa with alfalfa, as alfalfa is my best money maker.
The Academics and the wise old men say not to follow alfalfa with alfalfa as it will not reestablish. Maybe so THERE but in our soils and our Central Texas Climate I can plant alfalfa into an old stand with success,
I believe Gary Lacefield and Dan Undersander that old stand alfalfa will kill off seedling alfalfa, THERE. I just know what works here in my soil, with this climate, and my management style.

One field at one time I allowed a stand of Great Plains Ram alfalfa go through 11 season, with 2 reseeding's. After 11 seasons this land was so rough I needed to wear a safety belt when mowing.

Did You attend the AFGC Conference in Covington KY?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

WaterShedRanch said:


> I'm a grower in north central Ohio and I have a 30 ac. field of alfalfa that is in it's 5th year. Production has slowly been declining. Last fall I seeded orchard grass into it to try and squeeze one more year out of it untill I can bring a new field up to full production. My question is this. The field in question is on more highly erodable soil. I dont really want to tear it up to put in a row crow for rotation. Is there any other forage crop that works well to rotate out an alfalfa field for a year? Could I burn it off and drill a good grass mix into it and then after a year re-seed it to alfalfa?


Could you no-till corn into it?Burn it off in the fall and plant corn in spring.Soak up the N.Then go back to alfalfa.

You could also spray with RU in fall and go to small grains the next yr then fall seed your alfalfa.

There are a few different options of annual forages you could seed alsats,Millet,Teff,sudangrass,etc.You could then seed alfalfa in the fall and get a jump start on the next yrs prodution.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm going to try Teff for a year or so in a 30 acre field of alfalfa that has gotten thin. If the Teff doesn't work out I will do oat hay. We have mostly used wheat or corn for a rotational crop over the years, But until the last year or so the price of corn and wheat being so low that it was actually better to just leave the ground fallow.	We have something called stem nematode around here sometimes so lately we have been keeping out of Alfalfa 2-3 seasons if nematode is present. Way to expensive to fumigate. Unless it is a large enough parcel to lease out a year or so to a potato or onion farmer who fumigates no matter what.

A question I have for you is can you drill alfalfa back into a field of grass after the grass has established where you are? Here it wouldn't work. Grass always takes over the alfalfa if the grass is established and is irrigated. Usually the practice here is to not drill grass into a thin alfalfa field unless you are planning to grow a grass/alfalfa mix for a couple years until the grass takes over and there isn't anymore alfalfa. Here if you are doing an alfalfa rotation you don't use a grass at all. I'm trying Teff since it is an annual.


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## askinner (Nov 15, 2010)

This goes against all the rules, but I have a neighbout who is only just tearing up his stand after 20 years. Talking to my agronomist, he was saying he just kept drilling more seed in. He went on to say that it wasn't the best stand you'd ever seen, but it was still making good returns?
Seems to work on irrigation better, as apparently the water washes the toxins out of the soil.

I'm not suggesting you try the above, just an interesting story I though I'd share for anyone brave enough!


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

You said you had drilled OG into it. You might consider this if the ground is smooth enough and you have minimal compaction:

This year, drill more OG into it. The OG will have a tendency to smother the alfalfa. Then you will end up with a stand that is mostly OG with a little alfalfa (makes for a mighty tasty bale!)

The following year, spray with 2,4D to kill most of the alfalfa, so that you end up with a stand of mostly OG. Again, you'll have a mighty tasty bale, but (theoretically) almost no alfalfa. Spray with 2,4D again.

The next year, take the first two cuttings of pure OG, then spray with glyphosate, work the ground as necessary, and reseed into alfalfa.

A lot depends on compaction, how smooth the ground is and what your customers want.

An alfalfa/grass mix makes for really good horse hay.

Ralph


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## WaterShedRanch (Jan 29, 2012)

Thank you for all your suggestions. I like your suggestion RJMoses about keep seeding OG into it. We are not irrigated here and have heavy clay soil. I have 300 more tillable ac. at my disposal but they are way to profitable in a corn and bean rotation and I would like to keep this 30 ac. in continious forage production if possible. I'm slowly trying to grow my operation. and need to keep this parcel in production!


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

rjmoses said:


> You said you had drilled OG into it. You might consider this if the ground is smooth enough and you have minimal compaction:
> 
> This year, drill more OG into it. The OG will have a tendency to smother the alfalfa. Then you will end up with a stand that is mostly OG with a little alfalfa (makes for a mighty tasty bale!)
> 
> ...


Ralph this is exactly to the t what we do on some ground where we want nothing but a hay crop and have been able to do it without tilage using our 1590 JD drill.


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