By Nathan Drewitz, U of M Extension
Although it seemed like a long winter at times, spring seems to have finally come. Alfalfa fields seem to be coming out of dormancy and, so far, winter injury is only a minor concern. There may be some frost risks later this month, but at this point we are coming into the middle part of April on a good note. This of course can change in a hurry as the weather in the Midwest sometimes doesn’t like to cooperate. With the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project, we monitor alfalfa conditions throughout Minnesota to help farmers stay on top of their alfalfa fields related to their feed needs, personal experience, and current alfalfa conditions. This project is a cooperation between the Central Minnesota Forage Council and University of Minnesota Extension in conjunction with various agribusinesses, and farmers.
This project kicks off when alfalfa reaches 14 to 16 inches tall. Project cooperators will sample fields Monday and Thursday mornings. Generally, when alfalfa gets around 24 inches tall, we can expect to start seeing buds. With alfalfa, the bud stage is usually when forage quality is in the range for better quality dairy hay and harvest takes place. Last year alfalfa sample collection started May 4, and ended June 1. Clipped samples are tested to determine Relative Feed Quality (RFQ), Relative Feed Value (RFV), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and other alfalfa quality factors related to harvest decisions. Quality and maturity will also be estimated through an equation called the “Predictive Equation for Alfalfa Quality” (PEAQ) RFV. This process uses the stage of maturity and height of the tallest stems to estimate RFV and NDF.
There is also a new tool for this year that puts the past 10 years of scissor-cut information at your disposal. This tool will allow you to select and sort data by year, county, and grower to look back and compare RFV, RFQ, and PEAQ RFV. As the 2021 season progresses this will be the home for all collected information and will remain active throughout the entire year. Go to z.umn.edu/AlfalfaHarvestAlert and check it out.
The Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project information will be shared with KASM 1150 AM, WJON 1240 AM, WVAL 800 AM, and KTLF 960 AM radio in the Stearns, Benton, and Morrison county area. Internet users can search for “Minnesota Crop News” for posted information. The results can be directly emailed to you by going to z.umn.edu/tricountysignup and subscribing to the email list. Finally, you can also call me at (608) 515-4414 to get the latest updated results from the project or if you have any questions. Other counties will be working with other radio stations and information access points. We appreciate the hard work by all the farm and agribusiness cooperators and sponsors for this project.