thinning out alfalfa

old horse power · Jun 7, 2015

Reseeded neighbors field last year with a alfalfa grass mix cause the first one didn't take due to hot weather I was told.
He forgot to mention that it was seeded with grass only so he thought !
Now the alfalfa is really thick and looking good with all the rain we 've been having. :roll: Now he would like to thin it out so he can run his cattle on it and doesn't want to use blot blocks.
I thought 24 D but think it would just make the alfalfa made.
Any idea's ?

S2710 · Jun 7, 2015

Before I turned the cows out in the alfalfa field I fed them up good with dry hay so that they were full and didn't eat too much green right away and never had a problem.

Bob

GaryinKs · Jun 7, 2015

Turning the cows in would not be a good idea

jon f mn · Jun 7, 2015

Sell the alfalfa, buy grass hay and pocket the difference. Never heard of anyone trying to ruin a good
alfalfa stand.

Donald Lehman · Jun 7, 2015

Well, all you gotta do is pasture alfalfa a year or so and it will be gone. Cows tear the stalks and the alfalfa will die out quickly. (at least that has been my experience with pasturing alfalfa)As said below, let the cows fill up on grass hay before turning them into the alfalfa for first few days until they get used to the alfalfa and they should be fine and not bloat.

David G · Jun 7, 2015

I would not kill off a good alfalfa field, much more value in the hay than the grass, but if you do 24D will kill it and leave the grass.

tomNE · Jun 7, 2015

not to be harsh, but it sounds like your neighbor won't be happy with anything you do!

David G · Jun 7, 2015

On another note, you cannot over seed alfalfa, the plant produces a toxin that kills off young plants. The production of the toxin is suppressed the first year of life, so other young plants can start. This would support the fact that it was first planted in grass.

Case Nutty 1660 · Jun 7, 2015

You are partly wrong as you can over seed alfalfa, I have done it for 30 years, do I recommend it? not really but it can be done, you have to work the ground very well first, the plants there will regrow but when thye are in this mode you can plant new seed and it will do fine as the alfalfa you tore up is in grow mode rather than defense mode
cnt

tomstractorsandtoys · Jun 7, 2015

In my area good strait grass hay sells for more than alfalfa.

Don-Wi · Jun 7, 2015

(quoted from post at 17:01:51 06/07/15) In my area good strait grass hay sells for more than alfalfa.

The grass hay may sell for more, bit you get less per acre than you do with premium alfalfa. In a good year, you can get 4 cuttings of alfalfa, whereas you may be lucky to get 2 cuttings of grass.

Donovan from Wisconsin

tomstractorsandtoys · Jun 7, 2015

How often do you get four cuttings of alfalfa made dry at the correct time with no rain on it? This year is the first in years that we dry baled any first crop and fourth crop is hard to get dry as well. When you consider cost of establishment,life of stand,cost of harvesting, for me grass makes as much or more money than alfalfa. Most years we get three cuttings of grass. Last winter wrapped alfalfa big squares were selling for little more than wrapping and baling cost.I grow both but sell most of the grass the alfalfa goes for haylage to feed steers. Tom

David G · Jun 7, 2015

Interesting, have a patch of thistles in field, I will try this with.

thinning out alfalfa

old horse power

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S2710

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GaryinKs

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jon f mn

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Donald Lehman

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David G

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tomNE

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David G

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Case Nutty 1660

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tomstractorsandtoys

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Don-Wi

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tomstractorsandtoys

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David G

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