Moving alfalfa forward

Darren Olsen, Editor, Progressive Hay Grower

For decades, alfalfa has reigned as the top forage product throughout the United States. It stands as a dominant component in many feed programs for dairy, beef, horse and other animal producers. It is hailed by conservation groups as a lasting aid in maintaining usable habitat for many native animal species. And let’s face it, few things smell better than a freshly cut field of hay. Yes, alfalfa growers seem to have it all.

The recent push for ethanol throughout our country has placed all agricultural commodities on a higher pedestal. This emphasis has been good for many crops, not just for corn growers. Most producers look to 2007 to be a good year, especially in the hay industry. With corn and hay, no matter how it is preserved, running side by side as the top two feed ingredients for most dairy and beef operations, strength for one means strength for the other.

The unfolding dynamics of the feed industry has led me to take a closer look at where expanding crop opportunities have and continue to be made in the hay industry. With feeding needs continuing to expand, it has become more important than ever to get the most from every acre planted. With the current trends as they are, every field, every cutting and every bale will be important over the next several years.

Where we have been
In order to look at the best options for increased production, I first took a look at where production has been over the last several years. The USDA first began looking at alfalfa forage production in 1919. Since then, there have been trends that have worked their way into alfalfa yield increase.

As with many different plant species, the idea behind improving plants is to find and increase the frequency of desired traits or genes within the plant population. This process can take several growing seasons to find, select and then mass-produce a group of plants that have the desired characteristics, which in turn pass these traits on in the seeds they produce. Over time, these plants are allowed to cross-pollinate, and a variety is produced that carries the desired traits. This process has been followed for thousands of years, ever since man started to turn the soil, and has been successful in feeding the world ever since. The problem is that it is very slow and time-consuming.

For alfalfa, the first trend began back in the 1950s. It was here that researchers began to work on improving varieties on several fronts. Yield was always a consideration, but disease and pest resistance took the forefront of the research. From then to the late 1970s, a slow yet marked improvement to yield was seen in the hay industry. No one would argue that the varieties today are anything like the performers over the last several decades, and we have a lot of hard working individuals to thank for that. These increases have resulted in yield gains of roughly 15 to 20 percent over the last 75 years.

The problem lies in the fact that since the late 1970s yield has once again taken a more flatline look for producers. We continue to make strides in disease and insect resistance, winter hardiness and dormancy tolerance, but we are still working on the yield factor. It might not seem like a big deal, but compared with the increases to yields in corn it takes on a whole new look.

Up until the 1930s, corn in the United States was open-pollinated. This changed with the development of non-tasseling (male sterile) varieties. Since then, developers have been able to carry out controlled pollination, resulting in the rapid development of hybrid corn populations. The growth in the corn industry has resulted in recent harvests eight to ten times larger than were seen a few decades ago.

Opportunities for growth
Recent developments in the alfalfa industry are helping in the growth of plant varieties much the same way they have for corn over the last few decades. Just six years ago the first hybrid alfalfa varieties hit the mainstream market. Because of the nature of alfalfa breeding, this has been in the works for nearly 20 years, and it looks like it will continue to be a leading force in the development of higher-yielding alfalfa varieties.

A recent conversation with Dan Gardner, an alfalfa breeder for Dairyland Seed Company, shed a little more light on what options are available to individuals looking at hybrid technology. Dan stated, “The first hybrids introduced a few years ago stood among the best in university trials. With the newest hybrid introductions, we are now starting to see gains seen with corn a few decades ago. The next 10 years look to hold with gains similar to what the corn industry has been seeing.”

Dan pointed out that the ethanol market is also playing into the decisions many producers will be making over the next few years to get the most from their acres. “Producers will have to decide what market they are targeting, either high quality, multiple-cutting hay for feeding or higher-yielding, lower-quality hay for biomass and alternative energy. Growers will have to closely monitor what options best fit into their style of production and management. Variety development will likely mirror this choice in management styles.”

What are the results?
Since its general release in 2001, hybrid alfalfa has been available to growers throughout the United States. Its acceptance by growers has been gaining in most areas, and the results have been promising. In university trials, hybrid alfalfa has consistently been listed in the top 15 percent of all studies across the board.

One thing that stands out above most other varieties is the consistency of the crop it produces. Most plant stressors, including temperature extremes, insects and drought, seem to have less impact on the overall yield when compared to conventional varieties. The strength of hybrid consistency through common parentage appears to be holding in alfalfa, just as it has for other hybrid crops.

Greg Overcash of Statesville, North Carolina was introduced to hybrid alfalfa just over three years ago. As one of the largest producers of hay on the eastern seaboard (800 acres), Greg has always been looking for the best options he can find for his operation. As he puts it, “It has done really well for us. The yields were extremely good, probably the best we have seen off of anything we have tried lately. We started with two acres as an experiment and have since added several more. I have been pleased with both the growth and yield, and it continues to look good year after year. I have no complaints about it, and it is something I would like to get more of. It is right with the best we have, and I really like what we have seen. I have nothing but positives to say about it.”

For Kevin Knauber of Fredrick, Wisconsin, the choice to work with hybrids directly relates to the performance he has seen in regards to his feed rations. He states, “If [it] continues to have the yield and quality I have witnessed this year on my farm it will allow me to switch my feed ration from 60 percent corn silage and 40 percent haylage to 40 percent corn silage and 60 percent haylage due to its outstanding yield ability and consistency in forage quality.”

For many, the thought of having a new type of alfalfa available has seemed like a pipedream. With Roundup Ready® alfalfa on an indefinite hold, many producers are reaching into whatever bag of tricks they can find to get the most they can out of each acre. For many, the answers might not be as far off or as far away as they seem. If alfalfa can see the growth other hybrid crops have seen over the last few decades, the way we produce hay is really going to get interesting. HG