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Wisconsin forage expert: “Cut alfalfa now”
A forage specialist says top-quality alfalfa is ready for harvest in most of Wisconsin.
Yoana Newman with the University of Wisconsin River Falls tells Brownfield, “I think this is the time to harvest for those areas that now can get into the field, that have dried out some.”
Newman says alfalfa relative feed values from scissor cuts are averaging around 230. Newman says historically, harvesting alfalfa around May 20th is when farmers capture the highest nutrient value for forage quality.
She recommends a soil test for alfalfa fields that are recovering from winter damage. “You want to have all of the fertility, so soil test and apply anything that, you know, the soil test calls for.”
She says it will also help to set the cutter bar higher to allow new shoots to grow and strengthen the stand.
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