Gold could not always be found with pick and shovel, it could without fail be found by alfalfa roots" --Coburn, 1908, describing the early history of alfalfa during the gold rush THE IMPORTANCE OF WESTERN ALFALFA PRODUCTION (original) (raw)
Related papers
Ten Reasons Why Alfalfa is Highly Suitable for the West
2020
Alfalfa, globally considered the “Queen of forages,” is currently grown on about 6.8 million acres of cropland in the 11 Western United States (AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WY) each year (USDA-NASS, 2019). Nationally alfalfa is the third most important economic crop and its production in the West alone was worth 8.5 billion dollars in 2018. It is also a major feed source that supports milk production (13.7 billion dollars in 2018) and the several other livestock industries in the West.
2009
Alfalfa, often called "The Queen of the Forages," is one of the most widely grown crops in the United States and is one of the most important forage crops in the world. It has a high forage yield potential, and can produce these high yields without nitrogen fertilization. Furthermore, alfalfa is high in digestible energy and protein, which makes it an extremely valuable feed. When alfalfa is included in a livestock ration, it can reduce or eliminate the need for protein supplements while providing high levels of digestible energy. In addition, its relatively high levels of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium help to minimize mineral supplementation costs. Alfalfa is a versatile crop that can be used for pasture, or as hay, silage, or greenchop. As a result of its versatility, yield potential, and quality, alfalfa can be used successfully in many types of livestock feeding programs. Consequently, it is highly sought after and can be a profitable cash crop. It can also play an important role in crop rotations since it supplies substantial amounts of organic nitrogen to subsequent crops and has numerous other positive effects on soil fertility, soil structure, and soil health. Economic conditions have increased the demand for high-quality forage in the Southern USA, which has spurred an expansion of alfalfa production in the region. This expansion has been supported by several new and ongoing plant breeding, research, and extension efforts by scientists at various Land Grant universities and private companies. New alfalfa varieties, more efficient harvest and curing systems, and improved production practices have been developed. These efforts have resulted in the sustainability of high alfalfa yields, forage quality, and persistence in the South. Alfalfa is not a new crop in the South. It has been grown in the region since the late 1800's and continues to be recognized as a superb forage species. Nonetheless, to date alfalfa has not attained the status in the South that it has in other parts of the nation. Like other regions, alfalfa acreage moved slowly upward for several decades in the early 1900's. Then, with the arrival of the alfalfa weevil in the late 1950's and an abundant supply of inexpensive nitrogen fertilizer, alfalfa acreage fell sharply in the early 1960's.
Little Known Facts about Alfalfa
2000
However, a twentieth-year state commodity conference is a milestone that deserves some special consideration, and which should justify inclusion of one or more unique topics on the program. This line of thinking led to idea that for this presentation it might be interesting to discuss some facts about alfalfa that are not frequently mentioned and that are therefore not known to many people, perhaps including to a number of participants in the 2000 Kentucky Alfalfa Conference.
Five Decades of Alfalfa Cultivar Improvement
Crop Science, 2006
Previous research has implied that forage yield in released alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars declined slightly between 1978 and 1996. Our objective was to compare alfalfa cultivars released during the past five decades side by side in replicated yield trials to test for any changes in forage yield across time. Ten cultivars, two from each of the five decades, four recently released cultivars, and two check cultivars were compared for forage yield, persistence, and nutritive value at four locations. Cultivars were established in May 1999 at Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Minnesota. Forage was harvested three to four times in each of four production years depending on location. Plots were subsampled for nutritive value analyses for the first and third harvests in 2000 and 2001. Year 3 location 3 cultivar-release date interactions demonstrated that forage yield and final stand densities differed among the cultivars in each year of the experiment at each location. Nutritive value traits were similar among all cultivars. Evidence for changes in forage yield for cultivars released between 1940 and 1995 was environmentally dependent. In environments where conditions lead to plant stand losses, recently released cultivars with multiple disease resistance had a yield advantage over older cultivars, but in environments where no differences in plant density occurred across time, older cultivars yielded the same as recent cultivars.
Long Term Trends and the Future of the Alfalfa & Forage Industry
2013
Alfalfa is a key economic crop in all 11 Western states. In this paper we examine historical factors and key recent ‘megatrends’ which will likely impact alfalfa in the future. Acreage, yield, and production has mostly been static over the past 20 years, but the importance of alfalfa and other forages is thought to be increasing, given high world demand and increases in Western dairy herds. Key trends include a rise in emphasis on forage quality and testing, the advent of genetically engineered alfalfa, emerging pests such as aphid infestations and stem nematode. The economic and environmental health of the Western dairy sector is certainly of concern. Water restrictions, cost of production, availability, and quality are undoubtedly the most important limiting factor for alfalfa for the future, as well as a need to increase yields and improve consistency of forage quality testing. Researchable issues include development of salt resistance and drought tolerance, irrigation management...
Regional Alfalfa Yield, ETc, and Water Value in Western States
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering-asce, 2001
Alfalfa hay yield, yield-consumptive use ratio (Y/ET c ), and hay price across a range of rainfall and evapotranspiration conditions of the western states is evaluated to determine alfalfa hay water value or benefit. Included is a determination of long-term mean values and variability of yield, Y/ET c ratios, and associated irrigation water values. These are compared with published hay water-use efficiencies, production, and water costs. Available rainfall, reference evapotranspiration ET 0 , hay yields, and prices for counties in Arizona (1987Arizona ( -1999, California (1998), and Idaho (1993 were used. Alfalfa hay Y/ET c ratios decrease with increasing ET c , although their variability increases with increasing ET c . The greatest Y/ET c ratios (16-17 kg/hamm) and irrigation water values IW $ (IW $ = 2,800−2,800-2,800−3,000/ha-m), with relatively moderate variability, are associated with an irrigation water IW requirement of ϳ800 mm, reflecting a combination of relatively high hay values, ET c , and beneficial rain. Although this IW $ is twice that of water delivery prices below the California delta and is comparable with average municipal water costs of $4,000/ha-m for large western cities, the average is nearly 1/3.
Trends in Alfalfa Production and the Beef and Dairy Industries in Kentucky During 1989-98
2000
On suitable soils, alfalfa produces the highest yield of nutrients possible from a perennial forage crop. However, high production costs and restrictive soil requirements have limited the production of alfalfa in Kentucky. High producing dairy cows respond well to premium quality forage, so alfalfa is a preferred forage crop in dairy production. Thus, alfalfa production is primarily contingent on the producer’s method of marketing the crop. Because production conditions in Kentucky limit visual characteristics of hay, domestic alfalfa production is used primarily in dairy and beef enterprises, instead of the horse industry. However, the high costs of alfalfa production may prevent its use and/or purchase by many dairy and, especially, beef enterprises as these operations realize shrinking profit margins. Agronomists believe that the limitations of alfalfa production can be minimized by use of advanced cultivars and new technologies such as round bale silage for reducing harvesting l...