As an agronomist and account manager with Forage Genetics International (FGI), I’ve worked closely with dairy farmers across the Upper Midwest. One constant in nearly every conversation is the importance of forage programs to farm success.
Scheps Dairy, located in northwest Wisconsin, is an example of how alfalfa can strategically enhance operations by supporting forage quality, yield and flexibility for dairy farmers.
The Scheps Dairy story
Brothers Dan and Ken Scheps were raised on a small, 40-cow dairy farm in Almena, Wisconsin. They expanded their dream in 1999, building a 400-cow dairy. Today, the brothers – along with Ken’s son Nolan Scheps and a team of 23 full-time employees – manage a thriving operation with 1,800 cows. They are driven by a commitment to raise healthy, productive cows and grow high-quality feed to sustain their farm.
In addition to milking 1,600 cows three times daily, their 2,500-acre farm includes 1,000 acres of alfalfa, 1,000 acres of corn silage and 500 acres of high-moisture corn.
Alfalfa is a key component of their crop rotation because it helps use their land efficiently to produce high-quality forage as the foundation for their herd’s diet, while also offering a variety of benefits to the soil and subsequent crops.
Selecting an alfalfa variety containing reduced lignin can help improve forage digestibility. Image courtesy of Forage Genetics International.
Supporting the land through rotations
Alfalfa is a critical part of the Scheps’ crop rotation strategy. Alternating between corn silage and alfalfa helps maintain soil health and reduce the risk of crop disease.
“Our rotation is key, especially with corn diseases like tar spot,” Dan says. It helps break disease cycles since alfalfa isn’t susceptible to the same diseases as corn.
By fixing nitrogen in the soil, alfalfa reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, which supports lowered input costs. It also helps manage phosphorus levels, helping with the farm’s sustainability goals.
“Having alfalfa in our rotation helps us keep nutrients like phosphorus from building up too quickly,” Dan says. “If we had to replace alfalfa with purchased feed, those levels would rise faster.”
Benefits for cows and the bottom line
For dairy farmers like the Scheps, the value of alfalfa goes beyond what’s grown in the field – it’s about what ends up in the barn.
“Alfalfa is essential to what we do,” Dan says. “It is an awesome fresh cow feed. It provides a lot of rumen fill and scratch but has enough digestible fiber to stimulate a healthy rumen. It's very important for us to have high-quality alfalfa in our herd’s diet.”
Alfalfa makes up 15% to 20% of the diet for lactating cows at Scheps Dairy. Its high digestible fiber and protein content ensure that the herd receives the nutrients needed for optimal milk production. The balance between alfalfa and corn silage in the dairy’s feed program keeps the cows performing at their best.
The quality and flexibility alfalfa brings to the operation sets it apart from other forages. “High-quality forage is the main ingredient in a cow’s diet,” Dan says. “That’s why we focus so much on growing the best alfalfa we can.”
Dan and Ken Scheps run an 1,800-cow dairy in northwest Wisconsin. Image courtesy of Forage Genetics International.
Using technology to your advantage
This focus on quality led Dan to choose a variety of alfalfa with reduced lignin to improve digestibility. Lignin is the component in alfalfa that makes plants rigid but can limit digestibility. By using this reduced-lignin trait technology, Dan enhances forage quality, allowing his dairy cows to extract more energy from every bite.
“Since implementing this, we’ve seen a 10-pound increase in energy-corrected milk production per cow,” Dan says. “I believe the higher protein content and the improved digestibility of the forage is a major reason for that increased production. The increased fiber digestibility has helped promote higher intakes, which then helps promote better cow health, especially in our close-up and fresh cows.”
By increasing feed efficiency, the operation can realize benefits to their bottom line.
“The cow gets more energy from every pound she eats and, with that, better feed efficiency. That helps drive our income over feed costs,” says Dan.
The digestible fiber in alfalfa helps stimulate intake and rumen health, especially for fresh cows. Improved fiber digestibility also means better feed efficiency. Cows extract more energy from every pound they eat, reducing the need for expensive supplemental feeds and helping farmers manage costs in an unpredictable feed market.
“When you feed high-quality forage, you’re not as reliant on byproducts,” Dan says. “Those byproducts often don't have as much effective fiber and are subject to more drastic price swings in the market.”
Alfalfa makes up 15% to 20% of the diet for lactating cows at Scheps Dairy. Image courtesy of Forage Genetics International.
A resilient solution to real challenges
In addition to improved digestibility, carefully choosing the most suitable alfalfa variety has helped Dan’s operation balance yield and quality with flexible harvest options.
He experienced this flexibility during a rainy spring in northwest Wisconsin last season.
“Last spring, our first crop had a major weather challenge with rain,” says Dan. “We needed to delay our harvest because of the weather we were dealt.” Later in the season, Dan strategically delayed some harvests to encourage regrowth and reserves, without sacrificing quality.
“What’s most important for us is that flexibility without a decrease in quality,” he says.
Certain alfalfa varieties extend the harvest window by slowing the decline in forage quality as the plant matures, giving farmers flexibility without sacrificing as much nutritional value.
Advice for farmers considering adding alfalfa
Adding alfalfa may require an upfront investment, but it’s worth it over time. Alfalfa can make you less reliant on outside feed supplements and put you back in the driver’s seat of managing your own feed program – and the costs associated with it. At the same time, it can help improve your soil quality, break pest and disease cycles, and reduce the need for additional fertilizers.
For Dan, the investment has paid off. The ability to grow high-quality forage has made a substantial difference in managing income over feed costs. It’s a testament to how an investment in quality seed can pay off in tangible, measurable ways.
For those weighing their options, Dan recommends talking to other farmers who are using it and consulting your nutritionist, and most importantly, think of your alfalfa strategy as long term.
“Consider the long-term benefits. It is an investment over time, but I truly believe that it has helped us,” says Dan.
