Alfalfa seed demand nationally has been declining gradually for the past 15 years, impacted largely by the dairy industry which moved to alternative feed sources (in part) as alfalfa prices climbed and freight rates rose.

For years I’ve recommended a very simple diet for ewes in their lambing jugs: a few pounds of alfalfa pellets in a tray hanging on the side of the pen. Nutritious, convenient and waste-free.

Alfalfa is a high-quality forage providing a high concentration of protein as well as energy. However, this is also what makes grazing alfalfa a bloat risk.

In recent years, the percentage of alfalfa used in dairy rations has been slowly declining as other feedstuffs have become more available or cheaper. However, alfalfa’s recent significant forage quality improvements may help to reverse that trend.

“I think they took away with them an understanding of how much we value every drop of water. Runoff risk is a major concern of the EPA and the ability of Idaho producers to utilize every drop of water via ponds, irrigation systems [drip irrigation], tailwater collection and recovery systems, or other methods, seemed to fascinate the EPA representatives.”