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Though it never was wildly popular, about a generation ago birdsfoot trefoil began being used even less frequently on dairy farms. Birdsfoot trefoil is a slow-growing forage legume and usually won’t persist when included in a mixed seeding with alfalfa and grass.
There’s a lot of interest in reduced-lignin alfalfa, with these alfalfa varieties now available from at least half-a-dozen seed companies. All HarvXtra varieties of reduced-lignin alfalfa are genetically engineered, glyphosate-tolerant (Roundup Ready) and have a fall dormancy of 4.
To bloom or not to bloom, that is the question.
There are differences of opinion as to whether farmers should allow their established alfalfa to bloom at least once each summer.
A farmer has hundreds of corn hybrids from which to choose, and those are just the ones within the relative maturity (RM) range appropriate for where he or she farms. An acceptable range in maturity is usually about 10 days of RM – for instance, a range of 100 to 110 days RM.
I’ve told farmers (only partly tongue-in-cheek) that agronomists have job security because once they’ve convinced a fair percentage of their farmer clientele to move in one direction,
I’ve been writing articles for farm publications such as Progressive Forage Grower for more than 40 years and sometimes feel like a parent nagging his kids about doing their household chores. Do this. Do that. And do it now. But reminders are useful – to farmers as well as children – so here are a few forage-oriented chores you should be considering as the crop season winds down.
