Alfalfa Variety Choices for 2006

By - see author list at the bottom

Hay stocks in Montana recovered to an all time high in 2005. Extreme droughty conditions in some areas from 1998 through 2003 severely reduced hay and pasture production, and many perennial forages need to be replaced. In 2006, we anticipate another big year for planting of cereal forages for annual hay, as well as alfalfa and perennial grasses. The Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) research centers routinely test new alfalfa varieties and management strategies. The data tables below are summaries of the variety trials seeded since 2002.

Producers should select alfalfa varieties based on winterhardiness, yield potential, pest resistance, and availability. For irrigated production in short rotations (3 to 5 years), there are many high-yielding varieties available. For long-term dryland stands, several varieties are superior to Ladak 65. Unfortunately, we are unable to maintain our research stands for 10+ years to evaluate long-term persistence and production. Use the performance data for the research site most similar to your ranch or farm. Be sure to evaluate forage yields in the 3rd and 4th production years – downward trends in yield may indicate winter injury. Additional variety or trial descriptions are available from the authors.

Irrigated Alfalfa Varieties: Despite current high hay prices, irrigated yields of 5 to 8 tons per acre make alfalfa an excellent cash crop. In the most recent MAES trials, 13 varieties out-yielded Ladak 65 by 10% or more. A 10% yield increase (extra 0.7 ton per year) translates into an additional $45+ per acre at current hay prices, simply from variety choice. Most of the yield improvement for these varieties is in second and third-harvest yields, which occur in the late summer or early fall during good haying conditions.

Dryland Alfalfa Varieties: Under dryland conditions, very few varieties out-perform Ladak 65. Across locations, six varieties had yields over 5% better than Ladak 65. This modest 5% improvement on a 1.5-ton hay yield translates into an additional $7 per acre. Most of the yield improvement in these varieties is due to regrowth after harvest. Most ranchers use this additional forage production for early winter pasture. For this dual use (one hay harvest, aftermath grazing), an increasing number of producers are using grass-alfalfa mixes to extend stand life and reduce bloat hazard when grazing.

Author list:
Dennis Cash, MSU Animal & Range Sciences Extension Specialist  (994-5688,   dcash@montana.edu )
Ray Ditterline, MSU Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology Department (994-5058, rld@montana.edu )
David Wichman, Central Agricultural Research Center, Moccasin  (423-5421,  dwichman@montana.edu )
Ken Kephart, Southern Agricultural Research Center, Huntley (348-3400, kephart@montana.edu )
Duane Johnson, Northwestern Agricultural Research Center, Kalispell (755-4304, duanej@montana.edu)
Joyce Eckhoff , Eastern Agricultural Research Center, Sidney (482-2208, jeckhoff@montana.edu )

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 08/29/2006