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August
24, 2006
Minimize Risks
of Fall Alfalfa Harvest
Recent rains were
too late for many producers to salvage their 2006 alfalfa crops for cash
or livestock feed.
“However, not
all areas have succumbed to the wrath of Mother Nature's dry spell,”
North Dakota State University Extension Service dairy specialist J.W.
Schroeder says. “In these regions of the state where a fall cutting
will be possible, the good news is the demand is high.”
Harvesting at the
proper time and selecting the right fields to harvest are the keys to
minimizing the risk of making the crop susceptible to winter injury, according
to Schroeder.
Here is some advice
from agronomists at Midwestern universities:
- Avoid cutting
during the several-week period when alfalfa is restoring root reserves
prior to a killing frost. In the upper Midwest, that usually is from
Sept. 1 to mid-October.
- Choose well-drained
fields with high levels of soil fertility, especially those with adequate
potassium.
- Frequently cut
stands are at greatest risk for winter injury if cut during the fall.
Fall cutting will be safer if at least one cutting during the regular
growing season reached flowering stage.
- Younger stands
are healthier than older ones; thus, they are less susceptible to winter
damage if cut in the fall.
- Alfalfa-grass
mixtures should be less susceptible than pure alfalfa stands.
- Alfalfa varieties
with winter survival scores of 2 or lower should be most tolerant of
fall cutting.
- Don't cut fall
fields with soils susceptible to heaving.
- Leave alternating
strips uncut to catch snow.
###
Source:
J.W. Schroeder, (701) 231-7663, jschroed@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Ellen Crawford, (701) 231-5391, ellen.crawford@ndsu.edu
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