How do I get rid of Alfalfa?

[Farmer Kitty]

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If you put the cattle out on a full stomach they won't eat enough to bloat. Cattle will bloat on any green pasture if they are first put out on an empty stomach. By turning them out on a full stomach they won't eat as much right off and it will have something to mix with.

That's true to a certain extent, but they're still subject to bloating. We never put ours out on the alfalfa ground unless it's froze down.

They never get on pasture or green chopped for then? Poor cows!

 

[Katy]

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That's true to a certain extent, but they're still subject to bloating. We never put ours out on the alfalfa ground unless it's froze down.

They never get on pasture or green chopped for then? Poor cows!

They spend from May thru mid-October in our pastures and then are on corn stalks until about the first of the year. By then they're usually in the cow lots up by the buildings getting ready to calve, where they get hay and silage.....they're spoiled and far from poor cows!!

 

[Akane]

Overseeding alfalfa does work to an extent. My horses were getting way too fat on pure alfalfa and our field was on it's 2nd year so we just planted over in grass. It came out 25% grass the following spring, 50% 2 years later, and 75% by the 7th year and then we just tore it up and planted corn this year before replanting next year with a grass/alfalfa mix. Even if you don't overseed it alfalfa will slowly give way to grass but then you have whatever random native grasses are in your area. Better to throw in your own seed of something you want. If you want it to die faster cut it short (sell the hay) and then turn some cattle or sheep out on it. I'm sure you could find someone who would even pay you to let them run livestock on it for a year. Then over seed it. To convert to pasture we'll often fence off a section of the alfalfa field and start turning horses out on it for an hour or 2 a day the first week and slowly increase until they have grazed the alfalfa down. Then let the grass grow for awhile and by the end of the following year it will be more grass than alfalfa. By the end of another year or 2 there's no alfalfa left.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Another thing, and I'm wondering if this isn't the reasoning behind Katy's folks, you don't want to cut alfalfa after a certain point in the year-it will vary on where your at. This is to give the roots time to build up to survive the winter. Once frozen then they won't be building their reserves and you can cut it again. But, if your wanting to kill it out, then cut or pasture it beyond that date so the root reserves won't build. Winter kill will set in much easier.

 

[ams3651]

i just wanted to add, if you cant bale it because you dont have equipment It should be pretty easy to find a farmer nearby who has the equipment and would love the hay.

Lots of people around here do that. My dad has even paid someone to bale it for him.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

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Well the top field is crop alfalfa, the farmer planted the whole field and its literally nothing but alfalfa, the bottom field is a mix and i'm not so worried about it, aside from it having gone to seed and that it seems to do exceptional in our soil. Thanks so much, that information was really helpful. Right now the farmer is cutting, baling, and taking it and he's paying for it, so it's working out well.

Thanks for clearing up those questions!

 

[boilerjoe_96]

I realize I am late..but here is my 2cents...

Some posters I believe are corret and some not...

I do bale hay on the side about 20 acres. It is nearly all alfalfa or a heavy alfalfa-grass mix.

i currently let my 5 boers out on it about 2 hours a day, right after I hgave them a little hay to get in their belly's.

Right after it is baled, turn it over and plant something. Alfalfa is autotoxic. Can't plant alfalfa on alfalfa. Needs 8-12 months of something else.

Me this year since I bought 5 goats and now need a pasture, I am going to disc a couple acres right after baling, drop some seed and cultipack it in. A light discing will kill some but not all the alfalfa, I am then seeding grass and little clover(mainly for variety). Should have a good pasture with high protein alfalfa and filler grass come spring...

24D kills about 90% of alfalfa as well. Note alfalfa recovers quickly. In 30 days after cutting it is ready to cut again. so don't lollygag about disicng/overseeding.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

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Wow... that slightly confused me, the alfalfa in the top field has been cut, and the bottom field the alfalfa has flowers on it ( i guess going to seed? ), it's not the whole field but its going to strangle the regular grass to death soon enough, its only about a year old this crop.

 

[Akane]

It's probably about reaching it's peak. It won't strangle the grass unless it grows really different in your area from here. It will peak after a year or 2 of growth and then slowly drop off letting the grass take over until you have to replant it. Generally while I was growing up we replanted ours every 5years planting corn in between because the grass would start to take over. The only reason we went to 7 this last time is because I have taken over care of the horses and I think they have stayed way too fat on the pure alfalfa so I told them to let it go to grass. The native grass and some weeds were taking over though so this past year it was in corn.

The only exception I can think of is if you aren't cutting it or letting the animals graze it much then it might last longer and take over a bit more. I still think it will have a lifespan though and start to die off after a few years.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

The flowering alfalfa is beyond it's peak. You are right it is going to go to seed unless cut or grazed. Peak for alfalfa is a bud stage.