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Alfalfa???

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StucknAz

Active Member
In my areas in SE Ohio no one chasing deer is running alfalfa. Many years ago when I lived there I recall alfalfa fields the farmers had being the place to glass big bucks. Wondering what your thoughts are on alfalfa for deer? Are there blends with a year round draw or is it specific to certain times a year? Would a 1-2 acre plot combined with a 2 acre grain and acre clover/chic make sense? If no one is running it wouldn’t it be advantageous?

I was eyeballing grandpa ray outdoors gold blend, says it has winter draw.
 
I put in alfalfa plots 2 years ago, after 16 years never trying it. I will never be without an alfalfa plot again. It was an amazing draw from green up to dormancy. They still hit it after going brown but not as hard but I can always count on deer eating in it every day. This past year, with hard frost not showing until mid to late November, the deer were in the green stuff heavy. I have clover/chicory blends, soybeans, and corn but alfalfa was the best draw until December.
 
My #1 favorite food plot. The only downside is maintaining it..I have someone cut/bale mine and I give them the hay free..Also, the last cutting needs to be done by the first week of September.
 
I'm going to be trying to revive a neglected alfalfa plot this spring. New farm so I don't have much backstory on it. It was RR alfalfa but it's super sparse and I believe it's pushing 5 years old at this point. I'm considering frost seeding some red clover, soil sampling, seeing what comes to life this spring and going from there. Maybe worth starting from scratch? Anyone have any tips?
 
Curious if anyone has a blend or single seed they use with great results? I was looking at Grandpa Rays but if there’s a generic that works well I’d be interested!
 
StucknAz said:
Curious if anyone has a blend or single seed they use with great results? I was looking at Grandpa Rays but if there’s a generic that works well I’d be interested!
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I bought mine at the local co op, and do not remember the manufacturer. Some people get the roundup ready blend but I did not. Roundup ready is a lot more expensive.
 
StucknAz said:
Curious if anyone has a blend or single seed they use with great results? I was looking at Grandpa Rays but if there’s a generic that works well I’d be interested!
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Get a local Blend there from a coop or seed dealer that knows that area, soil type & what does best. Worst case- find your pioneer dealer & they will sell u a bag. U kinda splitting hairs. I’d want a leafy grazing type if u can find a couple options like that.
 
I planted a patch but went too heavy on clover and it overtook alfalfa.I am looking at Vitalize as theres is 98% alfalfa and 2% clover.
 
I havent messed with alfalfa before, but plan to on 3-4 acres of a new parcel I am acquiring next month in E IL. I have access to a G series drill and of course conventional tillage & broadcast seeding as well. I'd like to get it rolling this spring. Is there any specific variety that I should look for? Do I REALLY need to bale it or can I just keep it mowed tight? Plan to mix alfalfa, a little bit of clover, and cereal rye for nurse crop. Can't imagine it's rocket science.

Any pro alfalfa tips?

How does it play into your all's season attraction wise? Do you notice an attraction difference between it and clover? I rarely see them in alfalfa around me, but I am in big Ag and not much exists. Curious what everyone else sees
 
Snail3496 said:
I havent messed with alfalfa before, but plan to on 3-4 acres of a new parcel I am acquiring next month in E IL. I have access to a G series drill and of course conventional tillage & broadcast seeding as well. I'd like to get it rolling this spring. Is there any specific variety that I should look for? Do I REALLY need to bale it or can I just keep it mowed tight? Plan to mix alfalfa, a little bit of clover, and cereal rye for nurse crop. Can't imagine it's rocket science.

Any pro alfalfa tips?

How does it play into your all's season attraction wise? Do you notice an attraction difference between it and clover? I rarely see them in alfalfa around me, but I am in big Ag and not much exists. Curious what everyone else sees
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The first year you may get by without bailing and after that I think bailing is necessary (with a lot of rain you won't even make it one year). You can mow it high, but it grows thick and tall resulting in a lot of mulch on the ground covering the alfalfa. I plant mine with a drill in the Spring and do not use a cover crop. Get your PH right and fertilize once or twice a year. I like alfalfa better than clover, and I have both. Obviously, others will have a different method and may even get by with mowing and not bailing. Good luck.
 
Don't mow short unless baling or you can get clippings off field.With 4 acres you might find someone to small square bale it for free. Soil test and make sure no spots hold even a little water very long.If green probably best food around.I'm killing my clover and going back to alfalfa.I'm going to try the Vitalize alfalfa this year.I have used bagged stuff from coop before on other fields and it didn't last.In fact I was in COOP yesterday and looked at their bags and it said non variety specific so that didn't give me much faith.
 
Also toying with it for this fall..

- Alfalfa loves calcium. Make sure your pH is in a good range 6.2+ before trying to plant it.

- Loves full sun. More drought resistant than clover.

- My neighbor has a few 2-3 acre fields of it, and the deer keep it trimmed for him. Hasn't baled it in a few years..

- Pick a high Fall Dormancy (FD) rating for food plot use. The higher the number the more growth you will see after "last cutting" into the fall.

I think Rye, Alfalfa, Red or Berseem Clover could be a good establishment mix for the fall. Following spring, mow off the rye..
 
CottonwoodCanyon said:
I'm going to be trying to revive a neglected alfalfa plot this spring. New farm so I don't have much backstory on it. It was RR alfalfa but it's super sparse and I believe it's pushing 5 years old at this point. I'm considering frost seeding some red clover, soil sampling, seeing what comes to life this spring and going from there. Maybe worth starting from scratch? Anyone have any tips?
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Old alfalfa plants release toxins that prevent new alfalfa seedlings from growing. I don't know how sparse the field is but something to keep in mind...Might be best to kill off the field, rotate it into a different crop for a year or 2 to get rid of the toxins, then plant alfalfa....
 
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