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Alfalfa

Butyrac 200 (2-4DB) is probably the least expensive option although it may not kill all types of broadleaves and is less effective on larger weeds.

Butyrac 200 herbicide label

Should be available at your local co-op or they can order it for you.

In the future, start your alfalfa in late August with rye and oats and you won't have to worry about weeds ...;)
 
I am looking at starting an alph alpha plot on my parents farm, We have 2 different clover plots now each being 1 acre a piece, and I plan on putting the alph alpha about 100-150 yards away from one of the clover plots. my question is should I just plant alph alpha or add some clover in or something else?
 
I am looking at starting an alph alpha plot on my parents farm, We have 2 different clover plots now each being 1 acre a piece, and I plan on putting the alph alpha about 100-150 yards away from one of the clover plots. my question is should I just plant alph alpha or add some clover in or something else?


Alfalfa?:way:
 
I am looking at starting an alph alpha plot on my parents farm, We have 2 different clover plots now each being 1 acre a piece, and I plan on putting the alph alpha about 100-150 yards away from one of the clover plots. my question is should I just plant alph alpha or add some clover in or something else?

Alfalfa is very difficult to manage unless you are going to harvest it for hay (bale it) so I don't recommend alfalfa for a food plot alone. I also encourage you to utilize one centralized feeding area rather then scattered small plots which is counter productive if your goal is harvesting mature bucks...;)
 
I have 12 acres of food plots total, 5 acres white clover, 5 acres beans I will put in to turnips because the beans arent making it with the lack of rain fall. 2 acres winter wheat. I want to do 1/2 acre Alfalfa I have extremly high density I normally see between 60-100 deer in my 5 acrea plots a set is it possible for them to eat enough Alfalfa at.5 acres to make it work this would be a great kill plot. I know it sounds like most of you are against it for food plot only but it will give me a great mix of food sources and none of my neighbors have Alfaph all corn , beans, and clovers. Give me you take. Thanks guys
 
I doubt it would be anymore attractive then white clover and much harder to manage but...if you have enough deer they may keep if grazed down to some extent. If not you'll be faced with mowing it often and that may suffocate the alfalfa if it's not baled.

Let us know how it works out for you if you give it a shot...:way:
 
July 25th, 2012

Alfalfa...a great source of income and food source for whitetails, IF...it can be harvested for hay! It's rare to drive by a field of alfalfa in the evening and not see plenty of whitetails out feeding in it, but that often leads people to falsely believe that "alfalfa" itself has some powerful attractiveness not found in other crops. It is true that young alfalfa is very palatable and high in crude protein but...the reason deer visit it with predictable regularity is because it is in most of the country, a nearly year around food source. From very early spring until (depending on dormancy rating) well into January, it is a dependable food source and deer become adapted to feeding in it. This same phenomenon can be seen/accomplished with any combination of food sources that are planted in ONE feeding area.

So while alfalfa has many wonderful attributes and should be considered where the landowner can rent the field out for hay...it is not better nor worse then crops like clover in terms of attractiveness and should NOT be considered if you can not hay the field.

Unlike clover, alfalfa can not be "clipped"...it must be mowed close and the hay removed to encourage lush new growth from the crown and the following are examples, including where alfalfa and clover where planted together...

This is a third cutting of alfalfa coming up in a hay field that s by the way...adjacent to a feeding area where we have year around food sources (white clover/brassicas/rye mix) so deer do not spend a great deal of time in feeding in it as they adapted to feeding in our safe, hidden feeding area.

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After haying the resulting re-growth is what whitetails find attractive...

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As alfalfa matures the stems become hard and unpalatable, especially when cut and this is why "clipping" above the ground is counter productive

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Nothing about these hard stems are attractive to deer so it is imperative when managing alfalfa that we plan to have it cut and baled

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Clover is much much shorter and does not get "hard/dry" stems when clipped and stays palatable even without clipping...alfalfa is bred to produce tons of forage each summer so mowing it without removing it via baling or haylage will leave a thick mat of hay that will smother the alfalfa itself....this is just an example where the baler missed a small amount of hay...

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To often landowners compare what they see on other farms with their own and one quite frankly has NOTHING to do with the other. Each has very different cover and is unique in and of itself, so the only way we can compare things is to have apples to apples comparisons on our own farms.

the following is a great example where a landowner planted alfalfa and white ladino clover together...note the dramatic difference in height!

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Because this is a food plot...it leaves them with an impossible situation as the alfalfa becomes tall and matures...to heavy and thick to mow without smothering both alfalfa and clover

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Unless deer have virtually nothing left to eat they become disinterested when the alfalfa matures

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and alfalfa is bred to grow quickly and flower so it becomes an impossible task to keep ahead of it without "haying" it

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In this case the ladino clover has started to go to seed and it would be beneficial if it could be clipped...but the alfalfa makes it impossible

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but here is the most interesting and crucial part of what I have to share....alfalfa and clover together and deer are choosing the clovers over the alfalfa, in part of course because the alfalfa has matured.

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This is what I have found in repeated comparisons on multiple farms and feeding areas....alfalfa does NOT have any magical power or draw over white clover or any other food sources. It is a great food source when it can be managed as a hay crop but it is not better or worse in terms of attractability then other crops especially clover.

Now...if you have an established field of alfalfa where deer have been feeding for a number of years, don't expect them to change their habits over night and start flocking to a clover plot (for example). Whitetails are habitual creatures and opportunistic feeders...in other words they become adapted to finding feed somewhere close to their bedding area and they don't "shop around" so it can take time to begin to change/break old habits.

This is why it is imperative that we plant year around food sources in our feeding areas, it becomes in a sense much like an alfalfa field in that is has feed in it year around....they adapt to always, always finding food there and will eventually ignore other food sources. Of course you must have outstanding cover adjacent to your feeding area and the FA should be hidden, safe and secure.

You can use any combination of food sources that fit your needs, budget and area including corn, soybeans and alfalfa on a working farm for instance but for most of us the following combination of crops will insure that deer never, ever have to leave to find feed and it is economical and easy to grow for even those with minimal equipment and space....

Plant ALL in one plot in strips or blocks

Alice, KopuII, Durana (or comparable) white clovers 10% of plot...plant with the rye mix below and soil test for needed P&K/lime requirements. Lacking a soil test I use 400#'s of 6-28-28 and 500#'s of pel lime in my area.

Brassicas in 45% of plot

Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost. Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea, 400#'s of 6-28-28 (or comparable such as 400#'s triple 19 ) Add lime per soil test. Follow the dead brassicas with 50#'s oats and 15-20#'s berseem and/or crimson clover in mid spring and no fertilizer is necessary at that time.

Cereal Grain combo in 45% of plot

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 80-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Austrian Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre
Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas only 100-200#'s of urea may be needed but first time plantings may need to be fertilized and limed as the noted for the brassicas.

Rotate the brassicas and rye combo each year
 
I have a drier area that is rocky and was thinking alfalfa would grow better there than clover. I was thinking a mix of alfalfa, chicory and small burnett. Would this work or do I need to keep alfalfa out of the mix. Or could I plant trefoil in this mix? Just have trouble growing something there if the rains don't come. Any suggetions?
 
Alfalfa is a commitment I would do Alfalfa only of you have the means to mow and bail or have someone do it. If it was me I would do straight Alfalfa and find one suited for your soil type.
 
we have an acre that we are going to plant to Alfalfa this year, a farmer will be coming to cut and bail it, there are so many kinds on the welters site, we will be putting in just Alfalfa and it will be for deer and turkeys, which one would u guys recommend?
 
we have an acre that we are going to plant to Alfalfa this year, a farmer will be coming to cut and bail it, there are so many kinds on the welters site, we will be putting in just Alfalfa and it will be for deer and turkeys, which one would u guys recommend?

Talk to Welter's and they'll advise you
 
Well we finally did what we said for years we would, put all our food plots into alfalfa. Works well because we don’t have to mess with replanting them all the time and the bales will feed russ and dads cows. Seeded this RR alfalfa with oats a week ago and cuktipacked it in, already sprouted with the recent rains.

I’m sure it’s going to have great early and mid season draw. I’m hesitant what it’ll have for late season drawing power. Anyone else do alfalfa for food plots?

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Jordan--yes we do alfalfa on my farms. It is really a good setup for guys like myself, who do not have the big equipment. Farmer planted, he cuts it, we reduce rate or it is free, depending on size of plot. Win win.

Deer and turkey love it, good nutritional value as well.
I hope to add some on my new farm in IA.
 
I do! I like white clovers for digestibility, protein & ease of management to name a few. I do a lot of alfalfa too & go with some grazing types. I used to use RR alalfa in buffers in ag fields so they still there if idiots were spraying. Don’t run much roundup so that’s out of question now. But yep- doing it as well!! If u can find a “leafy” strain with less stem than standard alfalfa - be best for deer. Love alfalfa fields- no doubt!!!
 
Alfalfa is good early, then can be "hot" later in December if snow is present. For me in MN, it is a go to plot. High in protein

Also like the fact that it greens up fast in the spring, and the turkeys love it.
 
This patch was planted in 2015, about a quarter acre. I know you will hear that the weevils will eat it, that not baling it will smoother it but that's not been the case. I've been mowing this patch for years and it's so thick I think that it'll never come back. I put 50lbs of 6-24-24 on it each spring and spray cleth on it occasionally for grasses. I plan to add patches on different parts of the farm and hopefully that'll be enough to entice a neighbor over to bale it. If you don't have some alfalfa I think you're missing out, this ground is not great soil and ph was 5.7. Just put the cameras out but guaranteed to be deer and turkey in this field everyday.
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I always heard it will smoother out, I planted alfalfa rack and it has done extremely well for me because maybe the deer keep it mowed :)
 
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