Planting fall alfalfa

Listen to this radio show (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Stephen Barnhart, professor of agronomy, Iowa State University

We usually get four cuttings per season on our alfalfa. We bale it up, and feed it to our sheep and goats. Then, we replant the crop every few years or so.

Agronomist Stephen Barnhart says before planting alfalfa, test the soil to make sure you have the proper amount of nutrients such as phosphorous and potassium. Alfalfa also prefers a neutral pH level. Another test to do is checking for herbicide carryover. If there's any residue present, Barnhart says it could damage the crop.

"Quite often acreage owners are buying a property that has been previously row cropped," Barnhart says. "Typically, herbicides don't carry over for three or four years, so the biggest concern would be if it were a row crop the previous growing season. It would be good to find out what was used on that particular field."

In some parts of the country, spring is the best time to plant alfalfa. In others, it can be done successfully in late summer and early fall. It needs six to eight weeks of growing time before the first frost so it comes back with gusto in the spring.