Producers of alfalfa may be asking whether it’s time to rotate
their alfalfa production to another crop. The value of each crop
produced should be considered before the decision is made for
the 2011 crop, suggests Phil Kaatz, Michigan State University
extension forage educator. Research at the University of
Wisconsin shows that shorter rotations of alfalfa means greater
profit per acre for the entire farm because of greater alfalfa
yield, higher forage quality, reduced pesticide use, greater
nitrogen credits and increased corn yields. Annual yield has the
largest impact on alfalfa profitability because inputs,
including harvesting cost, change little as yield increases. On-
farm measurements of alfalfa yield and inputs showed that yield
was the single most important factor determining profit. The
relationship is so strong that farmers should do all they can to
remain in the high-yield-range with their alfalfa, says Kaatz.
One of the challenges to alfalfa profitability is declining
yield with stand age. The dec