Alfalfa and Forages Program

Fertilizing for Mineralized, Digestible, Energy Dense Forages

Quality alfalfa is defined by four components:

Protein: Crude protein percentage is a simple calculation based on nitrogen content. For this protein to be optimally utilized by the dairy cow sulfur needs to be present in a 1-to-10 ratio with nitrogen. Without adequate sulfur available in the fertilizer program, alfalfa plants cannot make the sulfur-containing amino acids. The alfalfa plant may then contain excess nitrates and incomplete proteins which negatively affect the overall health and immune system of the cow. Including sulfur in your alfalfa fertilizer program assures you that your plants are making quality protein.

Fiber: Fibers in forages are measured as acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). The standards on feed tests are 30% ADF and 40% NDF, or a 10 point spread. The difference in spread is highly digestible fiber primarily composed of pectin and sugars. This highly digestible fiber is what makes cows produce! We like to see a 15-point spread between ADF and NDF because that means the alfalfa plant has more digestible fiber. This means your fertilizer program will put more pounds of milk in the tank.

Energy: Locked within digestible fibers are sugars. When alfalfa plants grow with the proper balance of nutrients, they produce solid stems. When you cut the stems open, they are filled with a white fibrous material. This is carbohydrate that breaks down into sugars in the rumen of the cow and provides energy. Cows eating solid stemmed alfalfa will produce more milk, and that affects a dairyman's bottom line.

Minerals: The availability of minerals from alfalfa plants can be more than double that of purchased mineral supplements. Plants have the unique ability to take up inorganic forms of mineral from the soil or fertilizer and change them into organic forms, which are highly available to the animal. Most conventionally grown alfalfa is low in calcium and too high in potassium. Your goal is to have calcium and potassium in a 1:1 ratio on the feed test. Both should be at about 2.0%. Phosphorus and magnesium should both be at 0.35% or higher. When minerals reach these target levels, cows perform exceptionally well and ration balancing is much easier.

Midwestern Bio-Ag also recommends mixed forage blends because of the many nutrient and digestibility benefits they provide. Each grass and legume adds its own qualities to the total forage package, creating better feeds. Forage blends take up more phosphorus than straight alfalfa, and phosphorus is metabolizable energy to the cow. Forage blends have more digestible cell walls, and generally have more sugars and fats as well. The grasses in a mixed forage blend also add pectins and digestibility without taking away from the total protein.

Quality forage is the base for a healthy, high-producing herd of dairy cows.

See our products section for a complete list of products that can help you produce high quality forage!