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Show Alfalfa yields con Ijo boosted in Ufah Ut:ih farm income could be Increased by over C8 , million dollars simply by boosting alfalfa yields from the present average of about 3.3 tons up to six tons per acre. Plant and soil acientists at Utah State University feel that this is not at all an unrealistic keep at it until it is .. harvested and off the field Some of the better varied of alfalfa bounce back with re growth quickly harvesting If they have on portunity. However, 1" many farmers using 'higtn, expensive harvesting equll) ment to cut their hay m let the bales sit in the field until the next crop is grow ing up around the bales they may leave the hay i, windrows to bleach m deteriorate In quality m stop the next crop from m ting started." Daniels also advises allowing enough regro time after the last cutting ! the season to get ample storage of nutrients h, u,e roots before freezing. cut ting just before the frost' as many farmers in the cold! er areas do, weakens the plants and results in a lot of winter kill. After the alfalfa freezes and is beyond danger of bloating the animals, it can be pastured if the feed is needed. Some 20 varieties 0f alfalfa are being tested in alfalfa variety trials con. ducted by USU Extension in various localities over the state. - - - . . goal. Paul R. Daniels, USU Extension Ex-tension area agronomist, says, "We have some good varieties on the market now and more will be on the market within about two years. With proper education on cultural practices, insect and weed control, and harvesting, there is no reason why we can't produce six ton yields in our state as an average. "That increase would lie mostly profit for the farmers. It would only take a little more water, a little more wire or twine for baling, bal-ing, and a bit more labor to haul it. Actually, the big expenses for land and harvesting equipment would be the same, so most of the increase would be profit." The first suggestion he gives is to rotate the fields more often than many farmers do. He says there are too many fields of old hay, some 20 years old. These yield poorly because they have gone largely to weeds and grass. When alfalfa is to be planted, plant-ed, get the soil tested to make sure the phosphorous levels are adequate. Then select an alfalfa variety that does well in the particular locality. Use a nematode resistant re-sistant and disease resistant variety if these are problems in the area; otherwise, the alfalfa will die out in four or five years. Fertilize the new and old starts of alfalfa as needed. USU Extension Enomol-ogist, Enomol-ogist, Reed Roberts, points our that there are more than 400 different kinds of insects common to alfalfa fields. Many are beneficial and most do not present any problem to the growers. In Utah, the major insect pests of alfalfa ' are alfalfa weevil, lygus bugs, aphids, caterpillars, grasshoppers and nearly a advises, "Watch to see when the alfalfa is ready to cut. With the better varieties we have today, we should not delay cutting much beyond the bud stage and never beyond one -tenth bloom." "When you cut your hay, dozen other common pests. The most importnat in Utah is the alfalfa weevil. It costs Utah growers about five million dollars annually. Many growers lost $25 to $50 an acre froni the damage it does on first crop alfalfa. These losses can be cut to a minimum by using pest management procedures or chemicals to control the alfalfa weevil. In pest management, the aim is to preserve the weevil parasite and other beneficial insects while controlling the alfalfa weevil. He gives suggestions in an alfalfa weevil control circular, cir-cular, control series No. 22, revised March 1976. One of the suggestions given to stop weevil damage while minimizing mini-mizing harm to beneficial insects is to cut the alfalfa early and then spray the stubble with an insecticide recommended for this purpose. Daniels says irrigation is not so critical with alfalfa as with many crops since it is a deep rooted crop. However, How-ever, drought stress should be avoided where possible and over irrigation and pond -' ing must avoided so as not to drown out the alfalfa. Louis A. Jensen, USU Extension agronomist in charge of weed control education programs, says, 'In general, we do have good means of control for weeds in alfalfa and it is not all done with herbicioVs. Having a good start, maintaining main-taining fertility and cutting at the right time help a great deal. A lot of weed control by chemicals is not . necessary' in established alfalfa." Suggestions are given' for controlling various weeds in alfalfa, including the highly persistent perennial weeds such as quackgrass. These are contained in Extension Circular 301, Chemical' Weed Control Guide Utah 1976 (price 50 cents). Harvesting is critical for getting high yields of top quality alfalfa hay. Daniels |
