Alfalfa is one of the world’s oldest domesticated crops, and today, it is grown on over 20 million acres from coast to coast, making it the nation’s fourth largest acreage crop after corn, soybeans and wheat. The alfalfa plant is not often thought to be used for more than just feeding animals, but it is extremely useful to our environment, with a wide range of benefits, such as rewards to crop rotations, wildlife habitat, soil health and more!
The American Feed Industry Association’s communications team recently had the opportunity to speak with some alfalfa experts about the crop and the unique role it plays in in livestock diets, but also learned about many of its benefits to food production and environmental conservation along the way! Below is what we learned.
Alfalfa is part of the legume family, and it is also a perennial crop. These plants can re-grow up to 11 times a year depending on their geographic location. They generally reach up to 3 feet in height and have a root system that can grow over 15 feet into the ground. Alfalfa can be turned into bales of hay, pellets for feed or just used for grazing animals.
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial, clover-like leguminous plant that is commonly grown for hay, pasturage, silage, and as a cover crop. With its deep root system and remarkable productivity, alfalfa is known for its tolerance of drought, heat, and cold. This versatile plant has many uses, making it an important forage crop worldwide.
Animal Feed
The primary use of alfalfa is as feed for livestock such as dairy cows, beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Alfalfa hay has a high protein content and highly digestible fiber, making it ideal nutrition for these animals. When harvested at early bloom stages, alfalfa hay retains optimum levels of protein and nutrients.
Dairy farmers in particular favor alfalfa as it boosts milk production in dairy cows. The high carotenoid content also lends a favorable yellow color to milk fat and butter. Alfalfa can be fed as dried hay, grazed directly in the field, or harvested and fermented as alfalfa silage. The use of alfalfa as animal feed greatly improves agricultural efficiency.
Soil Improvement
With its deep taproot system, alfalfa enhances soil structure and prevents erosion. Its perennial nature means it doesn’t need to be replanted every year. As a legume, alfalfa forms a symbiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria in root nodules that are capable of fixing nitrogen from the air. This provides a natural fertilizing effect, elevating nitrogen levels in the soil.
Rotating alfalfa crops with nitrogen-depleting crops such as corn and wheat improves the productivity of soil. Once an alfalfa stand is plowed under, it continues fertilizing other crops. The extensive root system also breaks up compacted soil layers to improve aeration and drainage.
Pest Control
Research shows that alfalfa provides benefits as an insectary crop offering habitat for predatory and parasitic insects that control pests in other nearby crops. With its continual flowering alfalfa harbors insect pollinators and beneficial insects throughout the growing season.
Interplanting alfalfa with crops like cotton allows it to shelter insects that keep cotton pests in check. The best pest control results are achieved by harvesting alfalfa in alternating strips, preserving part of the stand for insects.
Erosion Control
The deep, fibrous root system of alfalfa penetrates and holds soil in place, preventing erosion. Taproots can reach depths of up to 30 feet to anchor and stabilize soils. Along roadsides and embankments, alfalfa is often planted to control erosion and stabilize soils in waterways and areas prone to mudslides.
Even on steep slopes, alfalfa tends to prevent both wind and water erosion compared to row crops The thick, perennial ground cover protects the soil surface from raindrop impact while the deep roots maintain soil structure.
Human Consumption
While alfalfa’s main role is as livestock feed, the sprouts are also grown for human consumption. Alfalfa sprouts have gained popularity in salads and sandwiches for their fresh, crisp texture and nutty flavor. They are low in calories and high in phytonutrients like saponins, flavonoids, and sterols.
Alfalfa leaves can be dried and brewed into a nutritious herbal tea Dehydrated alfalfa leaf powder is also commercially available as a dietary supplement However, alfalfa’s high saponin content means fresh alfalfa can cause bloating if consumed in large quantities.
How does alfalfa benefit the environment?
This crop is great when used as a cover crop or in crop rotations because it helps retain key nutrients in the soil. For example, a corn crop, after an alfalfa crop rotation, often requires less nitrogen, or none at all, for as much as the first year, with a potential decrease of nitrogen inputs in the second year as well.
Studies have shown that consistent use of alfalfa in cropping rotations improves the soil tremendously by improving moisture retention, drainage and water movement and the availability of nutrients in the soil. This results in more stable soils, resilient to extreme weather patterns.
It also helps decrease erosion and nutrient seeping, by “soaking up” excreted nutrients – because they can reach deeper levels in the soil – that otherwise could potentially run off into nearby water sources. Unintended consequences of decreased alfalfa production in the U.S., would likely be faster soil erosion and decreased yields in other grains.
What nutritional value does alfalfa provide to animals?
Along with its high productivity, alfalfa is a major source of nutrients for a wider variety of animals, including nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, iron, copper, sulfur, manganese and other micronutrients. It is considered the premier feed for dairy cows, which means an abundance of our dairy foods, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and even ice cream, can be connected back to the alfalfa plant. Increased weight gain, improved reproduction performance and better bone structure are some of the benefits that may be attributed to alfalfa being included in an animal’s diet. Alfalfa that is baled into hay is also a terrific source of protein and energy for these animals.
Why YOU SHOULD Consider Alfalfa Food Plots!!
FAQ
What is the main use of alfalfa?
What is alfalfa mainly grown for?
What is the top use for alfalfa?
What is the biggest use of alfalfa in the US?
What is alfalfa used for?
Alfalfa is widely grown throughout the world as forage for cattle, and is most often harvested as hay, but can also be made into silage, grazed, or fed as greenchop. Alfalfa usually has the highest feeding value of all common hay crops. It is used less frequently as pasture.
Is alfalfa an anti inflammatory?
Alfalfa (in its flowers, leaves, petals, or sprouted seeds parts) has great photochemical and nutrient content, such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, fumaric acid, chlorophyll, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and many vitamins to name a few. It plays an important role in anti-inflammation due to its alkalizing and detoxifying properties. It may also act as a diuretic or an anti-fungal. Alfalfa also aids in other health-related concerns, such as lowering cholesterol, keeping blood sugar in balance, regulating hormones, and aiding in an array of diseases such as anaemia, arthritis, bleeding-related disorders and other organ system disorders.
Why is alfalfa a good plant?
Alfalfa is known for its tolerance of drought, heat, and cold and for the remarkable productivity and quality of its herbage. The plant is also valued in soil improvement and is grown as a cover crop and as a green manure. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), an important forage crop.
Can alfalfa be used as a medicinal herb?
There is a long list of traditional uses of alfalfa as a medicinal herb. They include lowering blood pressure, acting as a diuretic, increasing breast milk production, treating arthritis, and getting rid of kidney stones. Most of these proposed health benefits have not yet been researched. However, a few of them have been studied to some extent.