Alfalfa Harvest Damage

Warren C. Thompson National Forage Specialist: America’s Alfalfa

Any producer who has cut alfalfa for hay or silage realizes that wheel traffic can cause long lasting damage to stands young and old. The maximum damage comes when the ground is wet and new growth is beginning to take place. The worst time to travel over a newly cut field is in the 5-7 day period immediately following harvest. Since this problem nearly always limits the life span of any alfalfa planting, growers should time and reduce as many vehicle trips across fields as possible. 
 
In an effort to reduce traffic damage on established stands, our Americas Alfalfa Research team has been in the process of breeding varieties that are exceptionally tolerant to both wheel and grazing traffic. In 2002, the first truly wheel traffic tolerant variety, AmeriStand 403T was released. This variety is tops in tolerance to both grazing and vehicle traffic. I suggest you go to our website www.americasalfalfa.com and pull up the 403-T test data. Here you will find this variety compared with many of the leading varieties that are currently on the market. You will be dumbfounded at what you see and realize what you gain as you replace and enlarge your alfalfa acreage. 
 
What about the acreage that you now have in production? What can you do to prevent stand losses associated with wheel traffic? Dr. Dan Undersander, Extension Forage Specialist at the University of Wisconsin has listed some of his main conclusions and recommendations based on his pioneering efforts to reduce traffic damage.

 1. Avoid unnecessary trips across a field when harvesting as well as between harvests. For example; mow and condition in a single operation, avoid hauling full wagons the length of the fields, possibly have sacrifice paths that are always driven, when bales are dropped and collected, can this be done with less driving (using a bale collector?), and do not drive on alfalfa fields when harvesting crops in adjacent fields.

 2. Use smallest tractor possible for raking and if a loader is mounted to the tractor, remove it before raking. Anything you can do to reduce machinery weight, do it.

 3. Consider using larger equipment (there is some real question about this because while less area is affected by the wheel traffic, the affected area has greater weight applied to it). This could be another benefit to contract harvesting. However use wagons to haul to the edge of the fields and then drop into trucks for hauling unless the soil is very firm.

 4. Do necessary driving on fields as soon after cutting as possible.
 
 To this list I would like to add:
 
 1.Smooth tires do less damage to the alfalfa than tires with huge lugs.

 2. When cattle break in your fields, walk them out don’t drive them out with a pickup or a four-wheeler.

 3. Make it a point to stay out of the fields between harvests with all vehicles.

 4.Some growers prefer to fertilize alfalfa during the production season. If that is your system, consider changing to a once-a-season application plan or at least stay out of the field during the 7-18 day regrowth interval.

 5.Plant varieties that are independently tested to yield more under traffic. And while you are at it, check out the advantage that AmeriStand 403T has demonstrated in University trials.
 
As you make plans for new seedings refer to our website and review the test data on yields and feed quality. Also, spend some time reading the results of trials dealing with the problem and solutions in traffic interference.