What is Alfalfa?

Alfalfa is native to Asia and is one of the most important and common hay crops in the world. A long-lived perennial legume, fresh, pure alfalfa stands from one to three feet tall and produces clusters of small purple flowers. It prefers deep, well-drained soils and is found throughout the entire United States.

In addition, alfalfa grass yields healthy amounts of plant matter that can be harvested several times a season, which is why it is invaluable in hay production and is widely grown and used among farms and pasture lands. Alfalfa can also be partnered with grass species such as meadow fescue and orchardgrass for pasture grazing, although it should be a small percentage of the overall forage mix content to avoid bloating.

 

What Are The Uses of Alfalfa?

Though we provide a brief list of its uses above, here is a more detailed description of the many uses of alfalfa for livestock and agriculture:

Hay Production – As mentioned earlier, alfalfa hay is considered ideal for farmers, as its persistent growth cycle throughout the year can allow for great volumes of hay to be produced. Alfalfa hay is also known as high-protein feed, ensuring the livestock it feeds grows healthy and strong.

Livestock Grazing – During more verdant times of the year, alfalfa is also great for animals such as cows and lambs to graze and consume directly.

Silage – Alfalfa can also be stored in a silo for lengthy amounts of time, providing high-quality feed for times of year when there are no grasses or other plants for animals to graze.

Green Manure – For those looking to help sustain their lawns or pastures better, alfalfa can also be used as a great fertilizer while it is still green, providing additional nitrogen to the soil.

Ground Cover – In some cases, alfalfa can also be used as feed or fertilizer and as protection from soil erosion, weeds, diseases, and more.

Those are just some ways alfalfa seeds are used to benefit your farm, pasture, or other landscape. There are many incredible advantages to growing it as a crop on your property.

 

What Are The Benefits of Having Alfalfa Fields?

In addition to its varied uses, planting alfalfa seeding provides several benefits that make it more distinct and ideal to include as part of your forage mix. Here are a few perks of alfalfa seed to consider:

Alfalfa Increases soil nitrogen

As it is a legume, alfalfa plants have the ability to fix available nitrogen from the atmosphere, absorbing it from the air and back into the soil, enhancing plant growth for subsequent crops you may be planting in the same field later on.

Alfalfa is the highest-yielding forage plant

As mentioned before, alfalfa seed also provides a high yield for a sizable time of the year, giving it the highest feeding value among other legume and grass species.

Alfalfa Helps prevent soil erosion

Alfalfa plants each grow an incredibly deep root system, making it somewhat drought-tolerant, loosening compacted soil for better water infiltration and structure, and reducing soil erosion.

Alfalfa Provides high-quality forage and animal feed

Alfalfa grass can also be excellent feed and forage for livestock such as sheep and cattle. It provides them with a healthy, abundant food source with a high protein content and remains fresh for long periods, even when stored in a silo.

Alfalfa Manages the insect population

Planting alfalfa also helps protect every acre of pasture or farmland from harmful pests, as it attracts all kinds of other more beneficial insects, such as bees and other pollinators, as well as birds, which will hunt down any pests looking to eat your other crops.

These benefits and more help to prove that alfalfa may be the best legume in the world to plant in your pasture or grazing area. For premium quality Alfalfa seed and other legumes, order from Nature’s Seed today!

Aspen Daisy is a perennial wildflower native to much of the western United States. They are very similar in appearance to aster wildflowers and rarely get over two feet tall. It produces white, daisy-like flowers which bloom from June to September. Aspen Daisy thrives in full sun, but can also handle partial shade with well-drained soil. It is a good, drought tolerant wildflower that makes a great addition to mixes and provides a stunning view when planted in mass.

Scientific Name: Erigeron speciosus

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

Spiked Gayfeather is a native perennial that grows in vertical clusters of purple, white, and red flowers. It blooms from July to September in low-lying moist areas along prairies, meadows, or open fields. Spiked Gayfeather is known for its pest, deer, and disease resistance. It thrives in full sun and is tolerant to heat, drought, and cold.

Sweet William is an introduced perennial that often acts as an annual. Native to southern Europe, it grows in dense clusters of beautiful and colorful blooms on stiff, extended stems. It thrives in full sun and is an excellent plant for flower beds, gardens, and fields. Sweet William is loved for its sweet fragrance and its ability to attract pollinators.

Muhlenbergia rigens, commonly known as deergrass, is a species of perennial bunchgrass native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Deergrass is well-adapted to arid and semi-arid regions and is commonly found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and desert scrub. It prefers well-drained soils and is often seen on slopes or hillsides. Deergrass forms dense, clumping tufts with slender, arching, and graceful foliage. The leaves are narrow, linear, and can reach lengths of up to 2 feet (60 cm) or more. They are typically bluish-green or grayish-green in color.

Deergrass is an ecologically important plant in its native range. It provides food and habitat for various wildlife species, including deer, birds, and insects. Additionally, its dense clumps help stabilize soil and prevent erosion in areas prone to disturbance. Historically, indigenous communities in the southwestern United States utilized deergrass for various purposes, such as weaving baskets and mats.

Host plant: white-lined sphinx and green cutworm moth

Produced by S&S Seeds

A coarse perennial with large yellow composite flowers and rough, paired, oval to lance-shaped leaves. The stems are erect, occasionally branched, and nearly glabrous or velvety to rough. The leaves are evenly distributed along stems and variable, mostly opposite but sometimes alternate or in whorls of 3. They are 3 to 6 inches long, 1 to 2.5 inches wide, rough above, and rough to velvety or nearly smooth below. The flowers are yellow ray florets 1 to 2 inches long.

FRUITS: Achenes, rounded, flattened, about 1/2 inch long, winged, tipped with 2 sharp teeth, enclosing small seed.

CULTIVATION: Flowering Period: July, August, September. Silphium species resemble sunflowers but differ in that their ray flowers produce seeds, while in sunflowers it is the disk flowers that produce the seeds.

RANGE & HABITAT: Open disturbed places and roadsides, most abundant in moist, rocky soils. Eastern 2/5 of Kansas.

USES: Native Americans used the root of Whole-leaf Rosinweed as an analgesic. The plant contains a sticky resin, which gives it the name “rosinweed”.

Vigna unguiculata, commonly known as cowpeas, are esteemed as a summer annual legume, offering valuable high-protein summer hay or pasture. Resilient and adaptable, they resemble soybeans but exhibit superior tolerance to heat and drought, featuring softer stems and robust regrowth post-grazing. Renowned for their exceptional nitrogen-fixing capabilities, cowpeas surpass soybeans in this regard. Ideally sown in spring when soil temperatures exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they require a seeding rate of 30-60 pounds per acre when planted as a monoculture, at a depth of one inch. Inoculating seeds ensures optimal results. Cowpeas find versatile applications in forage, including pasture, silage, and hay, making them a favored summer option for deer and other wildlife. Moreover, they excel in erosion control and weed suppression, further enhancing their value in agricultural and ecological contexts.

Kummerowia striata, commonly known as common lespedeza, is an introduced annual plant that thrives across the southern and eastern regions of the United States. This versatile plant is a favorite among grazers like cattle and other herbivores, making it a valuable addition to pastures and mixed grasslands. Blooming from August to September, common lespedeza produces subtle purple flowers that may easily go unnoticed. It flourishes in full sun and exhibits adaptability to various soil types. While it can become weedy if left unchecked, effective control measures such as chemical and mechanical treatments are available to manage its spread and maintain ecological balance.

Lathyrus sativus, commonly known as chickling vetch, emerges as a versatile and valuable cool-season annual legume, prized for its dual benefits as a nitrogen source and forage crop. Whether planted in early spring or late summer, it serves as a reliable option for enhancing soil fertility and providing nutritious forage for livestock. With its high palatability, chickling vetch is suitable for both pasture and hay production, offering flexibility in agricultural management. It can be harvested for hay or grazed approximately 60 days after planting, allowing for rapid utilization and maximum yield potential. In addition to its role as a forage crop, chickling vetch exhibits impressive nitrogen-fixing capabilities, enriching the soil and supporting subsequent crops in rotation. Chickling vetch is often included in mixed plantings with oats, peas, radishes, and other cool-season annual forages, enhancing diversity and productivity in cropping systems.