Early cutting ?

old horse power · May 3, 2015

Early cutting alfalfa ?

How soon can you cut alfalfa ? New crop coming in but the weeds are starting to beat it in growth.
Was Haled on last year so the crop didn't have a first good year.
Thought cutting and baling early would help. Any advise would help !

Wheatfarmer · May 3, 2015

"THEY" say cut at 10% bloom, but I wanted to try it 30 days early for Alpaca hay, but never got it done. Alpaca hay needs to be very leafy. Here at 8000' Colo that would be about 1st of June. Good Luck.

Leroy · May 3, 2015

Where are you at? Big thing. Here in this part of Ohio figure first cutting on May 15 and every 30 days after. So May 15, June 15, July 15, Aug 15, and Sept 15. Usually does not work out like that as the 30 days becomes 35-40 days to unavoiadable things like weather.

Don-Wi · May 3, 2015

Where are you at? Around here in east central Wisconsin if we can get out there around memorial weekend that's as early as you want to be out there. Some years where everything is late another week or 2 after that is better but the big guys are on a schedule and we'll rut the field up if they have to it seems to try getting it off on time.

Last year nobody got a good start until late June.

Donovan from Wisconsin

JD Seller · May 3, 2015

If you cut it too early you can damage the stand. I would wait as long as you can before the weeds take completely over. For cattle hay young green weeds will have feed value. Like the others posted it makes a big difference in your location. If your in southern MO then you could cut in the next week or so and likely hurt the stand. If you in northern Iowa you will hurt the stand if you cut much before the middle or late May.

just another old geezer · May 4, 2015

Feel of the seems. If you can feel a bulge where the buds are, get down on your knees, part the crop and look at the root crown. If you can see
new shoots, get rolling with the 'bine.

Dick2 · May 4, 2015

For good quality, cut when 10% of the field is in bloom- - -but there were times when I think there was only 3-4% in bloom when we cut it, just to get our hay baled before we had to bale for the neighbors.

Dick L · May 4, 2015

Cut before weeds go to seed. If you wait until after the weeds have gone to seed you will always have weedy hay. Any time I have had weeds in new Alfalfa and watched the weeds rather than the blooms for cutting the filed cleaned up after the first year. Normally when watching the weeds you will see a bloom now and then when cutting. Weeds will still be green and most animals will like them.

old horse power · May 4, 2015

I"M in South east Nebr. Looks like rain for the next two weeks here so may not have to worry about it.
Thanks !

David G · May 4, 2015

Let it bloom

sd pete · May 4, 2015

(reply to post at 14:33:29 05/04/15) One problem with early cutting is curing. It takes longer to dry down. In established alfalfa, cutting early will not lessen the stand.

Leroy · May 4, 2015

Alfalfa in bloom is over ripe.

Richard from SE AZ · May 5, 2015

Farms around me are making their 2nd cut.

Leroy · May 5, 2015

How many cuttings a year do they make?

Nick m · May 5, 2015

Cut it before the weeds go to seed. A couple years
ago I even mowed one really high so it didn't get
much of the alfalfa, but cut the lambsquarter that
was going crazy and left it. The alfalfa was
ridiculously short though. It was the drought year
in Michigan. That field never had another weed in
it. Tried some round up ready stuff last year. Took
alot of the worry out of it.

Early cutting ?

old horse power

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old horse power

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