Jim Dunn Jr., age 8, of E1 Paso, Texas, for his question:
WHERE CAN ALFALFA GROW?
Alfalfa is one of the richest feed crops grown for livestock. It is loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein. Farmers in every single state of the United States and in almost every province of Canada grow this very valuable crop.
In addition to growing well in North America, alfalfa also does very well in Central and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe.
In most parts of the English speaking world, alfalfa is called lucerne.
About 27 million acres of land in the United States is given over to growing alfalfa each year. Most of the crop is used as feed for livestock, but there is also a large amount that is especially grown for its seed.
Sometimes farmers plant a crop of alfalfa to enrich the soil. Alfalfa, like peas, beans and other legumes, helps to restore nitrogen to the soil. Farmers plant alfalfa on fields that have been planted in other crops, such as corn and wheat, which uses up the nitrogen. Alfalfa returns the soil food elements that have been used by other crops.
Most farmers do not have to replant alfalfa fields every year because the roots stay alive during the cold season. The tops of the plants seem to die after the greens have been harvested and as winter approaches. But when warm weather arrives, the roots send up new green shoots.
More than half of the alfalfa grown in the United States is cut and dried for use as hay. But many farmers prefer feeding alfalfa in the form of meal. Meal consists of dried and ground alfalfa leaves and stems.
In making alfalfa hay, farmers usually cut and chop the green crop in their fields. Then they quickly haul the chopped alfalfa to a dehydrator or drier. The dehydrator has large rotating drums that are heated to temperatures above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Quick drying prevents leaf loss and ensures a high food value.
Farmers sometimes let their livestock graze in alfalfa fields. They also cut and chop the green plants to make silage.
Alfalfa silage makes an excellent livestock feed when properly prepared. This involves keeping the food values of the alfalfa and also making a silage that tastes good to livestock.
Proper silage is made by cutting the alfalfa at just the right stage of ripeness. Then farmers let it wilt slightly before packing it into the silo. They may mix conditioners or preservatives, such as molasses, ground grains or meadow grasses, with the chopped alfalfa.
Several kinds of insects and diseases attack and damage alfalfa plants. Weeds can also be serious pests in alfalfa fields.
Insecticides or insect killing chemicals are used by farmers to prevent insect damage. Careful planting of alfalfa seeds in soil that is free of weed seeds is the best method farmers use to reduce weed growth. The use of certain herbicides or weed killing chemicals can also be used sometimes without harming the alfalfa.