Just having random food plot thoughts while sitting in the stand. Does anyone know what it costs per acre to plant alfalfa? I was thinging back to my best year in one of my stand locations and the 40 acre field was alfalfa. Now my buddies dad just has it as a grass/hay field. I was going to try to plant at least part of it back to alfalfa in the spring if it wasn’t crazy expensive.
DT
Here is the subject of my thoughts.
DT
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Good ? I was wanting to do the same were you just going to broadcast in the spring and let the rain seed it. A lot of my spots it’s mostly grass sure would be nice to get some alfalfa mixed in.
I was probably going to disc and spray it. Depending on cost I may just do a 50 by 200 yard strip along the wood line.
DT
Alfalfa has to be planted at around 25 pounds per acre if I remember correctly. A 50 pound bag of seed is around $200 last I heard a few years back, so $100 an acre just for seed. Probably $120-150 per acre including tillage costs.
The 40 acre field would be a little spendy just as a food plot, but if you could get somebody to buy the bales that’d cut costs.
You ever think of something like winter rye or forage oats? Might be a little cheaper.
Grouse
On the plus side alfalfa is a perennial that will last for several years. Seeding for alfalfa is best done in Spring and it starts growing slow so ideally you’ll want to mix in a fast growing seed like oats to keep the ground from drying out before the alfalfa takes hold. If you broadcast seed you’ll definitely also want to roll over it with something to pack it down.
We have added about 6-7 acres of alfalfa the last couple years. I think Grouse is really close on price. The seed was spendy. We didn’t plant it that heavy though and stretched our dollars.
I finally got a 1 acre plot to go this year that nothing else would grow in. We disced, spread, drug with harrow and watched it grow.
I can’t remember how many big round bails we got from the two cuttings this year. It will take a bit but we will get our money back. Plus it beautiful green right now.
I just checked Welters seed and it runs $200- $250 for 50lbs of seed, so yeah it will be spendy, but if you can sell the bales it will pay you back.
Grouse isn’t too far off on seed cost that we had last year. At least triple that to get fuel cost.
As mentioned, do a 2 stage planting. alfalfa is a slow – grow. We did early corn, cut/tilled, drug, then planted rye and alfalfa late. The rye came up just enough to give a winter cover and the alfalfa was coming up in spring.
Work a deal out to have a neighboring farmer plant/cut bail the alfalfa for a very minimal rent on the land for crop only. You would be SO MUCH further ahead. On 19 acre parcel I get a check for $1,045/year for 5 years. Renter harvests/keeps crop and pays to fertilize (reasoning for the 5 year contract). Alfalfa is best suited for deer on new growth or late winter scrounging through snow anyways. Typically alfalfa just left standing is considered sour and deer don’t eat a lot of it. So you may want to explore a rental deal and receive money instead of paying money out on that size of a parcel.
My problem is thay my buddies dad already cuts the field for his cows and would need to cut the alfalfa as well so I couldnt sell it. Might need to rethink this.
DT
I think your best bet would be to just plant a strip along the woods like you said. Might be a little spendy at first, but if it lasts for 3-4 years and you can save planting costs for those 3-4 years the costs will equal out. Just need someone to cut it a couple times a year. I am sure your buddies Dad would be happy to do that.
He already cuts and bales the field a few times a year anyways. I will probably just plant a strip like mentioned. I just thought if it wasnt crazy expensive I would plant the whole field as a way to help him out. While sitting in another stand today I got some more ideas. Going to be a busy spring. 
DT
I might have to hit up my buddy who is a seed dealer for some “free” samples.
DT
Maybe the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has a program?
I’ll look into it. Thanks.
DT
Maybe the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association has a program?
They do and I use them every year for seed, but I can’t say I have seen alfalfa on the list, of course I haven’t really been looking for it. If I remember right corn, beans and sunflower. But worth checking into.
While sitting in another stand today I got some more ideas. Going to be a busy spring.
DT
GUILTY as charged! I do that all the time. If I had followed through on half the ideas I had while sitting in stand I would have had to quit my job and I would be out of land to plant
If you’re going to plant just a strip, I’d go with something a little different than alfalfa, but could still be baled.
One good option would be a clover mix plus chicory. Since clover actually benefits from being mowed, the fact that the field gets cut is to your benefit.
Clover is going to be desireable until it’s covered in snow. Especially newly seeded clover, which deer seem to love.
Grouse
I have some thinking to do. Whatever I plant will have to be edible to cows for when it gets baled.
DT
I was maybe thinking of planting Alfa-Chic by Frigid Forage.
Here is a quote from their site:
“The Alfa-Chic blend is made up of 3 long lasting and deep rooted perennial forages along with winter rye as a nurse crop. Includes alfalfa, chicory and small burnet, and like most long lasting perennials they grow slowly at the start and need the protection of a nurse crop to prevent over grazing before they become established. All 3 are highly attractive to whitetails and provide excellent nutrition from Spring green-up all the way to early Fall. Because of their deep root system, once they become established they can handle longer dry periods and are great for open sunny areas and sandy soils.
Alfa-Chic does not do well in areas with wet or damp soils and areas that have a high water table or hold water after heavy rains. If possible, mow at least 2 times a year to stimulate new growth.
Plant Spring or late Summer. Seeding rate is 25lbs/acre”
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