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Grasses, Pastures & Hay
Alfalfa Establishment and Value Question
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<blockquote data-quote="Stocker Steve" data-source="post: 637402" data-attributes="member: 1715"><p>Three years ago I wrote up a budget, ordered six semis of lime for the first application, rented a back hoe, and started to convert some newly purchased rocky quack grass pastures to an alfalfa grass mix. Since then most inputs costs have jumped up every year, and this ground had a ph in the high 5s and no fertilizer for decades. This spring I was quoted $40/T for lime and $750/T for K.</p><p></p><p>Looking back my establishment cost w/o labor was about $332/acre - - and the new seeding needs another shot of K, boron, sulfur this summer. i would like to think that with some red clover frost seeding this stand will last for 5 or 6 years. Even so this makes for some fairly expensive forage. In hindsight, I do need a lot of legume content for the stockers but... I could have seeded a steep droughty ridge to alfalfa and went for a lower cost clover mix on the rest.</p><p></p><p>Am I missing some alfalfa value, or is it just too spendy with the current input costs except for special soil situations or dairy operations?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Stocker Steve, post: 637402, member: 1715"] Three years ago I wrote up a budget, ordered six semis of lime for the first application, rented a back hoe, and started to convert some newly purchased rocky quack grass pastures to an alfalfa grass mix. Since then most inputs costs have jumped up every year, and this ground had a ph in the high 5s and no fertilizer for decades. This spring I was quoted $40/T for lime and $750/T for K. Looking back my establishment cost w/o labor was about $332/acre - - and the new seeding needs another shot of K, boron, sulfur this summer. i would like to think that with some red clover frost seeding this stand will last for 5 or 6 years. Even so this makes for some fairly expensive forage. In hindsight, I do need a lot of legume content for the stockers but... I could have seeded a steep droughty ridge to alfalfa and went for a lower cost clover mix on the rest. Am I missing some alfalfa value, or is it just too spendy with the current input costs except for special soil situations or dairy operations? [/QUOTE]
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