Is alfalfa hay a good cash crop?

Question

Hay is very much in demand right now, I think the price is about

$200 a ton. Why grow alfalfa hay unless you feed it to cows or

other animals? It seems $5 corn & $10 soybeans are a better

way to go. What gives you a better bottom line?

Answer 1

Go with the Hay. It's not as Demanding on the Soil; it's cheaper to grow & harvest, it's NOT as subject to the "ups & downs" of the Market, and in the LONG RUN- you're "bottom line" will look more like a "gracefull curve upward"- than a rollercoaster ride at 6 Flags!!!  :)

Answer 2

alfalfa hay is a good crop to grow on the side because the best alfalfa hay comes during second crop and that is usually a dry season. with the weather becoming dryer it seems people will be looking to buy hay because of shortages. alfalfa hay is also good because it will grow back year after year, until you need to rotate your fields while barley and corn you will have to plant again. to sum it up, alfalfa hay can be sold after second crops come short of quota and it is cost efficient and low maintenance.

Answer 3

Yes, alfalfa hay is a very good cash crop, especially if you have access to race horse/show horses markets. The market will always be good for high quality alfalfa hay. Right now there may be more money in corn, but the market fluctuates widely. we've raised both for years, and much of the time corn has not paid off at all. You can't go wrong if you grow alfalfa and stick with it.

Answer 4

Over the lifespan of the crop alfalfa will have more money.  But it also much more labor intensive.  The most profitable method to put up your alfalfa is in small square bales (weighing about 70 to 100 lbs each); however this requires a lot of work.  Alfalfa can also be easily sold in large round or square bales but expect a significant loss in value if you do not store the alfalfa in a barn.  Alfalfa bales absorb rain water much more easy than grass bales and spoilage will be higher.

What is your equipment that you have available?  The equipment required for raising alfalfa is significantly different from raising corn or soybeans.

Timing of harvest is much more critical for alfalfa than it is for corn on soybeans.  To produce the valuable alalfa you must cut the alfalfa at the first stages of blooming.  If it is cut any later it value is significantly reduced.  I promise you that this first stage of blooming will not always come at a time when you have time to cut the alfalfa.

Also, if you plan to sell the alfalfa to people with horses you need to make sure the alfalfa is blister beetle free.  Blister beetles can be consumed by cattle but will make horses sick if they consume a blister beetle.  So you may have to end up spraying the field for blister beetles.  

Alfalfa is a very tough and drought resistant crop.  It can easily be killed with herbicides.  But it is difficult to kill with tillage.  In southwestern Kansas it was a practice to disc the alfalfa in the winter or early spring before the alfalfa started to grow.  This would kill off the cheat grass (a grass that grows similar to wheat) and invigorate the alfalfa.  Killing off the grass made for a cleaner first cutting which is always known as the dirtiest (i.e., has the most weeds in the alfalfa) cutting.  

So in the end do not base your decision to raise alfalfa only on today's prices.  Raising alfalfa is a multi-year committment. A good stand of alfalfa can last 5 to 10 years.  And prices can change much in a 5 to 10 year period.

I hope this helps to answer your question.