By Catherine Dehdashti
As spring brought warmer temperatures and rain, Minnesota’s alfalfa fields hosted many a winged creature, as well as University of Minnesota Extension educators conducting the work of the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program.
Now in its 29th year, the collaboration between Extension and the Central Minnesota Forage Council serves farmers gearing up for the first cut of alfalfa, a valuable component of dairy cow diets.
The Alfalfa Harvest Alert helps forage producers make timely and informed decisions about when to harvest. Local Extension educators, like Jackie Estrem and Taylor Herbert, take scissors-cut samples and work with a lab to analyze them, providing data to optimize yield and quality.
Source : umn.edu