General Production Information

nationally in production of alfalfa hay; in 1997 the state contributed 5.4 % to the total U. S. alfalfa hay production.46 ● An average of 5,185,800 tons of hay is harvested from 1,505,000 acres annually.28 ● Minnesota produces an average of 3.4 tons per acre per year; county averages range from 1.5–4.9 tons per acre.28 ● 37.7 % of Minnesota farms harvested alfalfa in 1997.45 ● The price of alfalfa in the state is an average of $83.90/ton (range: $76-$98).28 ● Alfalfa seed was harvested from 725 acres in 1997, yielding 36,870 pounds, an average of 50.9 lb./acre.45 ● About two-thirds of growers use all the hay they produce on-farm. About one-third of alfalfa growers sell hay to end users such as dairies, cow/calf operations, or horse owners/operations.17 ● Virtually all alfalfa in Minnesota is grown for hay; less than 0.5 % of the total alfalfa acreage is harvested for seed.45 Production Regions ● Alfalfa is produced throughout most of Minnesota, but the heaviest production is in a band crossing the state from the northwest to the southeast.45 ● The Central region leads the state in total alfalfa hay produced, followed closely by the Southeast region; these two regions combined usually account for almost 50 % of Minnesota’s total alfalfa hay production.The West Central and Northwest regions are the 3rd and 4th highest-producing regions, respectively;each of these regions contributes about 15 % to the state’s total The Crop Profile/PMSP database, including this document, is supported by USDA NIFA. production.28 ● The highest production per acre is found in Minnesota’s southern and central regions, which average 3.8 tons per acre.28 ● By geographic region, alfalfa production, in terms of average tons per acre, is as follows28