Key to Success When Harvesting Alfalfa as Baleage

Alfalfa is an excellent forage for high-producing cows and universally considered one of the highest-quality forages. Cows efficiently use the high levels of protein, calcium and high-quality fiber in alfalfa for producing milk and meat. The palatability of alfalfa is high, especially when the leaves are maintained during harvest. Typically, cows will eat more alfalfa than grass because the fiber content is usually lower in alfalfa. Harvesting alfalfa as baleage vs. hay greatly improves the chances maintaining high quality because there is less leaf loss and less loss of soluble carbohydrates. The most important factor is harvesting high quality alfalfa baleage is harvesting at the right maturity stage. A common goal for high-quality alfalfa baleage is to cut in the mid- to late-bud stage, which results in \u3e20% CP