NAFA president to farmers concerned about input prices: “take a look at alfalfa”

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NAFA president to farmers concerned about input prices: “take a look at alfalfa”

The spike in fertilizer prices could push corn acres to other crops in 2022.

National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance president Beth Nelson encourages farmers to consider alfalfa.

“Because if they follow alfalfa with corn, they don’t need nitrogen in the first year in many cases. So certainly they should do their soil tests, but in many cases alfalfa will supply all the nitrogen needed for the subsequent corn crop.”

She tells Brownfield alfalfa also makes sense in a longer-term rotation because it’s one of the most sustainable crops.

“The new administration is putting a lot of emphasis on sustainability right now (and) there might be some programs coming out through NRCS for different sustainable crops. So certainly take a look at alfalfa.”

Nelson calls alfalfa the premier feed for beef and dairy cattle and says its value as a cash crop is undeniable.

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