What is the King of Grass? (Two reasons why alfalfa is the King of Grass)

Alfalfa is known as the "king of forage grasses" and is famous for its high yield, high crude protein content and good palatability. It is a high-quality forage grass that is loved by all kinds of poultry and livestock.

Feeding livestock with alfalfa can not only save the use of concentrated feed, but also significantly increase the growth rate of livestock, greatly improving breeding efficiency.

Alfalfa Introduction

Alfalfa leaves are tender and juicy, have good palatability, high digestibility, are rich in nutrients, and are easy to feed.

Alfalfa is especially popular among dairy cow and sheep farmers, and can account for 20-30% of the daily diet.

However, the amount of fresh alfalfa fed to cattle should be controlled every day. Each dairy cow should be fed no more than 20 kilograms of fresh alfalfa per day, and each sheep should be fed 4,000 to 5,000 kilograms of fresh alfalfa per day.

In addition, it is best to mow between the early flowering period and the peak flowering period. Alfalfa harvested before flowering will easily cause bloating in cattle. It can be made into hay or silage for feed.

Why Alfalfa Becomes the King of Forage Grasses

1. Alfalfa is most proud of its high crude protein content, which can significantly improve the quality of meat, milk and eggs

Alfalfa is a forage grass that is very rich in nutrients. Its crude protein content is as high as 23%. The crude protein content in its chloroplasts is as high as 50%, which is much higher than that of ordinary forage grasses. These crude proteins can be digested and absorbed by animals.

In addition, alfalfa contains 42% crude fiber, more than 20 kinds of amino acids (including all essential amino acids for humans and animals), multiple vitamins, and rich sugars and starch. Using it to feed animals can greatly save the cost of concentrated feed.

Alfalfa is rich in nutrients and can significantly improve the quality of meat, milk, and eggs, and can enhance animals' immunity to diseases.

Feeding dairy cows with alfalfa can increase their milk production by 20%; feeding pigs with alfalfa can not only increase the lean meat rate of pigs, but also promote the growth and development of fattening pigs; feeding poultry with alfalfa can significantly improve the color of egg yolks.

2. Alfalfa is perennial, high-yielding, and can benefit from sowing once for 10 years

Alfalfa is a perennial herb that can grow to 100cm in height. It can be harvested four times a year, with 1,500 to 2,500 kilograms per acre per crop, and 3 to 5 tons per acre can be harvested throughout the year.

Alfalfa has the highest yield in the third year, and the yield gradually decreases after about 5 years. It usually needs to be replanted every 10 years, and its lifespan can reach up to 100 years.

Alfalfa can be sown in spring, summer and autumn, with a seed rate of about 1 kg per mu and a soil covering depth of about 2 cm. After sowing, you can apply a pre-emergence herbicide to prevent weeds from submerging the seedlings.

The first mowing should be done at the early flowering stage (10% of the plants are in bloom). Harvesting at this time not only has a high protein content, but is also conducive to regeneration. After that, it can be harvested every 40 to 50 days, and the stubble height should be 5CM each time.

Note: The last harvest of alfalfa should not be too late. It should be done 25 to 30 days before the early frost to facilitate nutrient accumulation. At the same time, the stubble height should be 7CM, which is conducive to the safe wintering of the plants.

Special note: Alfalfa belongs to the leguminous plant family, so it has nodules on its roots, which are parasitic with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, which can convert molecular nitrogen in nature into nitrogen compounds and increase the nitrogen content in the soil. This is also the main reason why alfalfa can grow in poor soil.

Therefore, when growing alfalfa, there is no need to apply nitrogen fertilizer. Only phosphorus and potassium fertilizers need to be applied in the base fertilizer. High yield can be maintained by spreading wood ash on a regular basis.

3. Alfalfa can significantly improve the gastrointestinal environment of poultry and livestock

Alfalfa is rich in carbohydrates, which not only provide animals with a lot of energy, but also stimulate the development of the gastrointestinal tract and the secretion of digestive juices.

It can significantly increase the biological activity of digestive enzymes in the intestines of animals, the animal's digestion rate of food will be higher, and the growth rate of animals can be increased.

4. Alfalfa has strong adaptability to the environment

The roots of alfalfa go deep into the soil. The roots of a two-month-old seedling can penetrate 90 centimeters into the soil. The main roots of alfalfa that has grown for many years can penetrate 10 meters underground to absorb water and nutrients.

It has a strong tolerance to drought and will not die even if it suffers from severe drought for a long time. Therefore, alfalfa is often used as a plant for soil and water conservation and slope protection.

Alfalfa can grow normally in saline-alkali land and barren land. It is not easily frozen to death in winter and can withstand temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius.

This is an advantage that many tropical forages do not have. Alfalfa has a strong ability to adapt to the environment and can be grown in Northwest, North China and Northeast my country.

Special note: Alfalfa is afraid of waterlogging. 12 hours of waterlogging will lead to poor growth, and 24 hours of waterlogging will cause the plant to die. Therefore, low-lying areas are not suitable for growing alfalfa.

5. Alfalfa has excellent palatability and is loved by all kinds of poultry and livestock

Animals love to eat alfalfa, whether it is fresh grass or hay, and its utilization rate is very high.

Alfalfa can be used as green grass, silage, and made into hay, and can be used to feed livestock, poultry, fish, rabbits, etc.

The moisture content of fresh alfalfa is 74.7%. Animals will not have diarrhea after eating large amounts of it, making it a delicious delicacy for animals.

When it is used to feed livestock, it can be used together with grass or hay to avoid "bloating".

【Summarize】

Alfalfa is a high-quality forage grass that combines many advantages. Feeding livestock directly with alfalfa or adding a certain amount of alfalfa meal to livestock diets can reduce feeding costs and significantly improve the growth and development of animals, thereby increasing the economic benefits of breeding.