Crop of the Week: Alfalfa seed
May 05, 2012 11:36 PM
• Yuma County is known for growing alfalfa, with about 30,000
irrigated acres valued in 2009 at over $35 million. While alfalfa is an
important forage crop in Yuma County, the area also produces seed for
the crop.
• The approximate yield of U.S. alfalfa seed in 2005 was 135 million pounds, with an average price of $190 per 100 pounds of seed for an estimated total value of $218.5 million.
• Alfalfa seeds are so small (1-2 millimeters), slightly wider than the tip of a pencil lead, there are about 200,000 alfalfa seeds per pound.
• A fringe benefit to growing alfalfa seed is the production of honey from bees. In the U.S., $147.7 million worth of honey is produced each year.
• Alfalfa is referred to as the “Queen of Forages” because of its high protein, vitamins, energy and digestibility. Alfalfa can be used whenever herbivores need high quality diet for growth, stamina, strength and the production of meat, milk, wool, eggs or feathers. Lucerne is another name for this crop that was first used in Iran.
• Alfalfa is also important for soil enrichment, soil water-holding capacity improvement, mulch and extraction of deep minerals and nitrogen. It can gather available nitrogen from the air and use it for their growth. On average, an acre of alfalfa will fix about 450 pounds of nitrogen per year, thus reducing the need to apply expensive nitrogen fertilizers.
• Alfalfa's rise to great economic prominence is attracting new technology, specifically herbicide-resistant alfalfa.
• Alfalfa was first successfully grown in the United States during the mid-1850s.
• In the U.S., more than 23 million acres of alfalfa are cut for hay, with an average yield of 3.3 tons per acre. The average yield in Yuma County is three times the national average, with over 9.2 tons per acre.
• Alfalfa is also directly consumed by humans in the form of alfalfa sprouts. Also, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable. And because it's very high in fiber, it is often formulated to work as dietary supplement in different forms such as tea and tablet. Alfalfa juice is used in some health food products.
• In addition to the traditional uses of alfalfa as an animal feed, alfalfa is beginning to be used as a biofuel for the production of electricity, bioremediation of soils with high levels of nitrogen and as a factory for the production of industrial enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, alpha-amylase, cellulase and phytase.
Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.
• The approximate yield of U.S. alfalfa seed in 2005 was 135 million pounds, with an average price of $190 per 100 pounds of seed for an estimated total value of $218.5 million.
• Alfalfa seeds are so small (1-2 millimeters), slightly wider than the tip of a pencil lead, there are about 200,000 alfalfa seeds per pound.
• A fringe benefit to growing alfalfa seed is the production of honey from bees. In the U.S., $147.7 million worth of honey is produced each year.
• Alfalfa is referred to as the “Queen of Forages” because of its high protein, vitamins, energy and digestibility. Alfalfa can be used whenever herbivores need high quality diet for growth, stamina, strength and the production of meat, milk, wool, eggs or feathers. Lucerne is another name for this crop that was first used in Iran.
• Alfalfa is also important for soil enrichment, soil water-holding capacity improvement, mulch and extraction of deep minerals and nitrogen. It can gather available nitrogen from the air and use it for their growth. On average, an acre of alfalfa will fix about 450 pounds of nitrogen per year, thus reducing the need to apply expensive nitrogen fertilizers.
• Alfalfa's rise to great economic prominence is attracting new technology, specifically herbicide-resistant alfalfa.
• Alfalfa was first successfully grown in the United States during the mid-1850s.
• In the U.S., more than 23 million acres of alfalfa are cut for hay, with an average yield of 3.3 tons per acre. The average yield in Yuma County is three times the national average, with over 9.2 tons per acre.
• Alfalfa is also directly consumed by humans in the form of alfalfa sprouts. Also, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable. And because it's very high in fiber, it is often formulated to work as dietary supplement in different forms such as tea and tablet. Alfalfa juice is used in some health food products.
• In addition to the traditional uses of alfalfa as an animal feed, alfalfa is beginning to be used as a biofuel for the production of electricity, bioremediation of soils with high levels of nitrogen and as a factory for the production of industrial enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, alpha-amylase, cellulase and phytase.
Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.
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