Can you graze lucerne?
Avoid grazing during establishment. Graze first when in full flower. Earlier grazing or mowing may be necessary if weed competition has been severe or if a dry spell sets in. It may also be necessary to graze undersown lucerne in winter/spring if the cereal crop is dense and early sown.
Is lucerne a fodder?
Lucerne is one of the fodder crops that is easy to establish and manage. The crop is nutritious with a high protein content, is palatable and can help a farmer sustain high milk production when he feeds his dairy cattle.
Can you graze sheep on lucerne?
Do not put hungry sheep on fresh lucerne pastures, such as might be seen in spring or after summer rainfall events. Provide hay roughage when grazing sheep on lucerne — alternatively, allow sheep access to grass pastures at the same time so they can choose a combination of legume and grass.
Is alfalfa and lucerne the same?
Alfalfa (/ælˈfælfə/) (Medicago sativa), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world.
When should lucerne be grazed?
Grazing in the establishment year Delay initial grazing until 10% flowering, which will generally occur in spring but may be delayed until autumn. If flowering has not occurred but leaf drop is imminent due to water stress then graze lightly for a maximum of seven days.
How early can you graze lucerne?
Spring. The key is to start grazing the first paddock when the crop is 15-20 cm tall, which will be before any new shoots are visible on the crown. If cutting the crop, the crop should be cut late morning to mid afternoon once the dew has lifted, as this is the time when the plant has the most sugars.
Is lucerne a pasture?
Lucerne or alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a deep-rooted, temperate, perennial pasture legume which is well adapted to mixed farming systems in southern Western Australia. Due to its high water use and deep roots (>two metres on suitable soils) it is able to address rising watertables and associated salinity.
Is lucerne a good mulch?
A nutrient packed mulch for feeding & retaining moisture in your thriving garden. Gardens love Lucerne Mulch because it protects against weeds and moisture loss and for the way it breaks down to boost the Potassium and Nitrogen levels plants need to reach their full potential.
Can you feed lucerne silage to sheep?
Research – feeding lucerne silage to lambs Results from one study, which fed Suffolk-cross lambs from eight months of age for two months, showed that lucerne had similar levels of performance to red clover and was superior to grass-only silage.
Do sheep like lucerne?
High protein hay (lucerne, about 18%) is particularly valuable as the roughage component of a diet for lactating ewes and growing lambs which have a higher protein requirement than dry adult sheep.
Is lucerne high in protein?
Lucerne hay has high protein and carbohydrate concentrations that contains more energy than grass or cereal hays and chaffs. It is rich in the essential amino acid lysine and in calcium, and low in phosphorus. It is also hight in potassium and extremely low in sodium.
Why use Lucerne for pasture & fodder?
It’s wide range of uses, and high adaptability to the climate and soils of NSW makes it an integral part of the State’s agriculture, especially in the wheat–sheep zone. This Agfact is aimed at pasture managers looking at using Lucerne for pasture & fodder.
What is the Lucerne agfact?
This Agfact is aimed at pasture managers looking at using Lucerne for pasture & fodder. It includes information on: This Agfact is provided in two parts. Part one is available to the right under the download heading and part two from additional files.
What is Lucerne used for in NSW?
Lucerne may be grown as a pasture for year- round and special-purpose grazing, or for hay, silage, green fodder, pellets, cubes, seed production, sprouts or protein fractionation. The main use of lucerne in NSW is as a pasture for year-round grazing and in crop rotations.
Where do you grow lucerne grass?
Although the largest areas of lucerne are grown in the cropping belt, the heaviest concentrations occur along river valleys. Lucerne may be grown as a pasture for year- round and special-purpose grazing, or for hay, silage, green fodder, pellets, cubes, seed production, sprouts or protein fractionation.