is that in a cheap glyphosate environment, where you can spray generic for, what, $7/ac if you're using your own ground rig, it is really, really cheap weed control in areas where you have lots of weeds.

Here in Nevada, once you get a good, tight stand planted, and you get the first two seasons of weeds sprayed out, you shouldn't see much in the way of weeds. The weeds you will typically see year to year will be dependent upon your neighbor's practices and windborne seed. Most often, the two weeds you'll see in well-established alfalfa fields will be Blue Mustard and Tansy (or Jim Hill) Mustard. Both of these weeds are a huge problem in the spring, because they germinate so dang early. A lot of blue mustard in the alfalfa will make the resulting milk, uh, fragrant.

But usually, the temperatures when the mustards are flushing is so cold, you lose any cost advantage in glyphosate -- you'd have to use 2qt/ac to get control of these mustards in March (they germinate and start growing in February, when it is still getting down to 10F at night).

So really, the only weed that I see where RR alfalfa buys you anything here is bluegrass. We get bluegrass infestations in our alfalfa fields here, because we have some deadbeats who plant a lawn in front of their trailer or shack, then they let it go to seed and one day, a strong wind comes along and blows the seed down the valley and into alfalfa stands, where the bluegrass finds a perfect home. The bluegrass, left to its own devices, will start to take over an alfalfa pivot in about three years. Almost nothing kills it -- not sencor, not diuron, not raptor, select, nothing.

I worked with the extention this year and last, and we determined that bluegrass is very sensitive to Kerb. We knew that Kerb would work, but the manufacture and chemical reps kept telling us to use 4lbs/ac. Well, it costs about $30/lb, which meant that RR alfalfa was an equal cost to one application of Kerb.

Our work with Kerb showed that you get over 85% kill of bluegrass with only 1lb of Kerb, and over 93% kill of bluegrass with 2lb of Kerb. You apply the Kerb in the fall, when your soil temp is below 55F. Get it watered in -- so if you don't have irrigation, try to spray right ahead of a snow or rainstorm.

Next spring, use a danish or s-tine harrow before the soil gets too warm -- like April. You want to scuff up the top 1" of soil and get it to dry out and warm up ASAP to get the Kerb activated. When the soil warms up, you'll see the bluegrass get about 1/2 inch high, then it goes to seed. It is dying because the Kerb prunes off the hair roots and the grass literally starves to death in place. Two 1lb applications in successive years would likely smoke all the bluegrass in a stand.

With the S-tine treatment in the spring, we get control of bluegrass at rates of Kerb that are now economical and we don't have to go to RR alfalfa to control it. Problem solved, no need for RR alfalfa. So I certainly won't be planting any, because I'm not going to put up with Monsanto's contract terms.

With how dry it is here, there's some volunteer alfalfa, but not much. And yes, I agree, sheep carry alfalfa (and weed) seeds all over the place.