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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | I'm sure that NY is a lot different than the irrigated high desert here, but I'll add my $.02 anyway. We have gone to planting straight alfalfa. Everybody used a cover crop (oats) here 10 years ago, now almost no one does. Reason is you are trying to grow a crop of alfalfa. A crop that here, can last 6-10 years or even longer. You only get one chance to get a good stand of alfalfa, and while the oats add tonnage to that 1st cut, they are a hindrance to the young alfalfa plants. No sense in shading out the crop you are trying to grow.
Now maybe you have other reasons why you need the nurse crop. Some guys here still use them in the blow sand to keep the sand from blowing. After being burned, plowed, disced and landplaned several times, the sandy ground can really blow if it doesn't have enough sprinklers to irrigate everyday. Still, if possible, most guys are just planting straight alfalfa. Can them prepare a good clean seedbed for the alfalfa, plant it at the correct depth, and not be compromising the alfalfa for the sake of a short term crop. | |
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alfalfa and oats
