planting alfalfa

[Anonymous-0]

what does it cost to plant alfalfa per acre thinking of planting some to sell if its profitable

 

[paul]

It costs from $80 - 300 per bag (60 lbs), depending on what it is you want. Spend more & you avoid some bug damage, get better yields.

You plant 15-25 lbs per acre, depending on your soils & needs.

Renting a no-till planter can be spendy, but works well if you have smooth ground to plant into.

Otherwise, get a smooth black seedbed, pack it firmly - takes money to do that too.

Add P & K. Alfalfa can go through a lot.

--->Paul

 

[Anonymous-0]

Haven't planted any for about 7 years, but quality name-brand seed was then over $250 for 50 lb bags. Never seeded the cheap stuff like vernal or what farm stores sold. Used to seed about 15 lbs per acre, but by using a cast iron or rubber tire packer, can run 8-10 lbs per acre. Even then, most of the seeds you seed do not emerge. Takes only a small percentage to make a good stand of 25-30 plants per square foot. That's why packing improves germination. Ideal is to get seed in the top 1/4-3/8 inch of good seedbed. What is on top or below 1/2 inch is not likely to grow.

 

[kyhayman]

Seed, $3 a pound at 20 pounds per acre for Evermore, America's 403T or 501. 60 bucks an acre.Grass seed and nurse crop plus renting the cultipacker seeder round it out to 100 bucks an acre plus fuel and time. Lime to bring the soil to pH of 7.0, I normally figure a ton per acre per year but it reallly varies. P and K, K especially. Depends on your soil test and how much reserve you have in your soils. P isnt too bad on me, rarely needed it even after years but K is getting expensive and a crop of alfalfa can suck out a quarter ton a year easy. Then there is either the fuel bill to plow it or the chemical bill to do notil. I blew through $50 of diesel today plowing 8 acres. All in all, not bad considering but still thats money spent. I normally break even mid way through the second year. But then there are those pesky Easter freezes like we had this spring, I lost 20 acres of newly seeded just like that.

 

[benny2]

What is P & K?

 

[hayray]

Usually around $200/acre is the average for most of the plantings I have done. I find the same thing as Kyhayman that you start breaking even around the end of year two or after first cut of year 3.

 

[GeneMO]

P is the chemical symbol for Phosporus. The fertilizer that supplies P is generally refered to as "phosphate". K is the chemical symbol for Potasium, the fertilizer that supplies that is generally refered to as "potash"

Soil test will give your fertilizer requirements in the form of N-P-K. The N is for Nitrogen. N is supplied by several methods. Ammonium Nitrate and Urea are the two most common dry fertililzers for N. Row crop farmers inject anyhdrous ammonia into the soil just depends on what is cheaper.

Soil test will also give requirement for lime, which is necessary to adjust your ph.

Your local farm supplier and University extension agent can give you more details.


Gene

 

[Mark]

Gene,

I want to thank you for taking the time to explain N-P-K in an elementary way for the poster asking. So many folks take it for granted that EVERYBODY understands the garble of the 'trade'. Yes, anybody who intends to farm any kind of crop needs to know the value of soil analysis and what the basic constituents of fertilizer are...and why they are in it. The entire crowd that comes here hasn't been raised on the farm or studied agriculture...therefore they need to ask...and be kindly told...what things like N-P-K mean. My hat is off to you for doing so.

Nothing pisses me off anymore than for folks to begin talking to an open audience in any form of techno-babble. Military types are the world's worst for that. Just as bad, is when you go to a Chinese restaurant and all the Asian folks are ying-ho-ba-dong-fa-wha-ha-'ing and there I sit wondering what the Hell they are babbling about. You never know if they are saying the cats need skinning or the dog chops got burned or the rat legs are ready to be boiled!

 

[benny2]

Now I was raised on a farm and remember some things but a lot has been forgotten in the last 40 years.
Aviators, machinist, and computer geeks also try to confuse and impress with techno babel.
I know aviators and machinist cause I am one. But also an instructor and know that everyone dont know the techno babel of each.
Thanks

 

[steveormary]

ric1

10#'s/acre is the most we ever went seeding alfalfa. Usually got by with 6or7#'s. We did work the fields alot usinf a disk,spring tooth harrow and a spike tooth harrow. After seeding we would harrow the field 3-4 times and then wait for a rain. This was in central Nebraska.

steveormary

 

[Anonymous-0]

Current price is around 150.00 per ton and you can get from 5-7T per acre a year. Drill direct and get three cuttings first yr. You need to go to your extension office and they can tell you how to grow it on your farm then see a good seed dealer.