Does no till alfalfa work???

[@chuckstevenson2929]

Thanks for the update.
Nice looking field.

[@tedkahler9738]

Thanks

[@johngourley741]

Always exciting to cut alfalfa. Smells good, looks good and feeds good.

[@tedkahler9738]

Getting less and less alfalfa here seems with distillers grains its becoming less and less common

[@koryleague8833]

I'd say that's a pretty good stand considering the conditions you had this year. I'm sure by no tilling you saved some moisture. I've always wondered why more people don't no til it. I know a couple guys around here have went in and sprayed old alphala off and no tilled it back in.

[@tedkahler9738]

Yea most people around me still broadcast .... untell they try no till once .... works great

[@koryleague8833]

Ted Kahler your a trail Blazer

[@younggunfarmer416]

looks like a great stand.

[@tedkahler9738]

Thanks I was happy

[@howardyounger5456]

looks good. the weeds shouldnt be there next year. looks like a great stand. i like to plant in the fall with no nurse crop. i just planted a small field. i was glad it was small because the seed was $435 per bag. but it was roundup ready. i would think you would have to have a great drill to plant no till alfalfa. dought mine would work. great video Ted.

[@tedkahler9738]

alfalfa is tougher than one would think...

[@howardyounger5456]

in heavy ground i have had bad luck had to plant a 20 acre patch 4 times to get a stand. really weird reasons.one time cut worms ate it off and killed it in the spring. by time i figured it out was to late to spray, and dont like to spray any ways. in lite ground have real good luck.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

looks good Ted. you got to be happy with the results, as you mentioned the dry start was good cause for concern. thanks for the video.

[@tedkahler9738]

Thanks soybean farmer i had some i planted a few weeks later and missed some of the rains and it died... Glad it was just a small experimental field.

[@w056007568]

That is an impressive stand Ted.

[@tedkahler9738]

Thanks dan

[@geaj4214]

i want to plant a alfalfa field. Can i spray with round up first to kill weeds. Then seed. i think the weeds I have a posionous to goats. I jus got baby goats.

[@tedkahler9738]

Yes that would work

[@landmarkcattle5220]

Looking good! How many pounds to the acre did you plant? Is this roundup ready? A few guys around here are planting it

[@tedkahler9738]

Not round up ready..... most the weeds here are roundup resistant so roundup alfalfa compounds the problems. 10-12 pounds per acre I personally think for feeding beef cattle a few weeds in alfalfa don't hurt anything. BUT i do think alfalfa needs to be rotated out every 4-5 years to keep a good stand and help with future crops

[@Masseydriver]

Looks like it is doing well.

[@tedkahler9738]

It sure is

[@jankotze1959]

Very nice Ted

[@tedkahler9738]

Thanks

[@AndersonCattleCo]

Did he spray for weeds before first cut? If I had a drill like you I would no till lots of stuff. My goal is to start alfalfa when I have stubble and seed it with out a nurse crop but in my situation I plant after potatoes so the land has to be worked to smooth out the huge ridges. Was it planted 12-15lbs/acre?

[@tedkahler9738]

It wasnt sprayed before first cut that i am aware. Ill ask him and if he did i will let you know. Pretty sure it was 10-12 pounds per acre

[@AndersonCattleCo]

We have such a weed problem so I always spray for broadleaf weeds . My father in law had heavier land and he would work it black spread the seed harrow it twice and the only thing that would come was wild oats and alfalfa ,he would cut it once they headed and bale it up and he would get a cut of hay to. He came to my place and asked why I seeded a cover crop and sprayed so I had to teach him about farming blow sand.

[@padairyfarming6489]

We have great luck with no till Alfala in the fall

[@tedkahler9738]

Never tried no till in the fall... So far just plant it in the spring with oats and its been working

[@69druth]

Either way conventional or no-till alfalfa is shallow and is easy to grow. I have seen people drill it in and they set it too deep and it will not grow. I don't like it in rows I like the drop spread method, better ground coverage. Generally if we cut this late don't expect much next year.

[@tedkahler9738]

I love the rows Drop method wont work with no till and im 100 percent no till. Im not going to loose ten years of no till just to plant alfalfa only takes once working it and you loose most progress you have made. Normally the first few years of no till can be pretty rough Id rather only have to do that once

[@69druth]

I no-till it all in. In spring generally with oats. In fall just seed it never fails to take off. Winter kill can be tough on it but that at any stage.

[@jmaustral8742]

Looks great!! What herbicide did you spray? I am just coming into no till and I pretend to seed alfalfa too, so it would be of greatest help to know it
Greeting from Southern Chile

[@tedkahler9738]

I. used a chemical called select to kill grasses in alfalfa. Also use it to kill corn in soybeans

[@muddysprings6233]

Hitting it light with the cultivator still keeps my mind at ease !! No-till works for you keep doing it!

[@tedkahler9738]

Hitting it once with cultivator ruins my no till and i would have to start all over.. One tillage pass will cause you to loose most of the benefits that i have been working on for ten years. I dont want to have to go threw the ups and downs of starting no till again. BUT you Have to have a good drill to keep the depth right!

[@muddysprings6233]

Ted Kahler I don't have a no-till drill but my corn planter could do it but my anxiety for dirt stirring and my heavy HEAVY clay soil won't let me but my neighbor on the other hand.......will no-till winter wheat into soybeans stubble because he gets busy with corn and has no time to piss around with cultivating ! I may try it sometime in my life but right now it's a big no no ...... If I where you just keep no tilling . Would you consider chisel ploughing or ripping every 30 years or so to get rid of your hard pan ?

[@tedkahler9738]

I dont think i would here... i think ill try to use cover crops with deep roots then the cows will eat the tops off and the roots will do the work of the chisel plough. That field i planted was in some clay (gumbo) been a long time since it has been worked. Dad would still be trying to disc everything if it wasn't for me changing his ways..... Told me i was dumb, foolish and it would never work..... now he wont go back to tillage either. he is a believe now!

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

do you guys use a merger or how do you rake it without picking up the old corn residue?

[@tedkahler9738]

we will pick up some corn residue but really by the time we cut the oats most the corn residue is broke down.

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

But, they say no-till wont work! LOL

[@tedkahler9738]

Its just terrible LOL

[@larsonvalleyfarm]

Ted Kahler lol!

[@AndersonCattleCo]

I don't know why anyone would say you can't no till Alfalfa because the biggest thing you need to get a good stand is a firm seed bed. Getting a firm seed bed is what I struggle with because my sand will blow away if I work it enough to make it look pretty and pack it well.

[@davehalser9351]

I've ways no tilled alfalfa and other hay fields. No till works if you adjust to it..

[@garyandsandrahamlin872]

how many bales per acre can you usually get from an average stand?

[@tedkahler9738]

pry 2-3 ton per acre with 3 cuttings

[@barendhammer3544]

Does no-till also mean you have to spray more chemicals against weats? We don do no-till where I come from .

[@tedkahler9738]

Barend Hammer that is a loaded question not tilling helps keep weed seeds from germinating but yes we do use chemicals to control weeds that do come. But for example this field was only sprayed one time this year. It's all about management and either practice could cause the use of more chemicals. No till does help hold the fertilizers and soil in place so it doesn't end up in rivers and streams . Thanks for the question I hope I got it answered for you.

[@barendhammer3544]

It probably works for you, the alfalfa looks good. I think no-till works better in dry eareas, we get more than 800mm of rain / year and I think no-till farming not for me.

[@mattwilkinson8502]

Under a pivot I assume??

[@tedkahler9738]

No Irrigation here... This is dry land

[@JamesOBrien2253]

That's one nice tractor what model number is she

[@tedkahler9738]

that is a 4450 i believe

[@gleanerk]

Ted; what's the brown to yellow weed that's taller than alfalfa called if you know?

[@tedkahler9738]

Its kochia that was cut off in first cutting and grew back some. Alfalfa will choke it out if there is a good stand

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Ted Kahler - a beneficial plant choking out a weed! I wish and dream for some of that. over here our weeds are schooled with many different ways to choke out what we are wanting to grow.

[@kevinfarmer5895]

For what it has come thru, I'd say looks great. Will they fertilize?

[@tedkahler9738]

Yes it was fertilized before it was planted and will also be fertilized every year untell it is sprayed out

[@alfredollamas576]

What was the seeding rate?

[@tedkahler9738]

10- 12 pounds i believe

[@DLKHAY]

what is the sowing rate?

[@tedkahler9738]

10-12 pounds

[@DLKHAY]

Did that field get raked for first crop? if so was there a bunch of trash in the bales from being no till?

[@tedkahler9738]

im sure there were a few corn stalks in there with the oats but for cow feed it dont matter much. Most people grind it in a pile so a few stalks dont hurt anything. it did get raked. Put two windrows together

[@DLKHAY]

CONGRATS on 1k subs

[@tedkahler9738]

Thanks man