Jackie Estrem, UMN Extension Educator- Sustainable Agriculture, Stearns, Benton, Morrison, &
Sherburne Counties, and Taylor Herbert, UMN Extension Educator- Crops, Wright, McLeod, & Meeker Counties
Well this is it! The last Alfalfa Harvest Alert for the 2025 season. The last round of samples were taken on the 26th and 27th of May and all but one cooperating farm has harvested as of today. In comparison to last year, warm conditions at the beginning of this season kick-started rapid growth in alfalfa plants. Similarly, rain and cool weather delayed harvest in some fields although alfalfa weevil pressure was much reduced compared to last year.
Sherburne Counties, and Taylor Herbert, UMN Extension Educator- Crops, Wright, McLeod, & Meeker Counties
Well this is it! The last Alfalfa Harvest Alert for the 2025 season. The last round of samples were taken on the 26th and 27th of May and all but one cooperating farm has harvested as of today. In comparison to last year, warm conditions at the beginning of this season kick-started rapid growth in alfalfa plants. Similarly, rain and cool weather delayed harvest in some fields although alfalfa weevil pressure was much reduced compared to last year.
Overall, we saw an early window for alfalfa harvest for some farms before rain delays. In the coming weeks, farms should still scout for alfalfa weevil feeding in regrowth, especially in windrows, even though winter conditions may have caused more mortality in than previous years.
For more info on alfalfa weevil, check out a recent Strategic Farming: Field Notes recording at strategicfarming.transistor.fm.
As a final reminder, the goal of the Alfalfa Harvest Alert program is to alert growers to start the first cut of alfalfa when the crop is at a level of quality and yield potential that meets their specific needs, not to try and name the exact day of harvest. Rather the goal is to encourage growers who are busy with management of other crops to be more strategic with hay crop harvest as it relates to their needs.
For more info on alfalfa weevil, check out a recent Strategic Farming: Field Notes recording at strategicfarming.transistor.fm.
As a final reminder, the goal of the Alfalfa Harvest Alert program is to alert growers to start the first cut of alfalfa when the crop is at a level of quality and yield potential that meets their specific needs, not to try and name the exact day of harvest. Rather the goal is to encourage growers who are busy with management of other crops to be more strategic with hay crop harvest as it relates to their needs.
How to get harvest alert data
The Alfalfa Harvest Alert 5-30 data is available as a pdf. However, there is also a tool that contains this year’s data and all the data from every county and farm that has participated in the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program since 1997. As an added bonus, this year we are also including data from University of Wisconsin Madison Extension! Go to z.umn.edu/AlfalfaHarvestAlert to view the data. You can also get the most recent information through email by signing up at z.umn.edu/QuadCountySignup and clicking the 'Alfalfa Scissor-Cut and Harvest Alert' box.
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