Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program Returns in 2026

UMN Extension Educator Dana Adams estimates alfalfa quality using a PEAQ stick

By: Jackie Estrem, UMN Extension Local Educator, Crops - Stearns, Benton, Morrison, and Sherburne Counties and Taylor Herbert, UMN Extension Local Educator, Crops - Wright, McLeod, and Meeker Counties

With the recent stretch of spring weather, alfalfa fields are greening up and it won’t be long before we are thinking about the first cut of hay. This also means we are getting ready to take alfalfa scissor cut samples for the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program. 

This program helps forage producers determine the best time to cut the first crop of alfalfa to optimize forage yield and quality. This project is in its 30th year and is a collaboration between the Central Minnesota Forage Council and University of Minnesota Extension with support from area agribusiness sponsors and farmer collaborators. This year, samples will continue to be collected from fields in Stearns, Benton, Morrison, Wright, McLeod, Meeker, Sibley, Nicollet, and Carver counties. Last year, alfalfa sample collection started on May 5th and ended on May 27th with excellent forage quality maintained for many farms into late May.

As in past years, sampling will begin when alfalfa reaches between 14 to 16 inches tall. Cuttings of sample fields will be taken on Monday and Thursday mornings and sent for analysis to determine Relative Feed Quality (RFQ), Relative Feed Value (RFV), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and other alfalfa quality factors related to harvest decisions. Forage quality will also be estimated using maturity and plant height using the “Predictive Equation for Alfalfa Quality” (PEAQ) RFV.

If you are interested in measuring your own PEAQ RFV to follow along with the Alfalfa Harvest Alert numbers our team calculates, here is a procedure you can follow:

• Walk to a representative area of your field and select a 2-foot square area
• Determine the maturity stage (late vegetative, bud, flower) of the most mature stem in that area. If the bud is flat, your plants are in vegetative stages, if you can roll the bud between your fingers you are in bud stage
• Measure the height of the tallest stem from the soil to the tip of the stem (not to the highest leaf)
• Use the height and maturity to estimate the RFV using Table 1 below
• Repeat these steps in at least 4 representative spots in your field and take an average to get a good idea of the quality of the entire field. For large fields, you will need to take more measurements

Height (inches)	Late vegetative RFV	Bud stage RFV	Flower stage RFV
16"	237	225	210
17"	230	218	204
18"	224	212	198
19"	217	207	193
20"	211	201	188
21"	205	196	183
22"	200	190	178
23"	195	185	174
24"	190	181	170
25"	185	176	166
26"	180	172	162
27"	175	168	158
28"	171	164	154
29"	167	160	151
30"	163	156	147
31"	159	152	144
32"	155	149	140
33"	152	145	137
34"	148	142	134
35"	145	139	131
36"	142	136	128
37"	138	133	126
38"	135	130	123
39"	132	127	121
40"	129	124	118

Table 1. Alfalfa height and maturity estimates based on height in inches of tallest stem

For more information on calculating your own PEAQ RFV or alfalfa scissor cut sampling, check out Extension’s forage resources. If you are still interested in viewing the data from this year and previous year’s programs, the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Data Tool is active and contains data going back to the program's start in 1997. This tool allows you to select and sort data by state, year, county, and grower to look back and compare RFV, RFQ, and PEAQ RFV across Minnesota. 

As the 2026 season progresses, this will be your go-to spot for the most up-to-date data as well as all collected information. To view the tool and access data, go to z.umn.edu/AlfalfaHarvestAlert.

Figure 1: The Alfalfa Harvest Alert Data Tool 2024 and 2025 season data
from all collaborating farms indicating a decrease in RFV as alfalfa matures

 
As well as in the online data tool, the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project information will be shared similarly from past years. KASM 1150 AM, KTLF 960 AM, KLFD 1410 AM, and KRWC 1360 AM are sponsoring radio reports. Check your local paper for news releases as well. Internet users can visit Minnesota Crop News for posted hay information. The results can also be directly emailed to you twice a week by subscribing to the Alfalfa Scissor Cut and Harvest Alert email list.

Thank you to our sponsors for the 2026 program including Central United Cooperative, Dairyland Laboratories, Dohrmann Enterprises, Farmers and Merchants State Bank, Heim Milling Company, Magnifi Financial Credit Union, Nelson Dairy Consultants, Pine Country Bank, Sunrise Ag Cooperative, and Vita Plus (Barry Visser). We appreciate the hard work by all the farm and agribusiness cooperators and sponsors for this project and look forward to a successful sampling season!