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Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | One thing to consider, here anyway, is that it is not really a potato/alfalfa rotation. Generally ground is established into alfalfa for 6-12 years and then put into a potato/grain rotation for several years. Used to be alfalfa was only grown once in a great while, and never on the prime ground in the basin. It was just potatoes/grain year after year. Also always have to follow potatoes with grain due to chemical residue. Most of the potato guys have a good fertility program, test are usually better after a crop of spuds than before. Normal fert on alfalfa here is 16-20 and potash.
The advantages for a hay guy are a good cash flow during rotation, and the ground gets worked up well several times. After being in alfalfa for to long, you get all sorts of compaction issues, and weed problems. Lease it out for a couple of years, and they do much of the ground work (deep ripping, rototilling) on really hard alfalfa ground. Takes care of weed problems that are hard to deal with in alfalfa, like quackgrass and dandelions. It is nice to be able to start a new stand in bare ground with only the new weeds to deal with, and no crop residue to deal with. Also the intensive tillage and soil fumigates help with pests. Works good for the potato guys as the ground has been rested from spuds for years and doesn't have the disease pressures they have with a two year rotation. | |
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Alfalfa & Taters in rotation.
