It has the highest feeding value of all commonly grown hay crops when harvested at late bud or early flower stage of maturity, and produces the greatest amount of protein per acre of any livestock feed. It can be made into silage, pellets, meal, or cubes. If a rancher or farmer watches his animals carefully, alfalfa can be used successfully as a pasture crop. When pastures are grazed the soil must be dry enough to avoid crown damage from trampling. If alfalfa is used for year-round pasture, a rotational grazing system must be provided to allow root reserves to be replenished.
Bloat often is a problem for animals on pastured alfalfa.
Bloat is a buildup of gasses in the digestive tract. Unfortunately, the methods of controlling bloat often have been troublesome, expensive, and only partially effective. Using a grass-legume mixture in pastures, supplementing legumes with grass hays, intensive strip grazing with electric fences, and drylot feeding have all been somewhat successful. The most promising preventative treatment involves the use of bloat-preventative materials. However, the effectiveness of these methods is variable and depends upon animals obtaining a regular supply of bloat preventative.