Interactive Alfalfa Maturity Map

Apr 27, 2021


New growth after frost damage in corn

This map updates daily! 

With an early start to warmth this spring, it is time to start thinking about and tracking the maturity of your alfalfa to optimize the time of harvest (as much as mother nature will allow, anyways). UW-Madison developed a quick in field tool for estimating RFV of alfalfa stands called PEAQ that allows for an estimation of alfalfa quality based on height and maturity stage.

To help farmers track alfalfa maturity and growth in their area, Premier developed an interactive alfalfa tracking system. We first used this last year, and it has been refined and continued to this year. It allows producers to see the most recent data from their area, as well as compare to progress from last year.
 
This short video explains how to use Premier's interactive alfalfa maturity map that is seen below. 

If you would like to have your data included, or just want to know how your alfalfa is doing ask your Premier nutritionist or do your own measurements using this method.

 

 

 

Enter your email below to receive more forage updates!

 

Kristina Weld, MS, PhD

Dairy Nutritionist
 

Latest Posts

Nov 01, 2024
Premier will be holding an election in January for one District 3 Director position. The incumbent, Louie Kieler (Platteville, WI), will be seeking reelection for another three-year term. If you are interested in applying, please contact David Fiene at 608.535.5207 to receive an application and qualification requirements. Applications must be received at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting
Nov 01, 2024
Premier’s 132nd annual meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 at 12pm at the Wisconsin Riverside Resort in Spring Green. The purpose of the meeting will be to approve the minutes of the last annual meeting, review the audit report for the past fiscal year, announce director election results, discuss any articles/by law changes, and discuss any and all matters properly brought before the meeting. Please RSVP by calling our Mt. Horeb office at 608-437-5536 no later than Friday, January 10, 2025. 
Nov 01, 2024
This growing season experienced significant moisture extremes, starting with heavy downpour rains and overly wet conditions early on, transitioning to dry conditions later in the summer. How did this affect your crops harvested for feed? There was a lot of variation, especially with the first crop. Some producers harvested the first crop early when the weather was good, resulting in great quality. Others took the first crop later, facing weather challenges that led to poor quality. The second crop was challenging due to a small window for making haylage. However, the third and fourth crops seemed to be of good quality.