What it takes for a persistent alfalfa stand (new insights)

     Alfalfa has been getting a lot of attention from forage research lately, given concerns that the big seed marketing brands  (generally owned by chemical companies today)  have been selling off or dropping their premium alfalfa lines.     Industry observers site three reasons:  (1) these companies make more money producing corn and soybean seed than alfalfa:  (2)  over the last twenty years, alfalfa growing farms have plateaued yields around 4 tons per acre  (bringing all the genetic selection efforts  into question):   (3)  RoundUp Ready alfalfa never got further than the irrigated fields of Idaho, costing 50% more than conventional seed without promising any increased yields.     Conventional seed sales volume plateaued for several years now.

A new technique for extending alfalfa stand life  

We already knew that the ideal soil pH for alfalfa to grow and persist is 6.5.      Less thought has been put into the ideal soil nutrient ratio for alfalfa, which is 20 parts Carbon to 1 part Nitrogen. Soil microbial populations that feed nutrients to the alfalfa roots are maintained at these levels.

During the harvesting season, each cutting removes carbon.    Alfalfa leaves are not that great at drawing in carbon dioxide (grass species are much superior to legumes in this process).    Thus a “pure” alfalfa stand will begin to die off just from periodic harvesting.     Mixed stands of alfalfa and improved grasses do much better (the alfalfa draws in nitrogen to root zones, and the grass draws in carbon to the root zones);  thus yields from mixed alfalfa-grass stands will be greater over the life of the stand.    But if you planted “pure” alfalfa, just overseed forage oats into the alfalfa stand after last cutting, and they will restore carbon to the soil.   The oats die off during winter, and you will see a more vigorous alfalfa regrowth in the spring!!

Great Lakes  Forage and Grazing  Conference   March 19, 2026
CTE John C Magnus Center:     3200 S Clare Ave.—Clare MI          9:00 am to 3:00 pm

This event happens once a year, with interesting speakers and topical breakout sessions.  The annual business meeting of Michigan Forage Council including election of rotating directors is held in the idle of the day.    If you register before March 15, admission is $65 (includes lunch).
To register online, go to https://bit.ly/GLFGC2026...  Or call Brittany Schultz (989) 426- 7741.

AI technique training schools happening

    We have partnered with Chris McTaggart, AI technique trainer for Central Star/Select Sires, on a  breeding schools which will be held in Elsie this January.    This schools is already full;  however, Chris says he is trying to do another session in March but will be at a different location to be determined.   If this is of interest to you, let us know and give us your email and we will keep you updated on what gets scheduled.

 

Mark Curry      (989) 984- 7027    Route sales and services

Sue Palen         (989) 277- 0480    Products and Order desk

Greg Palen       (989) 277- 6031    Certified Seed Specialist

Mich Livestock Service, Inc ***     “For the best in Bulls”    “High Energy Forages”
110 N Main St  (PO Box 661)   Ovid,  MI  48866 ***  phone (989) 834- 2661   fax (989) 834- 2914
email:  greg@michiganlivestock.com     website:  www.michiganlivestock.com     (also Facebook)
Spring  calving  coming  soon:    Ordering  semen  for  spring  breeding  

How efficient is your semen tank?

Semen tanks are not all alike.    We have now used cryogenic (liquid nitrogen) semen storage for sixty years in the cattle breeding industry.    Some 30/ 40/ 50 year old equipment is still in use.    This is amazing, given the more reputable tank builders still only warranty new tanks for five years…    

Considerations in choice of tanks
The first question is,  “does my tank retain a nitrogen charge a practical length of time, so that it fits into available service routes?”     For most people this will mean a tank capable of a 12-week hold, so it has a safety margin on our eight-week service schedule (we could get snowed out of your neighborhood for a week in a bad winter storm, or have a truck breakdown that takes us a week to get fixed).

The second question is, “am I going to be storing any embryos?”    The embryo is so much more complex than the sperm cell, making it more fragile, it is best it remain as much as possible in liquid nitrogen immersion.    Thus with eight week service routes, tank that has a safety margin after sixteen weeks (such as the newest 20-week hold time models) would insure your embryo is not forced to rise to vapor temperature (-140 F) and plunge back down to liquid temperature (-320 F) on a recurring basis.

The third question is, “how much semen am I going to be stocking?”    We all seem to have the tendency to let semen inventory “breed” (multiply) in our tanks.    Once canisters are filled with canes, it is harder to locate the bull you intend to breed with, maybe harder to extract a straw with the canes all gripping each other.    Newer model tanks of standard size have slightly larger canisters than the earlier models, thus IF you can discipline your buying, you can avoid making the straw extraction from the canister for each breeding slower, putting your stored semen at risk of damage from temperatures rising above -140 F vapor temperature.

The fourth question is, “am I a breeder collecting herdsires, thus needing more tank capacity?”   Keep in mind that larger capacity tanks, especially with bigger neck tube openings to handle wider canisters, cannot retain nitrogen as long as standard size tanks.    You might consider an option to store semen beyond your seasonal use at a storage facility rather than have it all on your ranch.    Otherwise, to spread risk, you could have multiple tanks on site and not keep all of your rare herdsire in a single tank  (eventually, every tank ever made is going to fail—we just have to be prepared for a possibility we do not catch it before it goes “warm” and spoils all the semen content in it.

Mark measures every tank we fill, before he puts nitrogen in it.    Those measurements get written at the bottom of your delivery invoice.    Thus we try to help you monitor each tank.