Significant Alfalfa Losses Experienced in Eastern Wisconsin

Significant alfalfa losses experienced in eastern Wisconsin

alfalfa
alfalfa
(Troy Walz, Nebraska Extension)

Unusual seasonal weather variations have made it tough on alfalfa crops in some parts of Wisconsin.

A warmer-than-usual winter and a cold wet spring have caused a significant portion of the alfalfa crop to fail in Manitowoc County. University of Wisconsin Extension agriculture specialist Scott Gunderson says at least 10,000 of the 18,000 acres of alfalfa have failed in the county.

USA Today Network-Wisconsin says February temperatures climbed into the 60s, encouraging the alfalfa to grow, then dropped down to the 20s causing harmful sheets of ice to form on the plantings.

Dairy farmers may struggle to find feed for their cows in the months ahead and will likely spend more to buy forage for their herds.

AgWeb-Logo crop
Related Stories
The row crop and cotton markets saw some early support Thursday from a rally in crude oil as doubts about the peace deal with Iran came into question.
Grains markets were mostly higher Thursday morning except hard red winter wheat following a bounce in crude oil says Mike Minor with Professional Ag Marketing.
Corn and wheat futures saw more fund selling and long liquidation end of month but it was triggered by war headlines. Chuck Shelby with Zaner Ag Hedge says those markets continue to remove risk premium.
Read Next
Applying a keen sense of business and creating non-farm assets, Tim Nuss unlocks a flywheel effect to propel the Nuss Farms forward.
Get News Daily
Get Market Alerts
Get News & Markets App