By Jackie Estrem and Taylor Herbert et.al
The Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project, also called Scissor Cut, continued this week with samples taken on May 26th and 27th. Recent cool weather has kept alfalfa growth slow, but as RFV’s near target range, many farmers are ready to cut. Windy conditions have resulted in varying amounts of lodging across the region. Aphid populations of note have been identified in southerly sample fields, but no significant levels of alfalfa weevil feeding or other disease have been reported. While not many weevils have been reported yet, be on the lookout for them, as it’s likely they will be hatching very soon.
The goal of the Alfalfa Harvest Alert program is to alert growers to start the first cut of alfalfa when the crop is at a level of quality and yield potential that meets their specific needs.