By Jackie Estrem and Taylor Herber
Well this is it! The last Alfalfa Harvest Alert for the 2025 season. The last round of samples were taken on the 26th and 27th of May and all but one cooperating farm has harvested as of today. In comparison to last year, warm conditions at the beginning of this season kick-started rapid growth in alfalfa plants. Similarly, rain and cool weather delayed harvest in some fields although alfalfa weevil pressure was much reduced compared to last year.
Overall, we saw an early window for alfalfa harvest for some farms before rain delays. In the coming weeks, farms should still scout for alfalfa weevil feeding in regrowth, especially in windrows, even though winter conditions may have caused more mortality in than previous years.