Lucerne, or alfalfa, is attracting plenty of interest from dairy farmers, driven by the high prices for fertiliser and the increasing demand for protein-rich forage. Dairy farmers perceive lucerne as a challenging crop to grow, so we developed Alfa Comfort in response. Alfa Comfort is a mixture of two lucerne varieties with different dormancy classes. In addition, Alfa Comfort seeds are coated with Yellow Jacket technology, which will get the lucerne crop off to the very best start. In other words: Alfa Comfort, a persistent, protein-rich crop that will thrive and perform well in Dutch weather.
With Alfa Comfort in your cropping plan, a long growing season is guaranteed thanks to the different dormancy classes. The dormancy class indicates the period in the winter when the crop is dormant. The lower the dormancy class, the greater the winter hardiness. The Flemish low-dormancy lucerne variety used in Alfa Comfort is highly productive in spring and early summer. Partnered with the high-dormancy Mediterranean lucerne variety, you can also expect an excellent yield in summer and autumn, even during long periods of drought.
Harvest lucerne and grass at the same time
Thanks to its long growing season, you can easily harvest five to six cuts of Alfa Comfort. This enables you to harvest and store your lucerne as silage at the same time as your grass crop. Alfa Comfort's high protein content makes it an ideal addition to your grass silage.
The different heading dates increase the spread of heading in the crop. The heading date is directly linked to the ideal moment to cut the crop. Lucerne should preferably be harvested when 10% is in the heading phase. It is difficult to determine this precise moment in practice, so lucerne is often cut too late which has a negative effect on its feed value. The spread of heading in the crop creates more opportunities to harvest the lucerne. This leads to greater flexibility, so you can easily harvest lucerne with the highest feed value.
The Flemish variety Barnard has high scores for protein content in the Official French Catalogue (national list) of species and varieties. The high protein content and above-average summer production of Alfa Comfort will boost your annual yield. That will mean plentiful stocks of forage for the winter months.
Using seeds with a higher dormancy class allows you to seed later in the autumn. A difference of 14 days in September creates an opportunity to harvest the pre-crop at a later date. Alfa Comfort can even be seeded after an early corn variety has been harvested. Ideal for crop rotation in your cropping plan.
Guaranteed top yields with Yellow Jacket Nitrogenerator®
Alfa Comfort is enhanced with Yellow Jacket Nitrogenerator®. This seed enhancement technology embeds high levels of specific Rhizobium bacteria in the lucerne. Together with a nutrient booster containing all the essential minerals and trace elements, this product is designed to improve establishment and increase forage production.
Reasons to use Yellow Jacket Nitrogenerator®:
- Improved establishment under difficult conditions
- Better use of available water in the soil
- Increased disease resistance
- Improved nitrogen fixation
- Increased forage and protein yield
Click here for more information about Yellow Jacket Nitrogenerator®