To meet the demand, more area farmers are turning to a tried and true Southwestern crop — alfalfa. Alfalfa acreage continues to increase in eastern New Mexico and western parts of Texas despite declining water available for irrigation in the region.

"This increase is directly related to an increase in the number of dairies in the region," said Leonard Lauriault, forage agronomist at New Mexico State University's Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari. "Although alfalfa may not produce as much tonnage per acre with the same amount of water as some other forages, like corn and sorghum, it does produce the greatest forage value in regard to yield and quality for dairy cattle."

Alfalfa has many other attributes making it a desirable crop in this geographic area, Lauriault said. As a long-lived perennial, remaining productive for seven or more years with good management, alfalfa doesn't require tillage and replanting every year. This frees the producer's time for other activities in addition to protecting the soil from wind and water erosion.

Alfalfa is efficient at harvesting soil moisture and nutrients because it's very deeply rooted, Lauriault said. Because of its deep root system, alfalfa tolerates drought well, he said, and it also uses dormancy to avoid severe moisture stress.

"Alfalfa can recover after long-term irrigation termination, maintaining ground cover and protecting the soil if irrigation water is needed for other crops," Lauriault said. Information about drought management of alfalfa is available from any NMSU county Cooperative Extension Service Office or online at http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR-581.pdf.

Source: Las Cruces Sun-News