{"id":789,"date":"2026-07-16T01:49:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/application\/how-to-make-alfalfa-silage-with-a-round-baler-complete-guide\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T01:49:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:49:54","slug":"how-to-make-alfalfa-silage-with-a-round-baler-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/sollicitatie\/how-to-make-alfalfa-silage-with-a-round-baler-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoe maak je alfalfasilage met een ronde balenpers: complete handleiding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Grass Forages \u00b7 Alfalfa \u00b7 Silage Baleage<\/div>\n

The Queen of Forages Meets Its Toughest Preservation Challenge<\/p>\n

Why alfalfa baleage consistently outperforms sun-dried hay \u2014 and the precise management steps that prevent the high-protein legume from fermenting clostridially.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Alfalfa as a Silage Crop: Why Baleage Changed Everything<\/h2>\n

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa<\/em>), called lucerne across Australia, the UK, and much of the Middle East, is the world’s most widely grown forage legume. Its capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen at 100 to 300 kg per hectare per year, combined with crude protein levels of 15 to 25% at the vegetative-to-early-bud cutting stage, makes it the most nutritionally complete roughage available to dairy and beef cattle, horses, and export hay markets. In the major alfalfa-producing regions \u2014 the US intermountain west, southern Australia’s Murray-Darling basin, the arid northwest of China, and the irrigated deserts of Saudi Arabia and the UAE \u2014 the crop is the economic backbone of dairy nutrition.<\/p>\n

The traditional sun-dried bale system that built the alfalfa hay industry now faces a fundamental constraint: it requires 3 to 5 consecutive days of low humidity, full sunshine, and zero rainfall to reliably cure alfalfa to below 15% moisture without leaf shatter losses. In many growing environments \u2014 Ireland and the UK, New Zealand’s South Island, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, the cooler tablelands of southeast Australia \u2014 those conditions are simply not reliable enough for large-scale alfalfa hay production. Baleage (baling at 40 to 55% moisture and sealing with silage stretch film) removes the weather dependency entirely. The crop is cut, wilted for 24 to 36 hours, baled, and immediately wrapped \u2014 rain cannot re-wet it, sunshine is optional, and the fermentation process preserves the protein fraction that leaf shatter destroys in sun-dried hay.<\/p>\n

This guide covers the complete alfalfa baleage production system: the biological reasons why alfalfa is harder to ferment well than grass silage, the cutting stage and wilting protocol that delivers the best fermentation substrate, inoculant selection, film layer requirements, and the storage and feedout management that prevents the aerobic deterioration at opening that wastes more alfalfa baleage value than any other single factor. For producers already familiar with grass silage baling who are adding alfalfa, our article on moisture targets, wrapping layers and fermentation for alfalfa silage<\/a> covers the technical specifications in a complementary format.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Round<\/p>\n

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Why Alfalfa Is the Hardest Legume to Ferment Well<\/h2>\n

The Buffering Capacity Problem \u2014 More Severe Than Clover<\/h3>\n

Every silage legume resists fermentation to some degree, and alfalfa is the most challenging of all common forage crops in this respect. Buffering capacity \u2014 the crop’s resistance to pH reduction \u2014 in fresh alfalfa at 65% moisture is 3 to 5 times higher than in ryegrass at the same moisture level. The reason is the protein load: alfalfa’s 22 to 25% crude protein at the vegetative stage provides an enormous pool of amino acids and organic acids that absorb hydrogen ions and prevent pH from falling toward the 4.0 to 4.5 range needed to suppress clostridial bacteria.<\/p>\n

The second challenge is the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) deficit. Alfalfa stores carbon as starch and organic acids rather than as readily-fermentable sugars. At cutting, WSC content is typically 3 to 7% of dry matter \u2014 compared to 10 to 18% in ryegrass and 12 to 20% in whole-plant corn. This low WSC means the lactic acid bacteria in alfalfa silage have less fermentation substrate to work with, producing less lactic acid per tonne of ensiled material and therefore achieving a slower, less complete pH drop.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Crop<\/th>\nRuw eiwit (droge stof)<\/th>\nWSC at Cutting<\/th>\nBuffering Capacity<\/th>\nFerment Difficulty<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Alfalfa \/ Lucerne<\/td>\n18\u201325%<\/td>\n3\u20137%<\/td>\nZeer hoog<\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Red Clover<\/td>\n15\u201322%<\/td>\n5\u201310%<\/td>\nHoog<\/td>\n\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryegrass<\/td>\n10\u201316%<\/td>\n12\u201318%<\/td>\nLow-Medium<\/td>\n\u2605\u2605<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Whole-Plant Corn<\/td>\n8\u20139%<\/td>\n18\u201325%<\/td>\nLaag<\/td>\n\u2605<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

The Clostridial Risk in High-Moisture Alfalfa<\/h3>\n

When alfalfa baleage is made above 60% moisture without a homofermentative LAB inoculant, the combination of high buffering capacity, low WSC, and abundant protein creates ideal conditions for clostridial bacteria: the pH drop is slow (taking 30 to 40+ days rather than 14 to 21), and clostridia \u2014 which are suppressed only when pH falls below 4.5 \u2014 multiply actively during this extended window, producing butyric acid, ammonia, and CO\u2082 that destroy protein quality and palatability. A spoiled batch of alfalfa baleage has crude protein that is 60 to 80% in the ammonia-nitrogen fraction \u2014 metabolically useless to the animal and actively toxic to the rumen microbiome at high intakes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cutting Stage and Wilting: Getting the Starting Conditions Right<\/h2>\n

The Vegetative-to-Early-Bud Window<\/h3>\n

Alfalfa for baleage should be cut at the late vegetative to early bud stage<\/strong> \u2014 when the most advanced stems in the stand show the first round buds but fewer than 10% of plants have open flowers. At this stage, crude protein peaks at 20 to 25% DM, NDF is 35 to 42% (still highly digestible), and the plant’s WSC content is at its seasonal maximum relative to protein load. Cutting later \u2014 at 25 to 50% flowering \u2014 drops protein by 3 to 5 percentage points and raises NDF to 45 to 52%, where digestibility declines noticeably for high-production dairy.<\/p>\n

In most irrigated alfalfa systems (California, Nevada, Murray-Darling basin, northern China’s Gansu and Xinjiang), the interval between cuttings is 28 to 35 days in summer \u2014 producing 5 to 8 cuttings per season. The bud-stage window is 4 to 7 days wide; missing it by even 3 days in hot, fast-growing summer conditions produces a visibly mature stand with open flowers and a measurable drop in protein and digestibility.<\/p>\n

Wilting to 45\u201355% Moisture: The Critical Target<\/h3>\n

Baling alfalfa above 60% moisture is the primary driver of fermentation failure. At the same time, baling below 40% moisture produces excessively dry baleage that ferments incompletely and shows elevated yeast activity and aerobic heating at feedout. The 45 to 55% moisture range is the practical optimum \u2014 sufficient fermentation substrate in solution, manageable buffering load, and minimal clostridial risk with good inoculant practice.<\/p>\n

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1<\/div>\n
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Cut in afternoon with a mower-conditioner<\/div>\n

Conditioning breaks the alfalfa stem’s waxy cuticle and the lignified outer wall, exposing internal moisture to evaporation across the full stem length \u2014 not just the cut end. This single step reduces wilting time by 25 to 40% compared to plain disc mowing. In summer conditions (25\u201335\u00b0C, low humidity), conditioned alfalfa can wilt from 80% to 50% moisture in 18 to 28 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2<\/div>\n
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Ted once \u2014 early on the morning after cutting<\/div>\n

Turn the conditioned windrow at first light the following morning when dew has dried from the surface (usually 2\u20133 hours after sunrise). Tedding at this point inverts the windrow and exposes the still-wet lower layer to peak daytime solar radiation. Do not ted a second time \u2014 over-handling alfalfa below 60% moisture causes leaf shatter that removes the most protein-dense fraction from the windrow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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3<\/div>\n
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Test moisture at the windrow base every 3 hours from 16 hours post-cut<\/div>\n

Alfalfa wilts non-uniformly \u2014 the surface dries 4 to 8 hours ahead of the base layer. Always probe the base of the windrow with a conductance meter or Koster test sample. The surface squeeze test is unreliable for alfalfa: the waxy stem surface feels drier than it is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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4<\/div>\n
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Rake and apply inoculant when 48\u201355% confirmed<\/div>\n

Merge to baling windrow width and apply a homofermentative LAB inoculant (Lactobacillus plantarum, minimum 1 \u00d7 10\u2076 cfu\/g fresh matter) at the baler pickup. The inoculant is not optional for alfalfa \u2014 it is the mechanism that overcomes the buffering capacity disadvantage by rapidly populating the fermentation with lactic-acid-producing bacteria before clostridia can establish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"9GQY-3.2<\/p>\n

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Film Wrapping: Why Alfalfa Baleage Needs a Minimum of 8 Layers<\/h2>\n

The standard recommendation for grass silage round baleage is 6 layers of 25-micron silage stretch film. For alfalfa, 8 layers is the correct minimum, and 10 layers is justified for any bales stored beyond 9 months or in high-UV climates. The reason is alfalfa’s extended active fermentation period: while ryegrass silage reaches stable pH within 14 to 21 days, well-made alfalfa baleage at 50% moisture requires 28 to 40 days to achieve the same stability. During this extended window, any oxygen ingress through a film puncture or weak seal redirects fermentation from lactic to aerobic pathways \u2014 a failure that is not visible externally until the bale is opened months later.<\/p>\n

Two layers of 25-micron film have an oxygen transmission rate approximately 33% lower than one layer, but the relationship is not linear \u2014 overlapping wrap creates genuine multi-layer barrier function only when each successive layer is applied with 50% overlap of the previous. The 9YCM-850 bundelfoliewikkelmachine<\/a> applies layers at programmable revolution counts with consistent 50% overlap \u2014 eliminating the operator error that causes thin spots in manually-counted wrapping operations. Pair it with the 9YG-1.25A ronde balenpers met variabele kamer<\/a> for the density consistency (200\u2013240 kg DM\/m\u00b3) that alfalfa baleage requires for complete anaerobic conditions across the full bale cross-section.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Storage, Feedout, and Aerobic Stability Management<\/h2>\n

The Aerobic Deterioration Problem at Feedout<\/h3>\n

Alfalfa baleage has lower aerobic stability at feedout than most grass silages. When an alfalfa baleage bale is opened and exposed to air, the high protein content and residual fermentation acids provide an excellent substrate for yeasts and moulds. In warm conditions (above 18\u00b0C), aerobic deterioration \u2014 visible as surface heating and mould growth on the exposed face \u2014 can begin within 12 to 24 hours of opening. Alfalfa that was 20% crude protein at ensiling can degrade to an effective 14 to 16% available protein within 3 days of feedout exposure due to proteolysis and mould consumption of protein fractions.<\/p>\n

The practical response: feed out each opened alfalfa baleage bale within 2 days in warm weather. Do not leave opened bales exposed to air for more than 48 hours. In winter conditions (below 10\u00b0C), the 3 to 4 day feedout window is acceptable. For operations that cannot achieve this feedout rate from individual bales, use baleage in a TMR system where the daily required quantity determines how many bales are opened each morning, and any unused opened bale is covered with a temporary silage sheet until the next feeding.<\/p>\n

Diagnosing Fermentation Quality at Opening<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Indicator<\/th>\nGood Fermentation<\/th>\nClostridial Failure<\/th>\nActie<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Smell<\/td>\nClean, acidic, fresh<\/td>\nRancid, ammonia, rotten<\/td>\nDo not feed \u2014 assess extent<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Colour<\/td>\nOlive green, uniform<\/td>\nBrown-black, grey zones<\/td>\nDiscard affected material<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
pH (test strip)<\/td>\n4.0\u20134.8<\/td>\n5.0\u20136.5<\/td>\nTest adjacent bales<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NH\u2083-N (lab)<\/td>\n<8% of total N<\/td>\n10\u201330% of total N<\/td>\nFeed only to low-productivity animals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Temperatuur<\/td>\nAmbient at core<\/td>\nHot (>45\u00b0C) within 24 hrs<\/td>\nAerobic deterioration \u2014 feed urgently<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Ever-Power<\/p>\n

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Alfalfa Markets: Export Hay, Dairy, and the Premium Value Chain<\/h2>\n

Alfalfa is one of the few forages traded on a genuine global market. Export hay from the US Pacific Northwest, Arizona, and southern Australia moves in 20 to 40 foot container loads to Japan, South Korea, China, and the UAE, where dairy operations and horse farms pay AUD $350 to $600 per tonne for premium-grade product tested at 20%+ crude protein and below 30% NDF. For this market, sun-dried compressed hay is still the dominant format \u2014 export buyers specify maximum 14 to 15% moisture for container shipping and compressed bale formats that maximise container loading efficiency.<\/p>\n

Within domestic markets \u2014 dairy farms, horse properties, sheep stations \u2014 alfalfa baleage is increasingly preferred over sun-dried hay because it can be produced in wet-season windows that preclude hay drying, preserves more leaf protein (the most valuable fraction), and requires no barn storage. For Australian operations producing alfalfa baleage for on-farm dairy use or local sale, the economics strongly favour baleage over hay where weather reliability is below 60 to 70% during the intended cutting window.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Common Mistakes in Alfalfa Baleage Production<\/h2>\n
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\u274c Baling Above 60% Moisture Without Inoculant<\/div>\n

At 60%+ moisture and without an LAB inoculant, the alfalfa WSC-to-buffering-capacity ratio is below 1.0 \u2014 clostridial fermentation is the statistically expected outcome, not a risk. The resulting butyric silage is unpalatable, high in ammonia nitrogen, and reduces dry matter intake in dairy cows by 15 to 30% compared to good-quality fermented alfalfa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u274c Using Only 6 Film Layers<\/div>\n

Six layers is correct for ryegrass with its 14 to 21 day fermentation window. Alfalfa’s 28 to 40 day window requires 8 layers minimum. Every independent trial comparing 6 and 8-layer wrapping of alfalfa baleage has found statistically significant differences in fermentation quality outcomes, with 8-layer batches showing lower ammonia nitrogen and less aerobic deterioration at feedout.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u26a0 Skipping the Mower-Conditioner<\/div>\n

Plain disc mowing of alfalfa followed by baling relies on end-face evaporation from the cut stem. In conditions where 36+ hours of field exposure are available, this can work. In any environment where the weather window is 24 to 28 hours, non-conditioned alfalfa will still be at 65 to 70% moisture when the weather window closes \u2014 and will be baled either too wet or missed entirely. The mower-conditioner cost is recovered in the first season through improved fermentation quality and reduced spoilage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Over-Wilting Below 40% Moisture<\/div>\n

Alfalfa baleage at 35 to 40% moisture is too dry for reliable lactic acid fermentation: not enough free water is present in the ensiled mass to maintain the anaerobic conditions and support the LAB population through the full fermentation period. Very dry alfalfa baleage shows elevated yeast counts at feedout, rapid aerobic heating when opened, and poor pH stability. The 45 to 55% moisture target is both a floor and a ceiling, not just a floor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Veelgestelde vragen<\/h2>\n
\nHow many cuttings per year does alfalfa produce, and what is the yield?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Irrigated alfalfa in California, Nevada, and Australia’s Riverina typically produces 6 to 9 cuttings per season with annual dry matter yields of 18 to 28 tonnes per hectare. Dryland alfalfa in northern China and the US Great Plains produces 3 to 5 cuttings and 8 to 14 tonnes per hectare. Each cutting at the bud stage yields 2 to 4 tonnes DM per hectare depending on regrowth interval and fertility. In terms of round bales, a 1.25 m bale at 50% moisture and 220 kg DM\/m\u00b3 density weighs approximately 500 to 600 kg fresh weight.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhat is the minimum wilt time for alfalfa before baling?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Under optimal summer drying conditions \u2014 30\u00b0C, low humidity, 8+ hours of sunshine, light wind \u2014 conditioned alfalfa can wilt from 78 to 80% moisture at cutting to 50 to 55% in 18 to 24 hours. Under sub-optimal conditions (overcast, humid, cooler), 36 to 48 hours is more realistic. Never estimate wilt time from experience alone \u2014 always confirm with a moisture meter before baling, as alfalfa stem moisture is consistently overestimated by the squeeze test.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nCan alfalfa baleage replace alfalfa hay for dairy cows?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Yes \u2014 well-fermented alfalfa baleage at 20%+ crude protein and pH 4.2 to 4.8 is nutritionally equivalent to or better than sun-dried alfalfa hay from the same cutting, because baleage preserves the leaf protein fraction that shatters and is lost during sun-drying. Dairy cows consistently show higher dry matter intake from good alfalfa baleage than from equivalent-analysis hay, because baleage has lower dust content and better palatability. The management requirement is that feedout must be completed within 2 to 3 days per opened bale.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nDoes alfalfa baleage need a preservative or inoculant?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
A homofermentative LAB inoculant is strongly recommended for all alfalfa baleage \u2014 not optional. Alfalfa’s high buffering capacity and low WSC mean that relying on naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria produces inconsistent results. Commercial inoculants at specified application rates consistently improve fermentation pH drop rate, reduce ammonia nitrogen, and extend aerobic stability at feedout. The cost per tonne of inoculant application (typically AUD $1 to $3 per bale) is recovered in the first batch of prevented spoilage.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhat tractor horsepower is needed for alfalfa baleage production?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
The mower-conditioner requires 60 to 80 hp at 1000 RPM PTO for standard 3.0 to 3.5 m working widths. The round baler requires 55 to 75 hp for alfalfa at 50 to 55% moisture \u2014 significantly less demanding than corn silage baling but more demanding than dry straw baling due to the higher moisture content and bale density. A single 80 to 100 hp tractor can operate both implements sequentially without a dedicated second tractor.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

\"EverPower<\/p>\n

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EverPower Baling Machinery Australia Pty Ltd \u00b7 Industriegebied Charlton<\/div>\n

Talk to Us About Your Alfalfa Baleage Operation<\/h2>\n

Share your annual volume target, cutting schedule, and tractor horsepower \u2014 we’ll specify the right baler and wrapper combination for your alfalfa programme.<\/p>\n

Vraag een offerte aan<\/a> Over EverPower<\/a><\/div>\n
+61 2 9708 3322<\/a>  | \u2709 sales@foragebalers.com<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grass Forages \u00b7 Alfalfa \u00b7 Silage Baleage The Queen of Forages Meets Its Toughest Preservation Challenge Why alfalfa baleage consistently outperforms sun-dried hay \u2014 and the precise management steps that prevent the high-protein legume from fermenting clostridially. Alfalfa as a Silage Crop: Why Baleage Changed Everything Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), called lucerne across Australia, the UK, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foragebalers.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}