Alfalfa hay around the world: how regions use the queen of forages
From irrigated deserts in the Middle East to Californian dairies and Nordic lucerne trials, alfalfa is used very differently worldwide. Quality, trade and ration roles compared.
Bouvera Dairy Digest covers nutrition management principles only.
Alfalfa (lucerne) is prized for high crude protein, rapidly digestible fibre, calcium and natural buffering capacity, which supports rumen health and intake. Its deep roots and nitrogen fixation also make it valuable in crop rotations.
North America
In the US, especially the West, alfalfa hay and haylage are core forages alongside maize silage. Hay is graded by Relative Feed Value (RFV) or Relative Forage Quality (RFQ), with premium dairy hay commanding higher prices (Undersander, 2011).
Middle East and China
In hot, dry regions such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, large dairies rely heavily on imported alfalfa hay because growing it locally uses scarce groundwater. China has also become a major importer to support its expanding high-yield dairy sector.
Europe
Southern Europe (Spain, Italy) produces and exports dehydrated and baled alfalfa, while in Northern Europe and Scandinavia grass-clover silage dominates and lucerne is grown more locally where soils allow.
Southern Hemisphere
In Argentina and Australia, alfalfa is often grazed or used as hay in pasture-based systems, filling feed gaps in dry periods.
- Leaf retention is crucial — most protein is in the leaves.
- Cutting at early bloom balances yield and quality.
- Test every lot; quality varies widely between cuttings.
- Undersander, D. (2011). Using Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) to evaluate alfalfa and grass hay. University of Wisconsin Extension. https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/forage/
- Radović, J., Sokolović, D., & Marković, J. (2009). Alfalfa — most important perennial forage legume in animal husbandry. Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry, 25(5–6), 465–475. https://doi.org/10.2298/BAH0906465R
- Broderick, G. A. (1995). Performance of lactating dairy cows fed either alfalfa silage or alfalfa hay as the sole forage. Journal of Dairy Science, 78(2), 320–329. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(95)76640-1