Genetic engineering scientists have been working for years to improve alfalfa. Reduced lignin and condensed tannin traits have been targeted to address the shortfalls of alfalfa quality. The lower lignin products in the marketplace partially solve alfalfa’s low fiber digestibility problems. However, condensed tannins to solve alfalfa’s high protein solubility issues appear to be five or 10 years down the road.
The interesting thing is red clover excels at both challenges. At similar harvest schedules, red clover will regularly have 5% to 10% higher NDFD30 then alfalfa and lower protein solubility. Tannin in clover causes its protein to be much less soluble and much higher in quality. In fact, red clover has approximately double the amount of alfalfa’s bypass protein.
In the past few decades, dairy farmers have begun harvesting alfalfa at younger stages to increase leaf-to-stem ratios and help fiber digestibility. Unfortunately, that also increases the amount of soluble protein in the forage. In most diets, this becomes a challenge to balance with the energy components. Red clover forage quality management is much easier because of its reduced protein solubility and increased fiber digestibility.
Benefits of Red Clover
The agronomic benefits of alfalfa are many and in some areas of the country it is still my preferred legume. However, let us look at what modern improved varieties of red clover bring to the table:
- More winter hardiness
- Better tolerates “wet feet”
- Not as dependent on high soil pH
- Gets going quicker than alfalfa, which is important when using shorter rotations
- Much higher fiber digestibility
- Has higher RUP or almost double bypass protein than alfalfa
- Has a root system that holds soil better when ravaged by rain
- Nitrogen from fixation might be available for other plants (grasses) sooner
- Can be seeded into a weak alfalfa stand to extend usefulness without the autotoxicity that would happen when seeding alfalfa into alfalfa.
- When added to an alfalfa stand, you will see areas thriving with clover, which would otherwise be bare
- Added in mixes with European cool season grasses such as meadow fescue (in the north) or orchardgrass (other places), clover will excel
And the Research Says
Work at the USDA Forage Research Center in Wisconsin with red clover replacing alfalfa showed dairy cows had reduced feed intakes with red clover-based diets but had similar milk yield and produced less manure. This is the result of increased digestibility (called milk efficiency). Less crude protein was converted to non-protein nitrogen, which improved dietary protein efficiency and reduced manure nitrogen.
Red clover is not the only clover option. We use a lot of annual clovers to not only add protein to the grass forage, but also to provide a winter cover crop and improve soil health. Annual clovers and vetches are included in virtually every cocktail mix we recommend. Clovers can be added (seeding rate 5 lb. to 8 lb.) to sorghum sudan, sudangrass, small grains and, of course, are a mainstay in any pasture system.
Caveats to Consider
There is a huge genetic difference between “medium” red clover and newer genetics. Some new varieties will last into the fourth year and have much greater regrowth potential.
Red clover doesn’t dry very well. This can be an asset in a haylage-focused harvest system, but it certainly was one reason farmers moved away from it when dry hay was a staple of dairy diets. Laying it wide is important for quick drying.
Red clover isn’t terribly drought tolerant and is best suited for heavier soils with adequate moisture is the norm.
If you’re farming heavier soils in a haylage-focused forage program, improved red clover might help your forage system and your dairy’s profitability.
