The lack of snow on the Prairies this year has producers worrying that their alfalfa might winterkill.
“Whenever there is not a lot of snow cover, the chance of winterkill increases,” said John McGregor of the Manitoba Forage Council.
“There are some producers, who in the back of their mind are wondering.”
Two factors contribute to winterkill:
- heaving is the freezing and thawing in heavier soil that lifts the taproot out of the ground and causes the plant to freeze
- ice sheeting is a layer of ice over the alfalfa that causes the stand to smother
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It was ice sheeting that cost Darren Nikkel of Enchant, Alta., part of his alfalfa crop last year.
Heavy snow at Christmas followed by a melt in January created a sheet of ice across the field. Temperatures of -30 C then wreaked havoc across the alfalfa fields.
“We experienced a phenomenal amount of winterkill last year,” said Nikkel.
While there hasn’t been much snow in southern Alberta this year, the conditions don’t seem to be lining up for a repeat of last year.
“I’m not concerned this year,” he said. “I still think we should be OK. There is not a lot of extreme cold.”
Soil temperature probes that monitor the top two inches of soil show that most areas across Manitoba haven’t reached the critical -12 C temperature, which causes the greatest damage.
McGregor said there is little producers can do in the middle of winter to prevent winterkill.
Prevention starts in the fall or summer with healthy stands, good nutrition and good regrowth.
Farmers concerned about winterkill can dig up plants in the spring and check the crown and taproot growth. Taproots that are spongy in texture, watery and tan or yellowish in colour are likely severely cold-injured and deteriorating.
McGregor encourages farmers who are worried about winterkill to begin lining up alternate feed to replace potential alfalfa losses.
