Making lucerne hay while maximising soil health

Free State irrigation farmer Freek Strauss grows lucerne for the local and export markets. At the same time, the crop improves the soil’s condition, thus increasing the yields of other crops in rotation. Sabrina Dean reports.

- Sabrina Dean

It is a dry, late winter’s day on a farm in the Glen area, north of Bloemfontein, where a plume of dust trails the tractor carrying Freek Strauss as he plants a 30ha, pivot-irrigated lucerne land.

Strauss is primarily a lucerne producer who works the lands for his employer, local farmer Dirk Botha. Although the production of lucerne hay is the main business of the farm, the crop is also used for another important purpose: to improve soil health. Lucerne, like other legumes such as soya bean, lentils and clover, fixes nitrogen in the soil; Strauss therefore plants it in rotation with field crops such as wheat and maize to increase their yield and quality.

LUCERNE AS FEED

Lucerne’s feed properties have earned it the title ‘king of hays’ and demand for it is high in several livestock sectors, particularly dairy. It can serve as both a grazing crop and as hay. Strauss’s main focus is the production of prime-grade lucerne hay, baled in large packs and sold by the ton via both local and export channels, depending on which presents the best opportunity for a specific grade at any given time.

The National Lucerne Trust (NLT) is the representative body of the South African lucerne seed and hay industry. Amongst various services, the trust oversees the grading system for lucerne hay, the quality standards of which are set out in its New Lucerne Quality Index (NLQI), introduced in 2015.

The NLQI covers four grades, namely prime, first, second and third. Certification is based on samples tested for moisture content, protein, starch and sugar percentages, lignin content, the presence of mould, foreign matter or noxious plants, and other parameters.