Road To Food Sufficiency! Study On Alfalfa Growing Starts In Mindanao Hilands

Alfalfa, the highly leguminous shrub which is the main feed material of Cattle and Goat farmers in the U.S., grows well in the highlands of Bukidnon, Southern Philippines.
A month ago, Filipino-American farmer-scientist Rocky French sowed a few seeds of Alfalfa in an area in Miarayon, Talakag, Bukidnon where the climate is cool and the elevation 1,400 meters above sea level (MASL)
Last Sunday, exactly a month after the seeds were sown, Rocky and I visited the area and found the Alfalfa growing vigorously.
This is a pleasant development for Philippine Agriculture and Livestock as Rocky and I, with the support of former Senator Panfilo Lacson, who heads our small agriculture and aquaculture company, continue to discover ways to boost fish, livestock and poultry production.
What makes Alfalfa very interesting is the fact that it is an ideal rotation crop to corn, pineapple and others as it enriches the soil because of its nitrogen fixing attributes.
In the U.S., a ton of Alfalfa Hay sells for over $250 with an average production of about 30 metric tons per year.
Here is what wikipedia says about Alfalfa:
“Alfalfa is a perennial forage legume which normally lives four to eight years, but can live more than 20 years, depending on variety and climate.[14] The plant grows to a height of up to 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches), and has a deep root system, sometimes growing to a depth of more than 15 m (49 ft) to reach groundwater. Typically the root system grows to a depth of 2–3 m (7–10 ft) depending on subsoil constraints.[14] Owing to this deep root system, it helps to improve soil nitrogen fertility and protect from soil erosion.[15] This depth of root system, and perenniality of crowns that store carbohydrates as an energy reserve, make it very resilient, especially to droughts. Alfalfa has a tetraploid genome.
“Its primary use is as feed for high-producing dairy cows, because of its high protein content and highly digestible fiber, and secondarily for beef cattle, horses, sheep, and goats.[24][25] Alfalfa hay is a widely used protein and fiber source for meat rabbits. In poultry diets, dehydrated alfalfa and alfalfa leaf concentrates are used for pigmenting eggs and meat, because of their high content in carotenoids, which are efficient for colouring egg yolk and body lipids.[26] Humans also eat alfalfa sprouts in salads and sandwiches.[27][28] Dehydrated alfalfa leaf is commercially available as a dietary supplement in several forms, such as tablets, powders and tea.”
With this positive development, we are expanding our Alfalfa propagation area to at least one hectare to determine the average yield per hectare and its profitability.
Once established to produce economically viable tonnage per hectare, we will expand the areas to produce Alfalfa Hay for Cattle and pelletized Alfalfa for Goats, Sheep or Rabbits.
#LearningNeverStops!
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(Photos show Alfalfa growing in Talakag, Bukidnon and the seeds to be planted in expansion areas.)