Lucerne (Medicago sativa) is thought to have originated somewhere in north-western Iran and north-eastern Turkey. Varieties range from winter-dormant, through to winter-active lucerne.
Winter dormant lucerne has very fine stems producing the best quality hay, and is more forgiving in that it doesn’t decline as fast if cutting has to be delayed due to wet weather. However it barely grows in winter meaning that no hay can be produced between May and September - just as demand is highest.
Winter active lucernes are more productive in winter (though even these only grow at 20% of their summer growth rate) and recover quickly after cutting. These, however, tend to have the coarser stems that are less favoured by consumers.As a result of this a compromise has to be made between being able to produce hay over winter when everyone wants it, and being able to produce the high quality hay that is in the greatest demand. Who said that life was meant to be easy?
Source: The Lucerne Management Handbook 4th Edition
Winter active lucernes are more productive in winter (though even these only grow at 20% of their summer growth rate) and recover quickly after cutting. These, however, tend to have the coarser stems that are less favoured by consumers.As a result of this a compromise has to be made between being able to produce hay over winter when everyone wants it, and being able to produce the high quality hay that is in the greatest demand. Who said that life was meant to be easy?
Source: The Lucerne Management Handbook 4th Edition
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