A Grass-Alfalfa Mixture Compared With Cereal Grains for Fodder Production Under Semi-Arid Conditions

From 1952 to 1960 at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the performance of a grass-alfalfa mixture was compared to that of oats and of wheat on dryland, principally from the standpoint of hay production. Average annual hay yields over the 9-year period were similar, but within single years large differences in yield occurred between crops. In seasons with favourable precipitation the perennial forage mixture gave higher hay yields, while the cereals gave the highest yields during very dry seasons.Small yields from the perennial crop were associated with low rainfall in May. It was concluded that perennial forage crops should be the main source of winter feed in a semi-arid climate, if used in conjunction with a cereal crop for insurance.