Study evaluates grazing-friendly alfalfa varieties for beef systems
Alfalfa has long been valued as a high-quality hay crop, and new research suggests certain varieties may also play a larger role in grazing systems.
In a January 2026 Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach Growing Beef newsletter, ISU Researchers Erika Lundy-Woolfolk, Beth Reynolds and Shelby Gruss outline findings from a study evaluating grazing-tolerant alfalfa varieties and their potential benefits when integrated into pasture settings.
ISU study
According to the newsletter, the project began in 2024, is funded through the Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program and aims to address long-standing concerns about grazing alfalfa, including bloat risk and stand damage from hoof traffic.
In an effort to mimic diverse pasture conditions in the real world, researchers seeded three alfalfa varieties at seven pounds per acre alongside a grass mixture planted at 10 pounds per acre to achieve a target stand composition of 40 percent alfalfa and 60 percent grass.
After allowing the stand to establish in its first year, the team began rotational grazing in 2025 using nearly 60 yearling heifers.
Alfalfa varieties selected for the study include branchrooted or sunken crown alfalfa, which offers increased tolerance to hoof traffic and winter damage as the crown grows below ground; creeping or rhizomatous alfalfa, known for its “creeping” roots which spread across pastures to improve growth and persistence and falcata alfalfa, a variety with a fibrous root structure which continues to grow after flowering and is both winter hardy and drought tolerant.
“Some of these are newer varieties, while others – such as the falcata type – have a long history in rangeland systems,” Gruss says in a March 13 High Plains Journal article by Lacey Vilhauer. “We selected varieties which represent different strategies for grazing persistence, and these categories allowed us to compare how well different morphological traits contribute to maintaining stands under grazing pressure.”
Research findings
Although research is ongoing, the ISU team says early results are encouraging.
“We were pleasantly surprised by how well the alfalfa persisted and how competitive the yields were in the first year,” Gruss says. “The stands maintained good alfalfa presence under grazing, which is encouraging.”
She continues, “The falcata type has a fall dormancy rating around two and was slower to establish early in the season – which is expected – but it caught up later and contributed well to the stand by mid to late summer.”
The scientists note, during the first year of grazing, they primarily tracked forage yield, and all three varieties produced similar yields across multiple grazing rotations, with the highest production occurring in the first round of rotation in late-May.
Although cattle weren’t weighed before they were turned out on alfalfa plots, the team also observed better body condition in heifers than in previous summers, and while bloat is one of the biggest concerns with grazing alfalfa, no cases of bloat were noted during the study, even with minimal supplementation.
The team says caution is still advised, but points out varieties used in the trial were selected, in part, for their reduced bloat risk.
Additionally, researchers say alfalfa could help address another common challenge in grazing systems – the “summer slump,” where cool-season grasses such as fescue, timothy and orchardgrass typically decline in quality and productivity during the hotter months of July through September.
Alfalfa, however, tends to thrive during this period, providing a valuable forage boost when other pasture species are underperforming.
“In Iowa, our cool season pastures are kind of our forage base,” Lundy-Woolfolk tells High Plains Journal. “One of our challenges is we have a lot of different grasses that can be in there, like timothy, fescue and orchardgrass, which are great in terms of quality and quantity in the earlier spring months like April, May and June.”
“However, after this, they hit summer slump, and then we usually don’t see a lot of value in them again until the fall months,” she adds. “The nice thing about alfalfa is it really takes off when cool-season grasses are at their lowest, so it gives us a nice forage boost through those drier summer months.”
The trio notes interseeding alfalfa with grasses may also reduce the need for supplemental feed.
As a legume, alfalfa fixes nitrogen, which can benefit both the plant itself and surrounding grasses, potentially lowering input costs for producers.
Important notes
Despite the promising results, researchers emphasize successful integration of alfalfa into grazing systems requires careful management.
Proper rotation timing, grazing height and soil fertility are all critical to maintaining stand health and productivity.
“I think alfalfa can fit very well into a grazing system when managed appropriately,” Gruss says. “It offers high-quality forage and can significantly help offset summer forage shortages in cool-season pastures. However, producers need to be prepared to manage grazing height, rotation timing and fertility to maintain stand health.”
“We are still learning from the study, but so far the results suggest these varieties have strong potential in a managed grazing system,” Gruss adds.
The study is expected to continue through 2026, with researchers hoping to gather additional data on long-term persistence and animal performance, but future funding will determine whether the project extends into 2027.
With U.S. cattle numbers at historically low levels and forage availability under pressure, researchers say improving pasture productivity will be key to supporting herd expansion.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to boost forage productivity,” Lundy-Woolfolk concludes. “We’re at extremely low national cow herd numbers and our forage acre potential has kind of been dwindling as well. I think looking at some of these options to improve productivity of what we have is really beneficial for the cow herd. It’s going to be important as we look at herd expansion.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
