For long term productivity and persistence of lucerne stands, best practice management is to rotational graze with a minimum period of at least 35 days recovery. This spell period is critical as lucerne relies on stored energy in its roots to regrow.

The lucerne plant won’t start putting energy for storage back into growth until after 15-20 days following a defoliation through cutting or grazing.

Actual grazing duration should be targeted between 5-7 days until all green leaf and soft stem is removed. 

If the grazing period is too short, the crop will not be adequately utilised, and wastage occurs.  

If the grazing period is too long, sheep for example, will actively graze new crown shoots once they have reached a grazeable height.

Remove remaining stubble and stems after grazing if stock pressure is low or uneaten. This allows better utilisation on next grazing or cuttings.

Different strategies and focus should be applied to lucerne stands in different seasons and climates. This includes shortening rotations to maximise yield and animal performance in spring and summer, while in autumn allowing approximately 50% flowering for root reserves to replenish for survival over winter for early spring production.

Spring

The focus for spring grazing is on stock performance, maximising liveweight gains and yield. A fundamental, yet unavoidable reality of lucerne production is that the yield and quality are inversely related. This means that as yield increases, the quality of the stand generally declines and is often referred to as the “yield quality trade-off”. The timing of the grazing or harvest is a compromise between yield, quality and persistence.

Grazing adds another level of complexity to this due to animal performance and health factors. Researchers have proposed a relative forage yield and quality summary diagram (figure 6) showing the different stages of lucerne with different yield components and digestibility. As the yield of the crop increases through stages of maturity (vegetative to post flower), stems make up the greater proportion of total yield and the digestibility of the stem material declines because of increased lignin content. The leaf yield contributes little to the total yield beyond the first flowering stage.

Summer

Summer grazing period should be focused on utilising the crop yield to maximise animal productivity.

• Short rotation (rotation length will depend on location)
• Water stress accelerates flowering, but leaf is still high quality
• Conserve a true surplus if the opportunity presents (i.e. there is more lucerne available than stock demand)

Autumn

Autumn time is a critical period in the physiological process of lucerne growth. The objectives through this period should be centered on managing the stand for persistence and production in the subsequent year rather than concentrating on animal performance.

• Longer grazing rotations (rotation length will depend on location)
• Allow a minimum of 50% of the tallest lucerne stems to have an open flower at least once, from mid-summer to autumn, to allow root reserves to recharge before grazing
• Graze if drought is ‘terminal’ i.e. plants stop growing to avoid loss of leaves, then allow recovery to at least 20cm height after rain
• Red Legged Earth Mite, Lucerne Flea and Aphids can be an issue. Ensure monitoring and if population is causing damage, a chemical application may be needed. Consult your local agronomist for chemical recommendations
• Shorter day length and decreasing temperatures signal the plant to start directing energy to root reserves for stand persistence and production next spring
• Ewes can be flushed on lucerne, however, if Leaf Spot is present then oestrogen levels may be affected

Winter

If sowing a winter active lucerne, grazing rotations should be lengthened.

• Spray weeds before lucerne leaves grow back to minimise crop damage
• Resist the urge to graze regrowth through winter or after winter herbicide application, as this delays spring growth/ first grazing and reduces yield
• The order in which paddocks are ‘hard grazed’ and then winter cleaned dictates the order they will be ready for grazing in spring
• Application of a winter clean too late in the dormancy period can damage the developing buds on the lucerne regrowth
• Late winter grazing or continuous stocking through this period can remove the growing points from the stems and can reduce final yield by up to 25% (Moot et al. 2003)