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Clovers

Red Clover

Description
Red clover is a legume that is widely grown throughout the United States as a hay or forage crop. Red clover does better than alfalfa in areas with low soil pH or fertility and poor soil drainage. Improved red clovers are fast-starting, highly productive and more persistent than older common types.  Improved red clovers will persist between 3 and 4 years.  Red clovers can be used in haying or grazing systems. In side-by-side trials, red clovers have had higher RFQs (more digestibility) than alfalfa in fermented or dried forages and approximately twice the level of bypass protein.

Management
Red clover production during the second year is generally higher than during either the first or third years. The weather influences red clover growth much more than deeper-rooted alfalfa. If summer rainfall is good, clover may be cut about every 35 to 40 days. Growth should be removed after “freeze-down.” Leaving the growth on a field during fall and winter can kill the stand. Red clover stands that are one year old or older should be cut three or four times in a season. Harvesting in drought conditions will also thin stands.

Establishment
Red clover can be sown by itself or in mixtures with small grains, sorghum-sudans, alfalfa, and/or cool-season grasses.  Planting depth should be 0.25 to 0.50 inch. Red clover can also be established by frost-seeding (broadcasting on frozen or snow-covered ground). Red clover requires soil pH to be 6.0 or higher. Red clover is responsive to phosphorus and potassium.  Apply to soil testing recommendations.

If you think red clover is a poor man’s alfalfa, you should think again. The King of Legumes can add much to the Queen of Legumes (alfalfa). Adding premium red clovers to alfalfa stands boosts both the quality and the yield.

Quality
New improved varieties of red clover are 9 to 10 percentage points higher in digestible neutral detergent fiber (NDFd) than alfalfa. Premium red clover added to alfalfa will improve the fermentation of the haylage, thereby allowing you to extract more nutrients from the alfalfa.

The next project for the GMO folks is to make alfalfa more like clover in terms of the bypass protein level. And, of course, the second step after Roundup Ready™ was to try to make alfalfa more digestible (like clover). So far, these efforts have been much more about marketing than documented increased milk per acre. The goal of increased bypass protein and increased digestibility can be reached easily by simply including premium clover in your hay seeding.

Maintaining quality in delayed harvest situations has also been a big topic in the alfalfa world. Guess what? The University of Wisconsin has data showing that in delayed harvest, red clover still beat alfalfa on digestibility.

  • Bred for persistence in the Midwest, this variety gives very high RFQ and great yields.
  • Bred for better fall production.
  • It has good disease resistance.
  • KF Red Power brings a synergistic effect to enhance yield and reduce risk.
  • This blend combines the best of our red clovers for a powerhouse forage
  • Red Power Clover Tech Sheet
  • This is a persistent, high yielding, double cut red clover.
  • A good compliment with alfalfa in a hay stand or can be planted with grasses.
  • Prairie Fire Tech Sheet
  • This variety works well on heavier, wetter soils.
  • It is organic and conventional.
  • This is a 70% red clover, 30% white clover mix that gives good yield in pasture situations.
  • It is organic and conventional.
  • A multi-year red clover, Redkin brings high yields and quality.
  • Good disease resistance.
  • Redkin Tech Sheet