Sustainable Agriculture - It’s in Every Bag and Bale of Standlee Premium Forage Alfalfa Products

September 4, 2019

Did you know that with every Standlee Forage alfalfa product purchased you’re doing good for the planet and the environment by supporting sustainable agriculture?

What is sustainable agriculture?

Simply stated, sustainable agriculture approaches keep production and contribution to society perpetually. The practices are environmentally friendly, conserve resources, financially profitable, and support society.

At Standlee, in growing our forage product alfalfa, we use sustainable agriculture practices that support the soil’s and the environment's health and longevity.

How does growing alfalfa support agricultural sustainability?

Carefully managed alfalfa production greatly enhances sustainability in several ways:

Alfalfa crops help prevent soil erosion

One of the most common challenges in agriculture is soil erosion by suboptimal agricultural management, livestock overgrazing land, and excess water and wind.

Raising alfalfa is a great solution to help prevent valuable soil loss, as established crops need minimal or no cultivation resulting in huge reductions in water and wind erosion.

The alfalfa plant’s deep roots and leaf “canopy” help secure and protect the soil from damaging winds and heavy rains.

Alfalfa’s high net energy yield saves energy and production costs

Alfalfa’s high net energy yield means the energy needed to produce the crop is significantly less than the crop’s total energy.

Through biological nitrogen fixation, alfalfa gleans the air’s nitrogen which naturally fuels its growth. Consequently, alfalfa doesn’t require the amount of expensive commercial fertilizer needed by other grass or corn crops. This results in decreased production costs and exceptional energy savings.

Alfalfa is truly the biological gift that keeps giving as the alfalfa infuses the soil with enough nitrogen to satisfy the requirements of the next crop and in many instances 50% of the second crop’s nitrogen requirements.

Using alfalfa in planting rotations raises the crop’s energy efficiency.

How do Standlee farming practices support agricultural sustainability?

Standlee further enhances sustainability by rotating Alfalfa crop production with no-till planting of Timothy.

“From a Standlee point of view, our practice of no-till planting Timothy following a 3-4 year old alfalfa stand is an added level of sustainability. No-till planting all but eliminates erosion caused by plowing the fields before planting. Also planting while the alfalfa plants are still in the fields helps keep weeds from growing while the Timothy gets established." notes Jason Stanger, Vice President, Standlee AG.

“As an added fertility benefit when the old alfalfa roots begin to decompose the level of organic matter in the soil goes up and the roots release a large amount of nitrogen. The timing of the available nitrogen works perfectly to maximize Timothy growth without adding excessive commercial fertilizers. The new established Timothy plant will grow 3-4 more years making it 6-8 years of no-tillage severely reducing erosion caused by wind and water runoff.”

With appreciation to our loyal customers for helping us build a better planet through sustainable agriculture

With every Standlee Forage alfalfa product you purchase, you’re helping to build a better planet for your family, children, grandchildren, horses, pets, livestock, and future generations.

We appreciate you choosing Standlee products and joining us in supporting sustainable agriculture!

For information on feeding alfalfa to horses, check out our “Misconceptions of Feeding Alfalfa to Horses” blog post.