🌾 Orchard Grass & Alfalfa Mix

A Biology-First Fact Sheet (ByDesignSoil) (Kent Holle)

🌱 What This System Is (And Why It Works)

A well-balanced orchard grass and alfalfa mix is one of the most productive and resilient forage systems when soil biology is functioning properly.

Why it works:

  • Alfalfa fixes nitrogen (when biology is healthy)

  • Grass captures excess nutrients and stabilizes yield

  • Root diversity feeds a broader soil food web

  • Improves both yield and forage quality (RFQ)

🔬 What Healthy Soil Biology Does in This System

  • Converts organic nutrients into plant-available forms

  • Builds soil structure → better water infiltration

  • Supports nodulation in alfalfa (critical!)

  • Reduces need for synthetic nitrogen

  • Increases protein and digestibility in forage

⚠️ Common Problems

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  • Alfalfa thinning out or disappearing

  • Lack of nodules on roots

  • Compaction (especially flood-irrigated fields)

  • Uneven water distribution

  • Over-reliance on nitrogen fertilizers

  • Low biological activity

🧠 The Biology Insight Most People Miss

If alfalfa is not nodulating, it is not fixing nitrogen—
and the entire system shifts toward dependency on inputs.

Healthy biology restores:

  • Rhizobium bacteria (nodulation)

  • Nutrient cycling

  • Natural system balance

🌿 Biology-First Improvement Strategy

1. Reduce Disturbance

  • Avoid excessive tillage

  • Minimize synthetic nitrogen inputs

2. Address Compaction

  • Deep-tine aeration (spring or fall)

  • Opens soil for biology and roots

3. Apply Biology

Compost

  • 1–2 tons/acre (baseline improvement)

  • 2–4+ tons/acre (accelerated transition)

Compost Extract

  • 10–20 gallons/acre

  • Multiple applications per season if possible

4. Feed the Soil System

  • Maintain living roots as long as possible

  • Avoid bare soil

  • Support plant diversity where practical

🌾 What a Healthy System Looks Like

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  • Thick, even stand of grass + alfalfa

  • Strong nodulation (pink/red inside nodules)

  • Deep root systems

  • Even water infiltration

  • High RFQ forage

  • Reduced input costs over time

📈 Expected Outcomes (With Proper Management)

  • Increased yield stability

  • Improved forage quality (RFQ)

  • Reduced fertilizer dependency

  • Better drought resilience

  • Long-term soil health improvement

🤝 ByDesignSoil Approach

We don’t just “grow hay.”

We help build a living soil system that:

  • Supports the crop

  • Reduces inputs

  • Increases profitability

  • Restores the land