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Page 6 · column 5 of 9 · from the scan, no model involved
^Alfalfa has been called the "queen of forage crops" In Virginia. For years she has reigned supreme. But now there is one little subject--the alfalfa weevil--which is busy whittling Her Majesty down to size! While small, this little anarchist has an appetite big as all outdoors! He wasn’t much of a problem back when heptachlor-f e r t i 1 i z e r mixtures could be used. The farmer could control him while applying plant nutrients.
But heptachlor has been outlawed because of a residue problem. Malathion and diazinon are recommended for control, used as sprays in the spring. When properly applied, they give good control. It takes more effort to get good coverage, though, and many farmers are just not putting out the effort needed to do the job. Many of them are unhappy with results and are saying they must find something to replace alfalfa as their main forage crop. Virginia Polytechnic Institute agronomists think it may be a little premature to talk of giving up alfalfa. They agree however, that for some growers a switch may be called for. They figure it will cost about $100 per acre to produce alfalfa where $13.25 per acre is allotted for three sprayings to control the weevil. If production amounts to 4.75 tons per acre, then it is costing about $20 per ton to produce alfalfa. This figures approximately $2.54 per hundred pounds of total digestible nutrients as fed to the animal.
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