Alfalfa recently went green for local farmers who have the land and water to support them.
The price of the eighth largest harvest in Kern County has skyrocketed due to strong demand in China and a shortage of goods due to bad weather in Brazil earlier this year.
This isn’t always good for local ranchers and dairy farmers faced with abnormally high feed costs, but it’s a boon for alfalfa breeders after a decade of reducing Khan’s acreage. US alfalfa prices rise into spring and are well above the five-year average for crops.
But even those who can get capital by planting more of it face problems. Alfalfa is one of the most water-consuming crops grown on-site, making irrigation difficult during drought, not to mention government restrictions on the use of local groundwater.
Alfalfa the color of money | News Source link Alfalfa the color of money | news
