Non-Bloating Legumes

Non-Bloating Legumes

By Heather Smith Thomas

Why Producers Are Looking Beyond Alfalfa

Legumes play an important role in cattle nutrition because they typically provide more protein and other essential nutrients than many grasses. Alfalfa has long been one of the most popular forage legumes for livestock, but it comes with one major drawback—it can cause bloat, particularly under grazing conditions. Depending on the situation, the risk can be significant.

For decades, researchers have searched for ways to reduce that risk. Some have focused on developing alfalfa varieties that are safer to graze, while others have studied alternative legumes that naturally reduce the likelihood of bloat. Those efforts continue today, with promising results.

Few people have spent more time working toward that goal than Dr. Donald Miller. During his career as a plant breeder, Miller developed or co-developed 100 alfalfa varieties and six red clover varieties.

Miller grew up on a Texas farm before earning his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees at New Mexico State University.

“I worked for alfalfa breeders while I was in graduate school,” Miller says. “After finishing college in 1984, I moved to Idaho as an alfalfa breeder for the western United States.”

He led alfalfa breeding and research programs in Nampa, Idaho, and Kingsburg, California. During that time, the company changed names several times—from AgriPro North American Plant Breeders, owned by Shell Oil, to Cal West and eventually Alforex, where Miller served as director of product development for Corteva’s alfalfa division.

Throughout his career, Miller has worked to improve forage quality while helping producers manage the challenges that come with grazing legumes.

Managing Alfalfa to Reduce Bloat

Although many producers avoid grazing alfalfa because of bloat concerns, Miller says the crop can be grazed successfully with proper management.

“Cattle producers can graze alfalfa, but they have to know how to do it,” he says.

One of his breeding programs focused on grazing-tolerant alfalfa in cooperation with the University of Georgia. In the Southeast, frequent rainfall makes hay production difficult, so producers often rely on grazing instead of harvesting hay.

Researchers found that grazing management is just as important as plant genetics.

The University of Kentucky recently published a grazing guide that outlines management practices for reducing bloat risk. Miller says he also learned valuable lessons while studying grazing systems in Argentina, where producers routinely graze pure stands of alfalfa.

“When cattle first enter a pasture, they eat the leaves before moving to the stems,” Miller explains. “That sudden change in diet can trigger bloat.”

One practice proved especially effective.

“If producers move the fence every day so cattle receive a consistent diet, it helps prevent problems,” he says.

While researchers have not developed a truly non-bloating alfalfa, they have learned how to reduce the risk through proper grazing management.

“We know how to manage cattle to lower the risk,” Miller says. “In Argentina they successfully graze alfalfa on a large scale.”

His breeding work also produced grazing-tolerant varieties capable of withstanding hoof damage and crown rot, helping plants survive repeated grazing pressure.

Miller has also worked with drought-tolerant alfalfa developed at New Mexico State University.

“If you irrigate the first two cuttings and then lose water during midsummer, these varieties simply go dormant,” he says. “They may look dead, but they can survive for several months without irrigation and begin growing again once water returns.”

Sainfoin: A Proven Non-Bloating Alternative

In addition to alfalfa, Miller has spent years studying sainfoin, one of the best-known non-bloating legumes.

“When I was at New Mexico State University, we released a new sainfoin variety,” he says.

Sainfoin produces large stems, abundant blooms and attractive purple flowers, making it one of the most visually striking forage legumes. More importantly, it provides excellent forage without creating the same bloat risk associated with alfalfa.

The crop does have limitations.

“Sainfoin is susceptible to crown rot,” Miller says. “When livestock step directly on the crowns during grazing, they can damage the plants.”

Researchers discovered that planting sainfoin on raised beds helps reduce that problem. Cattle naturally walk in the furrows instead of directly on the plants, minimizing crown damage. Raised beds also improve drainage, reducing disease pressure in wet soils.

Sainfoin can outperform alfalfa during the first cutting, although production slows during midsummer. Even so, it remains a valuable forage option in states such as Montana and Wyoming, as well as parts of Canada.

“It is a good non-bloating legume,” Miller says. “And when it’s blooming, the fields are alive with bees.”

The flowers attract large numbers of pollinators and also produce high-quality honey.

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