Tight corn and soybean margins could push some acres to alfalfa in 2026.
Dale Leslein is a hay specialist based in eastern Iowa.
“From what I’m hearing from the many auctions I attend throughout the area here, it’s kind of surprising. I think we could see an increase in some alfalfa acres.”
He tells Brownfield commodity prices are too low to turn a profit in some cases.
“I heard a farmer just the other day say corn and beans aren’t going to be real profitable and I’m going to take some of my better ground out of production to seed it down (with alfalfa) and save all the soil on it as long as I can until the corn and bean (prices) come back again.”
Leslein says that’s probably not a bad idea with hay demand expected to remain strong this year.
