Advantages of alfalfa
Advantages of alfalfa Flowering alfalfa is particularly popular with bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. After the leaves and stems have been separated, the older plant is well suited for use as protein feed on the one hand and for the production of paper, cardboard, and natural fiber-reinforced plastics on the other. ALFALFA AS AN INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIAL? Technically speaking, the idea of using alfalfa as an industrial raw material is by no means built on sand in Lusatia. This is demonstrated by preliminary results from FUFAPRO. According to the project, the stem mass is »extremely« well suited for the production of cardboard and paper. However, the plant is not yet »optimal« for the production of natural fiber-reinforced plastics. Further research is needed in this area. Furthermore, the separation of the fiber-rich stems from the alfalfa leaves intended for animal feed has not yet been satisfactorily resolved. However there is another main problem: farms cannot yet guarantee the supply of the necessary quantities to the industry.“We would need ten suppliers the size of Neißetal AG to make it worthwhile for the paper and cellulose industry,” estimates Bachinger. Germany seems to be a long way from achieving this. Alfalfa is currently grown on 2 to 3 percent of agricultural land only. 10
Advantages of alfalfa Bachinger says that ZALF has been particularly successful in convincing large farms in Brandenburg of the qualities of alfalfa through lectures and field days. The state of Brandenburg is also one of the few federal states in which alfalfa is subsidized as a crop. In the current CAP funding period, this is done within the framework of eco-regulation 2 »Diverse Crops,« which supports a 10 percent share of legumes, including alfalfa. This regulation is being well utilized, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the federal state of Brandenburg. Johann Bachinger is already looking beyond feed and fiber when it comes to alfalfa. Fermentation in biogas plants also produces ammonia. However, the nitrogen contained in it has largely been lost up to now, the ZALF expert says. Yet it is now technically possible to separate the ammonia and market it, for example, as a climate-neutral raw material for the chemical industry and as fertiliser. Bachinger even believes that the widespread use of alfalfa could achieve so-called negative CO2 emissions in agriculture, provided that CO2 binding due to increased humus accumulation is also included in greenhouse gas balancing. The full potential of alfalfa—including its role in climate and environmental protection—has yet to be discovered. Text: Jörg Staude Dr. Johann Bachinger’s research at ZALF focuses primarily on the development and modeling of cropping systems for organic and conventional agriculture. Bernd Starick is a farmer, head of the Neißetal farmers’ association, and a member of the board of the Brandenburg Farmers’ Association. 11
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