Hello, permies!
Background: I moved to my property around 18 months ago. The previous owner had planted a large hayfield of "non-organic" alfalfa that has been sprayed, baled and taken out of the farm regularly. Since I moved in I've been slowly working on rebuilding the soil and minimizing the damage by chopping the hay and leaving it in place to decompose and feed the depleted soil. I left some areas to regrow and re-wild as a habitat for wildlife. Obviously, no more use of any weed control chemicals. I also have been converting parts of the fields to food forests, fruit orchards and wildflower meadows. Using sheet mulching is my primary way to smother alfalfa, but I am also considering trying solarization this year. I am also bringing animals (chicken, goats and sheep) to graze and increase fertility and control weeds organically.
Slowly, the alfalfa is fading out as more plants come up and compete with it, but I still have a few acres of mostly vigorous alfalfa and looking for ideas and suggestions from the community.
I know "non-organic" farming is a controversial topic, but my line of thinking is that the most danger comes indirectly from the accompanying practices like heavy spraying of weed-control chemicals. i.e. there is not necessarily an inherited danger in my existing crop itself since it hasn't been sprayed for a couple of years. It is still benefitting the ecosystem in terms of nitrogen fixation, aerating my hard and compacted soil with its deep roots and feeding pollinators. Any thoughts on this assumption?
Do you recommend I continue originally terminating alfalfa and replacing it with other crops or just leave it and use it as grazing pastures for livestock or as a cover crop for orchards and food forests?
