What Are Alfalfa Cubes and How Are They Made?
In general, there are two types of cubes—dehydrated and suncured. Dehydrated cubes are made from alfalfa that is cut at an early stage of maturity and is partially dried in the field. The wilted alfalfa is picked up and chopped using a forage harvester. This material is transported to the processing plant where it is dehydrated to 95% dry matter and cubed. The sun-cured cubes are produced by allowing the alfalfa to dry in the field. The cured forage is then baled and transported to the processing plant, where it is chopped and cubed. The result of either processing method is alfalfa forage in a small package. Alfalfa cubes are similar to long-stem hay in digestible energy, crude protein, and calcium content (Table 1). The use of alfalfa cubes eliminates the sorting of leaves from stems, so the cubed product provides a more uniform feed. Cube buyers always have nutrient information provided, as this product is sold with a nutrient guarantee. In most situations when long-stem hay is purc
