ALFALFA HAY

Alfalfa is a legume hay in the pea family and is sometimes called “lucerne.” When properly cured, alfalfa is the best of the legume hays from a nutrient standpoint. Alfalfa is used for horses, dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys and other farm animals, and has the most feed value of all the perennial pasture forages. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) has been cultivated as fodder for horses for over 2000 years, having originated from Iran before spreading across the world as Persians, Greeks and Romans expanded their empires, bringing their horses and their feed with them. As it is in the same plant family as peas, beans and clover, there is a good reason why alfalfa has been used for feeding horses for all this time – it is both safe and nutritious. Alfalfa, also known as lucerne or Medicago sativa, is a plant that has been grown as feed for livestock for hundreds of years. It was long prized for its superior content of vitamins, minerals, and protein compared to other feed sources.  Source Alfalfa is a part of the legume family, but it’s also considered an herb. It seems to have originally come from South and Central Asia, but it has been grown around the world for centuries. In addition to being used as feed, it has a long history of use as a medicinal herb for humans. Its seeds or dried leaves can be taken as a supplement, or the seeds can be sprouted and eaten in the form of alfalfa sprouts. It also contains the following (2Trusted Source): Vitamin K: 8% of the Daily Value (DV) Vitamin C: 3% of the DV Folate: 3% of the DV Thiamine: 2% of the DV Riboflavin: 3% of the DV Magnesium: 2% of the DV Iron: 2% of the DV Copper: 6% of the DV SUMMARY Alfalfa contains vitamin K and small amounts of many other vitamins and minerals. It is also high in many bioactive plant compounds.