Establishing Birdsfoot Trefoil in the Mountain West

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is an underutilized forage legume in the Mountain West. It has several unique characteristics that make it worth considering, particularly for pasture. One of the key reasons to use birdsfoot trefoil is that it does not cause bloat when grazed as green, standing forage, even in pure stands. This is due to the presence of condensed tannins which bind with some of the soluble protein in the rumen during fermentation causing it to precipitate out, thus preventing formation of the stable foam which causes bloat (MacAdam et al., 2013). In addition to the tannins preventing bloat, they are also known to reduce parasite loads, decrease methane and ammonia emissions when fed to ruminant livestock, and increase animal gains and milk production due to more efficient utilization of the protein. Birdsfoot trefoil also contains higher concentrations of non-fibrous carbohydrates than alfalfa (MacAdam and Griggs, 2013), meaning that its ratio of protein-tocarbohydrates is more evenly matched for better ruminant nutrition. When considering its growth characteristics, birdsfoot trefoil thrives in the same soils and climate favored by alfalfa, but is more tolerant of low fertility, especially phosphorus, low pH, and poorly drained soils than alfalfa. It also holds its quality better compared to many other legumes and is a long-lived perennial that can reproduce by natural reseeding. One of the reasons more producers do not utilize birdsfoot trefoil is that they perceive it to be difficult to establish.