Alfalfa food plots for deer: planting, care, and payoff

Last updated 2026-07-25

What is a food plot, and where does alfalfa fit in?

A food plot is a planted area on hunting or farm ground meant to feed deer and other wildlife, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and several acres, planted with forage that's more attractive or nutritious than what's naturally available. Some plots are annual (planted fresh every year), some are perennial (come back on their own for a few years), and most serious plot programs run a mix of both. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial legume, the same plant family as clover, and it's been a staple forage crop for livestock in North America for well over a century. For deer plots specifically, alfalfa's draw is protein. Established alfalfa stands can run 20-25% crude protein in vegetative growth, which rivals or beats most clover blends ^[1]. That protein matters most in late spring and summer, when does are lactating and bucks are growing antlers. Where alfalfa fits in a plot rotation: think of it as the long-term investment plot. You're not planting alfalfa for a quick fall green-up. You're planting it because, if the stand takes, you get 3-5 years of a low-maintenance, high-protein food source with only annual mowing and fertilizer touch-ups. If you want a broader look at plot types and how they fit together, food plot whitetail is a good next stop before you commit acreage to alfalfa specifically.

When to plant food plots for deer, generally?

Upper Midwest / North	Mid-May to mid-June	Wait for soil temps above 45-50°F
Transition Zone	April-May or Aug 15-Sept 15	Fall planting needs irrigation or reliable rain
Deep South	September-October	Spring heat and weeds outcompete seedlings
Mountain West	May-June	Watch for late frost at elevation	These are general starting points, not gospel. Your state land-grant extension office almanac and local frost dates are the better source for your specific county.

Timing depends entirely on what you're planting and where you live, but the two big windows are spring (April-June, after last frost, for warm-season perennials and summer annuals) and late summer to early fall (mid-August through September in most of the whitetail range, for cool-season annuals and perennial establishment). Alfalfa falls into the spring camp for most of the country. You want soil temperatures consistently above 40-50°F and enough growing season left, generally 60-90 days of decent weather, for the taproot to get established before either a hard summer drought or fall frost. In the northern half of the whitetail range (say, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas), that's a May to early June planting window. In the transition zone and mid-South, you can plant in either spring (April-May) or do a late-summer planting (mid-August to early September) if soil moisture cooperates. A rough regional guide: | Region | Alfalfa planting window | Notes |

How do I plant alfalfa for a deer food plot, step by step?

Alfalfa is less forgiving than clover or brassicas, mostly because of its pH sensitivity and its need for a firm, weed-free seedbed. Skipping steps here is how people end up with a thin, weedy stand that dies out in year two instead of lasting five. Start with a soil test, not a guess. Alfalfa wants pH between 6.5 and 7.0, and University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension notes that alfalfa is one of the most pH-sensitive common forage crops, with yield dropping sharply below pH 6.0 due to reduced nodulation and nitrogen fixation ^[2]. If your test comes back at 5.5 or lower, you're looking at a lime application months before planting, not weeks. Pelletized lime reacts faster than ag lime but still needs time to move through the soil profile. Phosphorus and potassium matter more here than for most plots too. Alfalfa is a heavy feeder on both, and a soil test will tell you exactly how many pounds per acre you need. Your soil test lab's recommendation is the actual authority on rates for your dirt; treat any generic number here as a starting point only. Steps in order: 1. Pull a soil sample 3-4 months before your target planting date. 2. Apply lime per your test results and let it incorporate. 3. Kill existing vegetation with glyphosate 2-3 weeks before planting, or work up a clean seedbed mechanically. 4. Apply P and K per soil test, work into the top few inches. 5. Plant alfalfa at 15-20 lbs per acre if drilled, 20-25 lbs per acre if broadcast, at a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Deeper than that and germination drops hard. 6. Cultipack or roll after broadcasting to ensure seed-to-soil contact. 7. Consider a Roundup Ready or inoculated seed variety if you're broadcasting into imperfect conditions; inoculant helps nitrogen-fixing bacteria establish on the roots. A drill gets you better stand consistency than broadcasting, especially on ground with any weed pressure. If you're renting or borrowing equipment, our overview of deer food plot seed options covers drill versus broadcast tradeoffs for several species, more than alfalfa.

Do deer like clover, and how does it compare to alfalfa?

Ideal pH	6.5-7.0	5.8-7.0
Protein (vegetative)	20-25%	15-25%
Stand life	3-5 years	3-5 years (white), 2-3 (red)
Drought tolerance	Very good (deep taproot)	Fair to good
Tolerance of grazing pressure while establishing	Low	Moderate to high
Seeding rate	15-20 lbs/acre (drilled)	6-8 lbs/acre (drilled)	If you've got heavy deer density and a smaller plot (under an acre), clover often wins simply because it can take the grazing pressure while it's trying to get established. Alfalfa on a small plot with lots of deer traffic can get eaten down before the roots ever take hold. For a side-by-side rundown of clover, brassicas, and cereal grains against alfalfa, see deer for food.

Yes, deer readily eat clover, and for most food plot programs it's the more practical perennial choice. White clover (Trifolium repens) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) are both extension-recommended for wildlife plots because they tolerate a wider pH range (5.8-7.0 is workable, versus alfalfa's tighter 6.5-7.0 preference), handle some shade, and recover faster from heavy grazing pressure. Alfalfa's real edge is protein content and drought tolerance once its taproot is established (alfalfa roots can go 6-15 feet deep, deeper than clover's), which means it holds up better in a dry August than clover does. Clover's edge is forgiveness. It germinates faster, tolerates wetter soils and lower pH without collapsing, and survives overgrazing by young deer herds much better than alfalfa, which can get grazed out entirely if deer density is high and the stand hasn't had a season to establish a strong root system. Here's the practical comparison: | Factor | Alfalfa | Clover (white/red) |

When to plant oats for deer, and how does that fit with alfalfa?

Oats are typically planted in late summer to early fall, roughly mid-August through mid-September in most of the whitetail range, as a fast-growing annual that's ready to browse in 3-4 weeks. In the Deep South, growers often push oats into September-October when the worst heat has broken. Oats don't compete directly with alfalfa; they're doing different jobs. Oats are a quick, cheap, high-tonnage annual that deer hit hard as soon as it's a few inches tall, and they're often used as a nurse crop or a companion planting alongside a new clover or alfalfa seeding to provide quick cover and early forage while the perennial establishes underneath. Some plotters will also drill oats into a thinning alfalfa stand in year 3 or 4 to extend the plot's useful life another season. One caution from Penn State Extension on small grains in wildlife plots: oats winterkill in most of the whitetail range once temperatures drop into the low teens or below for sustained periods, so don't count on an oat plot to carry deer through a hard January. Pair it with something that holds up better into deep winter, or plan on it being an early-fall attraction plot specifically.

When to plant turnips for deer, and are they worth adding to an alfalfa rotation?

Turnips go in the ground in late July through August in most of the northern and transition whitetail range, and as late as September in the Deep South, timed so they have 80-90 days to bulb up before a killing frost sweetness-triggers the tops and roots. Brassicas like turnips actually get more palatable after a hard frost, because the cold converts starches to sugars in the plant. Turnips don't belong in the same plot as alfalfa (different planting windows, different soil prep, different mowing needs), but they're a smart complementary plot if you've got the acreage. Alfalfa gives you spring-through-summer protein; turnips and other brassicas give you a late-season, high-carbohydrate food source right when deer need energy reserves for winter and right when a lot of other food sources are gone. Running both, in separate plots, covers more of the calendar than either one alone. Iowa State University Extension notes that brassica forages can produce total digestible nutrients competitive with corn once tubers form, making them a strong late-season complement to a summer-focused legume plot ^[3].

Do deer eat sorghum, and does it have a place near an alfalfa plot?

Yes, deer eat sorghum, particularly grain sorghum heads and the standing plant itself, and it's commonly planted as a screening and food combination crop, especially in the Midwest and South where corn can be cost-prohibitive on smaller acreages. Sorghum is more drought-tolerant than corn and cheaper per acre in most seed catalogs. Sorghum doesn't pair agronomically with alfalfa in the same plot (it's an annual grain crop planted in a completely different rotation), but a lot of plot programs run sorghum as a screening border or a separate fall/winter grain plot while keeping alfalfa as the dedicated perennial protein plot elsewhere on the property. The two working together, in separate locations, gives you standing cover plus grain in one spot and season-long browse in another. One thing to flag: sorghum and sudangrass varieties can develop prussic acid (cyanide compound) risk under drought stress or after a frost, which is a livestock and, by extension, wildlife health consideration documented by Kansas State University Extension ^[4]. It's rarely a practical issue for deer browsing standing sorghum in the field, but if you're ever cutting and storing sorghum forage, that's the specific risk to know about.

What are deer's favorite foods, and where does alfalfa rank?

There's no single scientifically ranked "favorite food" list for whitetail deer, because preference shifts by season, region, and what else is available, but wildlife research consistently puts a short list of categories at the top: acorns (especially white oak group) in fall, agricultural crops like soybeans and corn during the growing season, and legumes like clover and alfalfa through spring and summer. The Quality Deer Management Association (now the National Deer Association) and multiple state agencies have long noted that deer are selective foragers that seek out the highest-protein, most digestible plants available at any given time, which is exactly why legumes rank so high during antler growth and lactation season. Acorns win the fall popularity contest almost everywhere because of their fat content, useful for building winter fat reserves, but they're inconsistent (mast crops boom and bust year to year) in a way that planted legumes aren't. Alfalfa sits near the top of that list for spring and summer specifically. It's not going to out-draw a fresh soybean field in September or a bumper white oak acorn crop in October, but from May through August, in a lot of regions, a well-established alfalfa stand is one of the most consistently hit food sources on the property.

Do deer like honey, and is that a real food plot question?

No, deer don't eat honey in any meaningful way as part of their natural diet, and it's not a food plot ingredient or attractant in any legitimate wildlife management sense. This question shows up in search results probably because people confuse honey with sweet feed, molasses-based mineral licks, or are asking about bees and pollinators rather than deer nutrition. What's actually relevant: deer are drawn to sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods generally (which is part of why brassicas sweeten after frost, and why fruit like apples and persimmons draw heavy deer traffic in fall), but honey itself isn't something you'd ever plant, spread, or manage for in a deer plot program. If you're seeing honey mentioned alongside deer feed products, it's more likely referring to molasses-based supplement blocks or liquid feed additives used in some baiting or supplemental feeding setups, which brings up a separate and important issue: check your state's baiting and supplemental feeding regulations before using any liquid attractant or feed product, because rules vary widely by state and even by county in some cases, and using feed or bait products where prohibited can result in real fines or loss of hunting privileges. Your state wildlife agency's regulations page is the only source to trust here, not a seed catalog or a forum post.

How much does an alfalfa food plot cost to establish?

Alfalfa seed typically runs somewhere in the range of $3-$6 per pound for good wildlife or forage-grade seed as of recent seasons, though prices swing with weather years and regional supply. At a 15-20 lb per acre drilled seeding rate, that puts raw seed cost at roughly $45-$120 per acre, before you factor in lime, fertilizer, herbicide, and equipment time or rental. Lime is often the biggest surprise line item. If your soil test comes back needing 2-3 tons of ag lime per acre to hit that 6.5-7.0 pH target, and local lime delivery and spreading runs $30-$50 per ton in a lot of regions, you could be looking at $60-$150 per acre just in lime before seed goes in the ground. That's why a soil test months in advance matters so much: it lets you spread that lime cost and application timing out instead of scrambling right before planting. Against that upfront cost, alfalfa's payoff is the multi-year stand life. Spread over 3-5 years of production, the annual cost per acre often comes out lower than replanting an annual clover or brassica plot every single season, assuming the stand survives that long and you're not fighting weed pressure or winterkill. It's a bet on year one and two paying off in years three through five.

What's a realistic maintenance plan once alfalfa is established?

Once your alfalfa stand takes, the maintenance load drops a lot compared to annual plots, but it's not zero. Mowing 2-3 times a season, timed to knock back weeds and encourage new leafy growth before deer browse it down, is standard practice. Mow when the stand hits 12-15 inches and knock it back to 3-4 inches; don't scalp it lower than that or you'll stress the crowns. Re-test soil every 2-3 years. Alfalfa pulls potassium hard, and a stand that looked great in year one can start showing potassium deficiency (yellowing leaf margins, thinning stand) by year three if you're not topping off K based on test results. Weed pressure, particularly grasses, tends to creep in over the life of the stand too; a grass-selective herbicide labeled for alfalfa can clean that up without killing the legume. Watch for winterkill risk in the coldest parts of the range. University of Minnesota Extension research on alfalfa winter survival notes that stand health going into winter (adequate potassium, proper fall cutting management, and avoiding a late-season cut that doesn't allow regrowth before frost) is the single biggest factor in whether a stand survives to the next spring ^[5]. Cutting or heavily grazing alfalfa in the 4-6 weeks before your first killing frost, without leaving time for regrowth, is one of the most common ways plotters accidentally kill a stand going into winter.

Where does a Custom Food Plot Plan fit into an alfalfa decision?

Deciding whether alfalfa is the right call for your specific acreage depends on soil test numbers, deer density, plot size, and how much of the calendar you're trying to cover with one plot versus a rotation across several. That's a lot of variables to weigh from a seed bag label alone. A $99 one-time Custom Food Plot Plan (available at /plot-plan-builder) takes your soil test results, property size, region, and goals and builds out a planting plan across your plots, which is useful specifically because alfalfa is one of the pickiest species to get right on the front end. That said, your soil test lab's specific lime and fertilizer recommendations remain the final word on your dirt; any plan, ours included, is general planning guidance layered on top of that lab data, not a replacement for it. For a broader look at how alfalfa stacks up against other perennial and annual choices before you commit, deer food plots and food plot seed are both worth a look.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer readily browse grain sorghum heads and green plant material, and it's a common Midwest and Southern plot choice because it's more drought-tolerant and cheaper per acre than corn in many regions. It's typically grown as a separate grain or screening plot rather than mixed into an alfalfa stand.

Do deer eat clover?

Yes, clover is one of the most consistently browsed food plot forages for whitetail deer. White and red clover both tolerate a wider pH range than alfalfa (roughly 5.8-7.0), recover well from heavy grazing, and can produce 15-25% crude protein in vegetative growth, according to extension forage research.

When should I plant deer food plots?

It depends on species. Cool-season annuals and perennials like clover, alfalfa, and brassicas generally go in spring (April-June) or late summer to early fall (mid-August through September). Warm-season plots like soybeans and sorghum go in after last frost, typically May-June. Always check your local frost dates and soil temperature first.

Do deer like clover more than alfalfa?

There's no clear research ranking one above the other; both are highly palatable legumes deer seek out during spring and summer. Alfalfa tends to run slightly higher in protein and holds up better in drought once established, while clover is more forgiving of grazing pressure and a wider soil pH range.

When should I plant oats for deer?

Plant oats mid-August through mid-September in most of the whitetail range, or into September-October in the Deep South. Oats germinate fast (ready to browse in 3-4 weeks) but generally winterkill once sustained temperatures drop into the low teens or below, so they're a fall attraction plot, not a winter-long food source.

When should I plant food plots for deer overall?

Most annual cool-season plots (clover, brassicas, oats, wheat) go in mid-August through September. Perennials like alfalfa are usually spring-planted (May-June in northern areas). Warm-season annuals like soybeans and corn go in after your last spring frost. Region and local soil temperature always override a generic calendar.

When should I plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips late July through August in most of the northern and transition whitetail range, or into September in the Deep South, giving them 80-90 days before a killing frost. That frost is actually what makes them sweeter and more attractive, since cold converts starches in the plant to sugars.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area on hunting or farm ground, usually a quarter acre to several acres, seeded specifically to feed deer and other wildlife with forage more nutritious or attractive than what naturally grows there. Plots can be annual, perennial, or a mixed rotation across a property.

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single definitive ranked list, but acorns (especially white oak group), agricultural crops like soybeans and corn, and legumes like clover and alfalfa consistently rank as top preferences across seasons. Preference shifts by season: legumes dominate spring and summer, acorns and crops dominate fall.

Do deer like honey?

No, honey isn't part of a deer's natural diet and isn't used in legitimate food plot or attractant management. This question likely comes from confusion with molasses-based mineral or feed supplements. Deer are drawn to sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods generally, which is a separate topic from honey itself.

How long does an alfalfa food plot stand last?

A well-established alfalfa stand, with correct pH, adequate potassium, and proper mowing, typically produces for 3-5 years before yield and stand density decline enough to warrant replanting. Winterkill, disease, and weed pressure can shorten that; good fall management before the first hard frost is one of the biggest factors in stand survival.

Can I plant alfalfa and clover together in the same plot?

It's possible but not commonly recommended, since alfalfa's tighter pH requirement (6.5-7.0) and slower establishment can put it at a disadvantage next to faster-establishing clover in the same seedbed. Most plot programs run them as separate stands so each can be managed for its own pH and mowing needs.

Is alfalfa or clover better for a small food plot with high deer density?

Clover usually wins on small, high-pressure plots because it tolerates heavy grazing while establishing. Alfalfa seedlings can get grazed out entirely before their taproot develops if deer density is high and the plot is small, so alfalfa does better on larger acreage or where you can fence or rest the plot early on.

Sources

1. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Alfalfa Forage Quality: Vegetative alfalfa crude protein levels of roughly 20-25%
2. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Soil pH and Nutrient Management for Alfalfa: Alfalfa's pH sensitivity and yield decline below pH 6.0 due to reduced nodulation
3. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Brassicas for Deer Food Plots: Brassica tubers can reach total digestible nutrient levels competitive with corn
4. Kansas State University Extension, Prussic Acid Poisoning in Livestock: Sorghum and sudangrass can develop prussic acid risk under drought stress or after frost
5. University of Minnesota Extension, Alfalfa Winter Survival: Fall cutting management and potassium levels are the biggest factors in alfalfa winter survival
6. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Guide: Alfalfa: Alfalfa root depth and general adaptation characteristics