Alfalfa is a perennial forage grass of legume family, which is one of the forage grasses with the largest planting area in the world and is known as the "king of forage grasses". It has a cultivation history of 2000 years in China, with the largest planting area in Northwest China, North China and some other regions. Alfalfa likes warm, semi-arid to semi-humid climate, drought resistance, cold resistance, salinity tolerance, improve the soil effect is obvious, the most suitable in the annual precipitation of 500 to 800 millimeters of regional growth.

Alfalfa seeds are small, slow growth in the seedling stage, before sowing to fine ground, require deep plowing, fine harrowing to achieve flat, broken soil, no weeds. Before sowing, 500 kg of organic fertilizer and 50 kg of calcium superphosphate are applied per mu (667 m2). Alfalfa is mainly sown in spring and fall. Generally, the climate is colder, the growing season is shorter, but the spring moisture is good, the wind and sand are smaller in the area to spring sowing, such as the northeast, northwest cold areas; warmer North China, Jianghuai basin, to fall sowing is appropriate. In the spring drought, wind and sand, no irrigation conditions in the region can be in the rainy season summer sowing. Alfalfa seeding amount is generally 1 ~ 1.5 kg per mu (667 m 2), sowing depth of 2 cm or so, sowing methods are strip sowing, sowing, spot sowing, usually strip sowing is the main. The spacing between rows of strip sowing is 20 to 30 centimeters, and after sowing, it is appropriate to suppress and preserve moisture. Alfalfa can be sown alone, or mixed with awnless freespine, reed fescue, ryegrass, chicken foot grass and other grasses. Alfalfa grows slowly in the seedling stage and is susceptible to weed damage, so attention should be paid to weed prevention in the seedling stage.

Alfalfa has a strong regeneration ability, and can be mowed 2 to 5 times a year, and most areas are better to mow 3 times a year. The best mowing period is the early flowering, mowing stubble height of 4 to 5 centimeters. When conditions permit, fertilizer, watering and plowing should be carried out after each mowing. Alfalfa in the Central Plains and North China can be mowed 4 to 5 times a year, each mu (667 m 2) can produce 3000 to 6000 kg of fresh grass, equivalent to 750 to 1500 kg of hay.

Alfalfa is rich in nutrients, good palatability, and is a good protein and vitamin supplement for horses, cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, poultry and herbivorous fish. It can be fed fresh, or it can be prepared for silage, hay, processed grass blocks, grass pellets and grass powder. Fatten lambs with alfalfa grass meal instead of straw, daily weight gain can be increased by 75%: when feeding alfalfa grass to cattle, sheep and other ruminants, the amount of feed should be controlled to prevent rumen dropsy.