Perennial Peanut Hay
"Florida's Alfalfa"
The Perennial Peanut is a high-quality, persistent tropical forage legume which can be grazed or fed to horses, dairy and beef cattle, hogs, goats, sheep and rabbits. It can be stored as dry hay or silage, and is an ideal substitute for alfalfa. It can even be used in residential and commercial landscaping.
Perennial peanut is well-adapted to dry, sandy soils, and has the potential to persist indefinitely. Perennial peanut is planted using rhizomes, or underground stems, dug from a nursery planting. It does not require nitrogen fertilizer as do traditional grasses and it does not require pesticides for the control of insects or disease. Typical yields in Florida range from 3-6 tons/acre per year.
Call Martha Thomas at the Lake County Extension Office at (352) 343-4101 or email her at marthat@ufl.edu for more information about this agriculture opportunity and visit the resources below.
- Punkin Valley Farms Local producer of perennial peanut. Their farm is located in Lake County, Florida. They grow two cultivars and square bale two cuttings per year. Their hay is barn stored, clean and weed free and they try to maintain a supply from fall to spring.
- Economic Analysis of Perennial Peanut provides an itemized annual budget including irrigation, machinery and building costs.
- Guide to Using Rhizomal Perennial Peanut in the Urban Landscape details the value of perennial peanut for residential, civic and commercial landscaping. Also, please visit the tables comparing perennial peanut to St. Augustine grass.
- Perennial Peanut Establishment Guide is comprehensive report for planting and establishing rhizoma perennial peanut.
- Marketing Opportunities for Perennial Peanut Hay is a report that was co-authored by Taylor County Extension Director, Clay Olson, and provides detailed information regarding the product's market potential (.pdf 740KB))
- Perennial Peanut: An Alternative Forage of Growing Importance
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides a great overview of perennial peanut hay that includes an updated list of rhizome producers in the area.
