The Amazing Birdsfoot Treefoil

Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) is a perennial legume that offers several benefits for cattle production, particularly in pasture and forage systems. Below are the key ways it helps cattle, based on its agronomic and nutritional properties:

1. High-Quality Forage: Birdsfoot trefoil provides high-quality forage comparable to alfalfa, with high protein content and good digestibility. It maintains its nutritional quality even at flowering and later stages of maturity, offering a wider harvest window than alfalfa, which loses quality as it matures. This makes it an excellent feed for cattle, supporting weight gain (up to 3.5 pounds per day in grazing systems) and milk production.
2. Non-Bloating: Unlike alfalfa and some clovers, birdsfoot trefoil contains condensed tannins, which prevent frothy bloat in ruminants. These tannins bind to proteins, reducing the formation of stable rumen foam that causes bloat, making it a safer forage option for cattle grazing in pure stands or mixtures.
3. Improved Protein Utilization: The condensed tannins in birdsfoot trefoil enhance protein bypass in the rumen, allowing more protein to be absorbed in the abomasum. This improves nitrogen utilization, leading to better meat and milk production while reducing nitrogen excretion in urine, which has environmental benefits.
4. Adaptability to Marginal Soils: Birdsfoot trefoil thrives in poorly drained, acidic (pH 5.5–6.5, tolerates as low as 4.5), or low-fertility soils where alfalfa struggles. This makes it ideal for marginal lands, ensuring consistent forage production in challenging environments.
5. Antiparasitic Properties: The condensed tannins in birdsfoot trefoil have anthelmintic effects, helping to suppress gastrointestinal parasites like the barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) in cattle. This is particularly valuable in organic systems where synthetic dewormers are avoided, improving animal health and reducing the need for pharmaceutical interventions.
6. Nitrogen Fixation: As a legume, birdsfoot trefoil fixes atmospheric nitrogen (50–130 lb/acre/year), enriching soil fertility and supporting companion grasses in mixed pastures. This reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and enhances overall pasture productivity.
7. Forage Yield and Longevity: While its yield is typically 50–80% of alfalfa’s on fertile soils, birdsfoot trefoil can increase dry matter yield by up to 150% when interseeded into grass pastures. Its ability to reseed naturally and persist through self-seeding contributes to long stand life, reducing replanting costs.
8. Mitigation of Fescue Toxicosis: Grazing birdsfoot trefoil before consuming tall fescue infected with wild-type endophyte may reduce toxicity by binding toxic alkaloids, improving cattle performance on fescue-based pastures.