The issue of persistence in a perennial forage crop is as important as the issues of yield and quality. The figure presented represents what happens as alfalfa matures. A critical level of carbohydrate reserve must be in the crown and root of the plant for survival. Plants harvested prior to bud will be short lived. A compromise to obtain adequate yield, quality and persistence is to harvest an alfalfa crop at early (1/10) bloom. Many dairy producers have opted to harvest the crop at late bud as they desire a higher quality crop for their lactating livestock.