The Alfalfa grown in Oudtshoorn is of the highest quality in global terms. Alfalfa has a long life-span (which means you do not have to plant new Alfalfa seeds often) and can grow for up to 10 years if plenty of water is available. Alfalfa is a seed plant and has a beautiful purple flower.

The root depth all depends on the water – the deeper the water the deeper the root growth. During a good year where there is lots of water one can get 5-6 cuttings per year. A farmer can get roughly 3,5 tons per hectare.  At Safari Ostrich Farm we have 312 hectares of alfalfa under irrigation. The cutting season is from August to April which are our hot months.  At Safari Ostrich Farm we have the capacity to produce up to 2,5 tons of alfalfa pellets per hour.

Adult ostriches can eat up to 2,5 kg of food per day. We make pellets out of the Alfalfa we grow and harvest as feed for our birds. Alfalfa is considered the king of animal feed and is high in protein and fibre.  Green Alfalfa consists of 80% moisture and if eaten green the ostrich can stay without water for as long as a week.