Alfalfa Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Alfalfa Market is projected to expand from USD 10.11 Billion in 2025 to USD 15.18 Billion by 2031, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 7.01%. As a high-protein perennial legume, alfalfa is extensively grown to serve as fodder for livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses. The market's upward trajectory is primarily fueled by the burgeoning demand for premium animal feed required to support the growing global dairy and meat sectors. Furthermore, the shift toward intensive livestock farming necessitates the use of nutrient-rich forage to enhance animal digestibility and maximize herd productivity, cementing alfalfa's role as a critical element in agricultural supply chains.

However, the market faces a significant hurdle due to the crop's heavy water consumption, which renders production highly susceptible to drought and stringent irrigation restrictions in major cultivation areas. This dependence on reliable water sources frequently results in supply instability and increased operational expenses during times of climatic stress. As reported by the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance, the United States produced an estimated 49.8 million tons of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in 2024. This statistic underscores the immense scale of supply needed to satisfy industrial demands, even as environmental pressures continue to impact cultivation efforts.

Market Drivers

The growing global consumption of dairy and meat products acts as a major engine for the Global Alfalfa Market, pushing producers toward nutrient-rich feeding strategies. As livestock and dairy sectors scale up to feed a rising population, the need for high-protein forage has surged, especially in areas where intensive farming is becoming the norm. This heightened demand fuels substantial international trade, with major dairy-producing countries supplementing their local stocks with high-quality imported hay. For instance, an article titled 'Hay exports flatlined in 2024' in Hay & Forage Grower, published in February 2025, noted that China imported 937,447 metric tons of U.S. alfalfa hay in 2024, highlighting the essential connection between industrial dairy needs and global forage trade.

Additionally, the market is propelled by increasing import reliance in water-scarce regions, where arid nations are enacting strict environmental laws to protect diminishing aquifers. Governments in parts of Asia and the Middle East have banned the domestic farming of water-heavy crops, forcing a structural transition to imported fodder to maintain their livestock sectors.

This regulatory environment ensures a steady dependence on foreign suppliers to satisfy domestic feed needs. The same Hay & Forage Grower report indicated that Saudi Arabia remained a significant purchaser, importing 351,258 metric tons of U.S. alfalfa hay in 2024. Reinforcing these market dynamics, a report titled '2024 U.S. forage statistics' by Ag Proud in November 2025 stated that the average price for U.S. alfalfa hay reached approximately $185 per ton in 2024, illustrating the equilibrium between global supply capacities and consumption demands.

Market Challenges

A primary barrier to market expansion is the significant water demand associated with alfalfa, creating difficulties in areas facing water scarcity and rigid usage controls. Because the crop is water-intensive, production yields and costs are deeply tied to the availability of irrigation. When water becomes scarce due to policy shifts or drought, growers often face increased input expenses or must switch to less water-demanding crops, reducing alfalfa acreage. This susceptibility leads to supply fluctuations and price instability, which deters the formation of long-term contracts and hinders the market's ability to consistently expand to meet global requirements.

These resource limitations directly affect the industry's production capabilities. According to data from the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance, the harvested acreage of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in the United States fell by 6% in 2024, dropping to 14.6 million acres compared to the prior year. This decrease in land dedicated to cultivation, largely resulting from resource management issues and environmental pressures, restricts the total supply available for export and dairy sectors, thereby curbing the market's growth potential despite the rising need for consumption.

Market Trends

The global market is currently being reshaped by the diversification of international export trade routes, as exporters seek to reduce the risks linked to depending on a single dominant buyer. Suppliers are increasingly focusing on stable Asian markets to counterbalance fluctuations in Chinese demand, thereby securing steady revenue and enhancing supply chain resilience against geopolitical issues. This strategic shift enables producers to exploit new opportunities in modernizing dairy sectors that require dependable fodder imports. As highlighted in the article 'Hay exports flatlined in 2024' by Hay & Forage Grower in February 2025, U.S. alfalfa hay exports to South Korea increased by 26% to 209,054 metric tons in 2024, demonstrating successful growth into alternative high-value markets.

Concurrently, there is a growing trend toward the widespread adoption of genetically modified reduced-lignin alfalfa varieties, as producers aim to optimize harvest flexibility and nutritional content amidst resource limitations. These advanced seeds permit delayed harvesting without compromising forage quality, resulting in increased biomass yield per cutting and better operational efficiency for commercial dairy feed. This technological evolution is essential for sustaining profitability in the face of rising water and input costs by generating higher tonnage from existing land. According to the '2024 U.S. forage statistics' report by Ag Proud in November 2025, the average yield for alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in the United States rose to 3.41 tons per acre in 2024, reflecting the productivity improvements attributed to these modern agronomic developments.

Key Players Profiled in the Alfalfa Market

• Alfalfa Monegros SL
• Riverina (Australia) Pty
• Mc Cracken Hay Company
• Cubeit Hay Company
• M&C Hay
• Standlee Hay Company
• Anderson Hay & Grain Inc.
• Haykingdom Inc.
• Al Dahra ACX Global, Inc.
• SL Follen Company

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Alfalfa Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Alfalfa Market, by Product Type:

• Bales
• Pellets
• Cubes

Alfalfa Market, by Application:

• Dairy Cow Feed
• Cattle & Sheep Feed
• Pig Feed
• Horse Feed
• Poultry Feed
• Others

Alfalfa Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Alfalfa Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.