Hay & Forage Grower - November 2015 by Hay & Forage Grower / Journal of Nutrient Managment

hayandforage.com

November 2015

Published by W.D. Hoard & Sons Co.

SDI gains momentum pg 8 What is brewing in your silo? pg 20 NAFA 2016 alfalfa variety guide center insert Transition pastures with warm season annuals pg 28

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November 2015 路 VOL. 30 路 No. 2 MANAGING EDITOR Michael C. Rankin ART DIRECTOR Ryan D. Ebert ONLINE MANAGER Patti J. Hurtgen AUDIENCE MARKETING MGR. John R. Mansavage ADVERTISING SALES Jan C. Ford jford@hoards.com Kim E. Zilverberg kzilverberg@hayandforage.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Kaitlyn M. Webster kwebster@hayandforage.com W.D. HOARD & SONS

8 Alfalfa subsurface drip irrigation gains momentum The attraction is more yield with less water.

What is brewing in your silo? As with beer, good silage starts with a desirable fermentation.

Inventories are adequate, but order elite alfalfa varieties early.

Warm-season annuals provide both yield and quality forage.

Center insert

DEPARTMENTS 4 First Cut 12 Research Round-up 14 Forage Shop Talk 24 Custom Corner

NAFA ALFALFA VARIETY LEAFLET

MINNESOTA DAIRY SURPRISED TO HAVE TOP FORAGE ENTRY

BMR CORN SILAGE OPTIONS EXPANDED FOR 2016

EDITORIAL OFFICE 28 Milwaukee Ave. West, Fort Atkinson, WI, 53538 WEBSITE www.hayandforage.com EMAIL info@hayandforage.com PHONE (920) 563-5551

Seed supplies for 2016

THE SEEDING RATE CONUNDRUM

PRESIDENT Brian V. Knox VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING Gary L. Vorpahl

AG PLASTIC RECYCLING REMAINS A CHALLENGE

DAVE WHALEN TALKS LOW-LIGNIN

27 Forage IQ 30 Machine Shed 42 Hay Market Update

Transition pastures

BOOST STOCKING RATE AND PROFIT

LOW-LIGNIN ALFALFA VARIETIES OFFER POTENTIAL QUALITY GAINS

ON THE COVER Located in Germansville, Penn., Heidel Hollow Farm is owned and operated by David Fink along with his wife, Sonia, and their two sons. The farm consists of 1600 crop acres. Solar panels provide energy for the bale compression enterprise and other farm energy needs. Photo by Mike Rankin, Managing Editor

HAY & FORAGE GROWER (ISSN 0891-5946) copyright 漏 2015 W. D. Hoard & Sons Company. All rights reserved. Published six times annually in January, February, March, April/May, August/September and November by W. D. Hoard & Sons Co., 28 Milwaukee Ave., W., Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538 USA. Tel: 920-563-5551. Fax: 920-563-7298. Email: info@hayandforage.com. Website: www.hayandforage. com. Periodicals Postage paid at Fort Atkinson, Wis. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscribers may subscribe at: USA: 1 year $20 U.S.; Outside USA: Canada & Mexico, 1 year $80 U.S.; All other countries, 1 year $120 U.S. For Subscriber Services contact: Hay & Forage Grower, PO Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 USA; call: 920-563-5551, email: info@hayandforage.com or visit: www.hayandforage.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HAY & FORAGE GROWER, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W., Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538 USA. Subscribers who have provided a valid email address may receive the Hay & Forage Grower email newsletter eHay Weekly.

November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 3

FIRST CUT

IT CA N T S A F SO

P U P E E K U O Y H T I W FEED TO RE ADY7 DAYS IN

Managing Editor

The seeding rate conundrum

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Mike Rankin

OT long ago I was sitting in a farm office talking to a dairy producer about his forage cropping program. Amongst the flurry of questions I asked was, “What is your alfalfa seeding rate?” He shot back, “Eighteen pounds per acre.” Next question, “That variety you’re using has a 34 percent seed coating by weight, so is that pounds of actual seed or product as it comes out of the bag?” He looked at me quizzically and said, “That’s a good question. I think it’s product; it must be product. I’ll have to check.” Here’s the thing: I’ve had this same conversation more than once over the past few years. What used to be a standard agronomic term with pretty universal understanding — seeding rate — has now taken on some additional baggage. Seeding rate now may mean pounds of product (seed plus everything that comes with it, including the coating), pounds of actual seed and whatever other small amount of nonseed components that might come in the bag (if there is no coating), or it may mean pounds of pure live seed (PLS), as it usually does in most university seeding rate research. The concept of PLS rips away everything but viable and hard seed. If it’s not alfalfa or it doesn’t germinate, it doesn’t count. When you hear a university specialist say that they didn’t see significant advantage to seeding rates over a given number of pounds per acre, PLS is usually what they are talking about. For a long time the difference between pounds out of the seed bag and pounds of PLS wasn’t too significant. That’s changed with the introduction and wide use of seed coatings. Now, many companies use seed coatings that comprise one-third the weight of the bag. Add to that any seed that doesn’t germinate,

10/19/15 12:58 PM

and it’s not uncommon to have a bag of seed with 60 percent PLS. Alfalfa seed coatings are usually clay and/or polymer based and may contain Rhizobium bacteria, fungicide(s) and perhaps a growth regulator. They are often marketed as providing improved germination and growth. Research results are somewhat mixed on this point. Though it seems counterintuitive, coated seed tends to flow out of the drill faster than uncoated seed. How much or how little seed coating is on the seed varies with marketer and is probably not a good primary variety selection criteria. What is important is knowing if you’re seeding too little or too much. At the farm level, perhaps the focus should be turned to the number of seedlings or plants established at a given point in time. After all, we don’t harvest seeding rates. Every one pound of pure seed planted equates to dropping about five seeds per square foot. Lots of factors contribute to final stand density. These include: drill performance, seed placement, seedbed conditions, weather following seeding and issues related to actual seeding rate. Your optimum seeding rate may differ from your neighbor, who has a different drill, seeding method or soil. If stand counts are lower than desired, then try to determine the cause. It may be seeding rate; it may be something else. Realize that, if you have always seeded 16 pounds per acre of non-coated seed product and now seed 16 pounds of a high-volume coated seed, your actual rate is likely somewhere below 10 pounds of PLS per acre. Maybe that’s good enough for a full, productive stand; maybe not. •

Write Managing Editor Mike Rankin, 28 Milwaukee Ave., P.O. Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538, call (920) 563-5551 or email mrankin@hayandforage.com

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Pioneer.com/SilageZone PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. ® TM SM , , Trademarks and service marks of DuPont, Pioneer or their respective owners. © 2015 PHII. DUPPFO15029_VA_110115_HFG

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Jason Felling

Cyril Felling

to 32,000 seeds per acre. Fields are grid-sampled about every three years, usually before a field goes into alfalfa. Nutrients are applied based on soil tests and previous manure applications.

All haylage

Dairy surprised with top forage entry by Mike Rankin

ASON Felling wasn’t expecting the letter he received in the mail stating their farm, Felling Dairy LLC, was a finalist in World Forage Analysis Superbowl held at this year’s World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. “It was just a random sample taken by our seed agronomist. Nothing special about it,” says Felling. As it turned out, the Sauk Centre, Minn., farm not only was a finalist, but also the brown mid-rib (BMR) corn silage sample was good enough to earn them Grand Champion Forage Producer in 2015. The winning entry topped 384 competitors and had a 30-hour neutral detergent fiber digestibility of 67.8 percent and milk per ton value of 3,731. Samples were judged based on 70 percent lab analysis and 30 percent visual analysis. Felling Dairy is a third-generation family farm in Stearns County. These days, Jason and his wife, Marie, are in partnership with his parents and assume most of the management duties. His father (Cyril) and mother (Debbie) are still active on the farm and were the ones who journeyed to Madison to receive the forage award spoils. Twenty-five full- and part-time employees also work on the farm. The dairy consumes all 1,600 crop acres for forage production, about 1,000 acres of corn silage and 600 acres of 6 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

alfalfa. All other grain, straw and feed commodities are purchased for the 800 dairy cows that currently average 27,500 pounds of milk with a 3.9 percent fat test. Fellings also raise their own young stock. Cows are milked in a 28-stall carousel parlor that has served the farm since 2000.

Experienced with BMR “It was seven years ago when we first tried Mycogen BMR corn on part of our acres,” explains Jason. “The past six years we’ve been pretty much all-in. We plant both 99 and 109 relative maturity hybrids so it’s all not ready to chop at the same time.” Fellings do their own harvesting along with other fieldwork. The silage is stored in bunker silos. Corn planting is accomplished with a 12-row, variable rate planter. They vary their planting rates between 28,000

The Fellings have been growing BMR silage for seven years.

The Fellings recently shifted to direct-seeding their alfalfa using Roundup Ready varieties. “Previously we used a companion crop like oats or barley,” notes Jason, “but we really like the strait seedings. It’s a nice way to start alfalfa.” In 2015, they successfully established alfalfa using an airflow applicator, while at the same time applying pelleted lime and fertilizer. Fields were cultipacked before and after seeding. Though most years they only manage two cuttings during the first year at about 60, then 45 days after seeding, three cuts were made in 2015 as a result of favorable weather conditions. On established stands, the goal is to get four cuttings done by September 1. To do so, they try to adhere to a 28-day cutting interval. All of the alfalfa is harvested as haylage. Cows get no dry alfalfa hay but are fed either straw or dry grass hay to bolster effective fiber in the ration. “Our biggest challenge with alfalfa is to get a good stand established and then control the insect pests like potato leafhoppers and alfalfa weevils,” notes Jason. “We tried some foliar fungicide applications, but I’m not really sold on that practice.” Generally, alfalfa fields receive topdress fertilizer applications that include both potassium and sulfur. The typical crop rotation on the farm is four years of alfalfa (including the seeding year), then two to four years of corn before going back to alfalfa. When asked what the keys are to producing high-quality forage, Jason replies, “First you need a good team that includes your agronomist, nutritionist and employees. Timing of field operations is critical. Finally, you need some luck. Mother Nature always seems to play a big role.” Though that latter factor may be true, it’s also clear that the Felling Dairy team parlays all that Mother Nature will give them to produce an abundance of high-quality forage. •

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7/23/15 1:14 PM

Alfalfa subsurface drip irrigation gains momentum by Dan Putnam

HE 2013 to 2015 drought centered on California and Nevada has been termed “Exceptionally Severe” by USDA scientists, and has brought home with a vengeance the importance of water for alfalfa grown in Western states. Many acres of alfalfa have been dried down, fields abandoned or partially irrigated, and profitability greatly reduced. It has not been a happy time for alfalfa producers in areas of exceptional drought. According to the 2012 USDA Census of Agriculture, nearly 50 percent of U.S. alfalfa is grown in the West, and mostly under irrigation. Alfalfa is primarily irrigated with sprinkler irrigation systems (pivots and wheel lines) and surface irrigation systems (also known as “check flood”). In California, about 80 to 85 percent of production is accomplished with surface irrigation systems, while 15 percent use sprinkler systems of various types. We think that about 2 percent utilize subsurface drip, a number that was very close to zero only six years ago. However, there is strong interest in more efficient water-use application systems, given the dynamics of water supply and the potential to improve yields. Growers are looking for all the tricks in the book to deal with the need for higher yields as well as the need to save water. While drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers are widely used for many other crops, these techniques have not been as widely used for alfalfa.

8 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

About 15 years ago, California’s tomato processing industry began experimenting with subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), an effort aided by University of California research. This enabled growers to more carefully finesse irrigation amounts so that they didn’t over-irrigate (too much vegetative growth) or under-irrigate (limiting yields). The results have been astounding — improving yields over this period from 20 to 50 percent compared with surface systems. Currently, well over 80 percent of the approximately 260,000 acres of California tomato crop is using SDI, driven largely by profitability factors, as well as the ability to carefully use water.

Can SDI work for alfalfa? The answer is not immediately clear. Alfalfa is fundamentally different than tree, vine or row crops because of its broadcast growth pattern, deep roots and frequent harvests. Over the past three- to five-year period, we have been observing and surveying installation of drip systems on more than 16 farms in California and Arizona, and conducting controlled studies of SDI on our university research farms. This has been a tremendous learning experience — we are learning from growers as they learn how to adapt this technology and providing suggestions on how its success might be improved. The learning curve is ongoing for everyone involved. Subsurface drip irrigation is defined

as the application of water below the soil surface through spaced emitters embedded in drip tubes with discharge rates generally in the same range as surface drip irrigation. Generally, growers install drip lines at 8 to 14 inches below the surface at 30- to 40-inch spacings, though some space lines are up to 60 inches. A filtration system and pumps to pressurize the system are also required. The ideal lateral drip spacing and emitter spacing are dictated by soil type and economics. Most of the systems we have observed source water from wells, whereas some have surface water sources; in the latter case, settling ponds or small reservoirs may be necessary to improve reliability of water supply and enable settling of suspended particles.

SDI has advantages The major advantage of drip irrigation is that smaller amounts of water can be applied. The system essentially “spoon-feeds” the crop with just enough water to meet crop demand. Yield: It is quite likely that alfalfa DAN PUTNAM The author is a forage specialist at the University of California, Davis.

to less stand loss and less soil cracking. price of hay. yields may be improved utilizing SDI in Crop rotation: Alfalfa SDI fields are Rodent damage: Rodent damage, alfalfa versus flood irrigation. Growers often rotated with crops such as corn, particularly the potential for gopher in the long-seasoned environment of wheat, cotton or tomato over a six- to damage, is probably the key practical Central and Southern California and 12-year period. This enables the system disadvantage and main barrier to SDI Arizona have reported yields averaging to remain in place, optimizing return technology adoption. Some growers have 3.1 tons per acre over their check-flood on investment. “walked away” from large investments fields, at least in the first several years. Water quality and evaporative due to rodent infestations. Alfalfa, Experimental data has reported 20 to losses: Properly designed and operparticularly sprinkler- or SDI-irrigated 35 percent increases in yield versus ated SDI systems have low evaporative alfalfa, is an ideal habitat for gophers. surface systems in controlled studies. losses (due to the low evaporation off of While rodent damage to alfalfa stands is Why is this? A lot has to do with distrirelatively dry soils) versus surface or likely no different in SDI compared with bution of water in time and space. sprinkler systems. Additionally, SDI sprinklers, at least in sprinkler-irriDistribution uniformity over systems result in zero runoff. gated fields it does not ruin the irrigaspace: Check flood systems have built-in Water savings: Depending upon the tion system. High levels of management problems with uniformity due to greater efficiencies of the system to which it is are required to manage rodents. times available for water infiltration at compared, water savings can be substanSalinity: Salinity may be an importdifferent places in the field. Often, water tial, especially on sandy soils. Surface ant limitation for SDI systems. Buildup in flooded fields needs to move 1,350 feet, systems are inefficient when significant of soil saline conditions could occur which takes 10 to 14 hours; different water goes below the root zone or runs off between drip lines, or at different levels amounts of water are provided in differand is not captured for another use. of the soil, if steps are not taken to ent sections. One of the key advantages control salinity. of SDI systems is to apply water more Need to retain diverse water uniformly across a field. application methods: Growers Distribution uniformity over should try to retain multiple methods time: SDI has the ability to quickly of water applications in their SDI apply a uniform irrigation to an installations, including the ability to entire field, within 24 to 48 hours. flood irrigate and/or sprinkle irrigate. This is not possible with most surface Sprinklers should be used for stand systems. Depending upon flow rates, establishment, while occasional flood many surface systems require from irrigation is needed for salinity manthree to 12 days to irrigate an 80- to agement, filling the soil profile and 100-acre field. One side of the field rodent management. may get water much later than the other side. Wheel-line and hand-move More yield with less water sprinklers (but not pivots) also have this limitation. Although there is a lot to learn Providing a “Goldilocks” about SDI for alfalfa, it has the Alfalfa regrowth is often more rapid in an SDI-irrigated alfalfa field. Water can be metered capacity to improve yields and water amount of water as needed: In as needed throughout the growth cycle. surface systems, a slug of 3 to 6 use efficiency. The key advantages inches of water must be applied at a are to 1) maintain continuous water time in order to push water down the supply and better soil moisture Labor: SDI systems have the promfield. To allow for a 14-day dry period conditions, 2) enable better distribution ise of reduced labor requirements, and before and after harvest, only one or at uniformity over space and time for both this has been demonstrated on several most two floods are possible between a water and nutrient applications, 3) farms. Certainly, a well-designed system 28-day harvest interval. Often either prevention of wetting-drying cycles and can be nearly fully automated, compared too little or too much water for the true 4) longer potential stand life and less with many surface systems, which need of the crop is applied. With SDI, weed pressure. require full-time irrigators. However, if only 1/4 inch is needed, water can be SDI may not be well suited to every additional labor is likely to be required applied daily to meet crop need, and situation — the key limitations of SDI for scouting for rodent infestations and closer to a harvest. methods include cost of installation, fixing leaks. Preventing wetting-drying cycles: source water quality, and management SDI provides a constant amount of water of rodent damage to the system. The Potential disadvantages to the roots, preventing the excessive latter can be devastating. Although one drying or wetting of soil and maintainmust be cautious about its limitations, Costs: Historically, the cost of SDI ing turgor. Additionally, it prevents the ability of SDI to achieve higher installations has been a major disadcracking clays from damaging roots, a yields in practice should be viewed as vantage. System installations range common problem on heavy soils. Oxygen an important strategy for increasing between $1,000 and $2,700 per acre, availability to roots may be improved, water use efficiency of irrigated alfalfa depending on the farm. However, these depending upon soil and management. production systems for the future. • costs can be justified if yields are Weeds/stand longevity: There is improved and/or price of the product is some evidence that SDI fields are likely sufficient to cover costs. We estimated to reduce weed intrusion due to less that the yield required to justify the University of California website resources for standing water and dry soil surfaces. cost is between 0.5 to 1.5 tons per acre, SDI can be found at http://alfalfa.ucdavis.edu. Additionally, stands may last longer due depending on actual costs and the November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 9

Ag plastic recycling remains a challenge by Nate Leonard

HE New York state agricultural plastics recycling program is one of the best in the nation. Even so, there’s still plenty of room for more involvement by farmers and agencies. Billions of pounds of plastic are used in world agriculture, an estimated 1 billion pounds in the U.S. alone. More is being used to cover and preserve forage each year. Very little of it is recycled. Most agricultural plastic is landfilled, buried on-farm or often burned. Much of it could be recycled, and localities need to make a decision to pursue better disposal options for the farm community. Agricultural plastics are necessary, they are highly beneficial to farmers and their environmental impact is generally favorable. Many agricultural plastics can only be used for one season. In forage production, it is film plastics that are used extensively.

A must have Bale wrap, silage bags and bunker silo covers are considered essential to storing and preserving high-quality forages. Not many years ago, rotting bales of dry hay were all too common and bunker silos often had a foot or more of spoiled feed on top, reducing both feed quality and quantity. Now the landscape is often dotted with round bale “marshmallows” and silage bag “sausages.” The vast majority of bunker silos are now covered. In New York, it was estimated that 10 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

over half of the used agricultural plastics were burned prior to 2009 when the state passed tougher regulations regarding open burning. Burning plastics at low temperatures creates toxic dioxins and small particulates that lodge in the lungs. Soils and crops are contaminated both on site and downwind. Open burning has been reduced considerably, but is still too common. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) has issued fines; however, we find that most farmers want to dispose of their used plastics properly when better disposal options are available. Most states, but not all, ban open burning of plastics. Simply putting agricultural plastics in the trash is often difficult. A couple of bale wraps per day is one thing, but disposing of large quantities becomes expensive and, in the case of bunker covers, can be difficult to physically get in a dumpster. Often the dumpster is filled by volume, not by weight. Trash haulers are not enthusiastic about film plastics either. They don’t pack well in the trucks and make for inefficient hauling. It is a daily event to have these plastics tangle up in the running gear inside the compaction trucks. This often requires staff to climb into the truck to cut the material out, a dangerous and unpleasant job. Recycling of agricultural plastics has been a long time coming in New York and it has a long way to go. The

Recycling Agricultural Plastics Program (RAPP) at Cornell University began more than a decade ago. At first, funding came from a variety of sources — the NY Farm Viability Institute, US EPA Region 2, USDA Rural Development and Cornell Cooperative Extension. The big step forward occurred after the 2009 “burn ban” when NYS DEC significantly funded RAPP through the N.Y. Environmental Protection Fund. RAPP is part of the Cornell Waste Management Institute. RAPP obtained six mobile BigFoot BF300 plastics balers, now made by Kennco Manufacturing. These were designed to go on-farm. RAPP partnered with county Soil and Water Conservation Districts to coordinate the baling efforts. Local partnerships have been essential. Typically, it’s Cornell Cooperative Extension staff that do the outreach and education. Education on best management practices for collecting and saving agricultural plastics is considered essential. We recommend

NATE LEONARD The author is state field coordinator for NY Recycling Agricultural Plastics Program (RAPP).

a farm visit so that a plan can be developed that is realistic and feasible for the farm owner. Most farmers are surprised to find that saving plastic for recycling isn’t difficult. Initially, RAPP operated largely outside of county and township Solid Waste and Recycling (SWR) as there were limited markets for the material collected. SWR is often only set up to handle household single-stream recycling. They may like the idea of diverting agricultural plastic, but it usually requires special collections on limited budgets. Yet SWR collection is starting to happen in N.Y. Madison and Delaware County Solid Waste Departments collect agricultural plastics for recycling. Other counties are considering collection.

Interest picking up

Generating interest within the farming community is important. Support from Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations is essential. Local recycling is almost always oriented to residential and business recycling. The farm community sometimes needs to remind local representatives and agencies that they are a significant constituency.

Goes beyond feed The problem is not unique to forage production. Horticultural farms use mulch films, potting media bags, drip irrigation tube, various greenhouse covers, and pots and trays. Pesticide containers are unique in that much of the U.S. is covered by Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) contractors. This is an industry effort to recycle pesticide containers, keeping them out of the normal waste and recycling streams. Agricultural plastics recycling is a real challenge that needs to be addressed. •

More information about the New York Recycling Agricultural Plastics Program can be found at www.recycleagplastics. css.cals.cornell.edu.

Terrecon, Inc.

Recyclers have responded. Where there is a resource, entrepreneurs tend to take an interest. Delta Plastics in Arkansas and Bridon Cordage’s Gopher Plastics in Minnesota have take-back programs from producers. Delta Plastics manufactures polytube irrigation and trash bags, while Gopher Plastics makes Revolver baling twine from recycled twine. In New

York, most of the film plastics are shipped to a trash bag manufacturer in Brooklyn. Typically, recyclers are paying the cost of trucking; sometimes there is a modest reimbursement for baling. Each region of the U.S. has its own set of potential recyclers and it takes some market exploration. In the last five years, approximately 3 million pounds of used agricultural plastics have been recycled in New York, currently reaching a 10 percent recycling rate —nowhere near where we want to be, but it’s a start. In Wyoming County, N.Y., over 40 percent of the used plastics from dairy farms are being recycled. This is a great success and yet it isn’t sustainable on grant funding. Solid waste and recycling authorities are often supportive of recycling but reluctant to get involved with agricultural plastics. “It’s no secret that we are a farming community,” comments Doug Thompson of G&T Farms in Richfield Springs, N.Y., “It (recycling of agricultural plastics) needs to be integrated with solid waste and recycling.” Doug operates a large beef farm that uses wrapped round bales. “It’s important; more people need to do it. I like being part of the process.”

A mobile baler is used to compress plastic for shipping.

This sidewalk at the Los Angeles Music Center is made from recycled bale wrap plastic.

November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 11

RESEARCH ROUND-UP

Applying dairy wastewater through drip irrigation

Polymer-coated nitrogen improves bermudagrass production

As the drought in California rolls through its fourth consecutive year, drip irrigation of forage crops has garnered a lot of interest as a means to make more efficient use of water. The past two years, Sustainable Conservation and Netafim USA, an irrigation supplies manufacturer, have been investigating the feasibility of running dairy wastewater through a drip system. Integrated into the drip irrigation system are controllers and sensors that help regulate not just the volume of water, but also the rate of wastewater nitrogen being applied to the crop. The system mixes fresh water with filtered manure lagoon water. The wastewater and irrigation water are tested to determine both planned and applied nitrogen application rates to the corn silage crop. This is done using electrical conductivity to measure the nitrogen concentration of both water sources. Before water is pumped through the buried drip lines in the field, the fresh and wastewater mixture moves through a double sand media filtration system to eliminate solids. The system, in its second year of testing, is designed to improve water-use efficiency, nitrogen application timing and reduce purchased fertilizer inputs. For further information on the system, contact John Cardoza at Sustainable Conservation (jcardoza@suscon.org).

Nitrogen fertilizer is a critical component to maintaining high yields of bermudagrass. Researchers at the University of Georgia compared several different proportions of polymer-coated urea nitrogen (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen, or ESN, from Agrium Advanced Technologies) mixed with untreated urea. The treatments were compared to ammonium nitrate (AN) and the findings were published in the current edition of Crop Science. Nitrogen was applied at a rate of 300 pounds per acre for all treatments, but was split into two equal applications for the ESN treatments and four applications for the AN and conventional urea only treatments. The ESN proved effective in reducing nitrogen volatilization. The results also showed that the 50 and 75 percent ESN blends provided greater bermudagrass yields than plots receiving 100 percent conventional urea. The 50 and 75 blends were equal in performance to the AN treatment. A partial budget economic analysis revealed that the 50 percent ESN blend was the most profitable compared to other treatment options. The economic benefit was derived from additional yield and/or reduced application costs, though ESN was the most expensive fertilizer source. The researchers concluded that the use of 50 or 75 percent ESN blends provide a viable alternative to using only conventional urea or AN.

Both brown mid-rib and conventional corn silage benefit from inoculant Wisconsin researchers inoculated silage from a brown mid-rib (BMR) and conventional corn hybrid with a product containing Lactobacillus buchneri and Lactobacillus plantarum. Both treated (5 x 105 cfu per gram of fresh forage) and untreated silage were ensiled in bags then removed after 90 days for analysis. The silages responded similarly to the inoculant treatment, though the BMR silage had a higher content of acetic acid and ethanol than the conventional corn (see table). Treated silages had a slightly higher pH, less lactic acid and higher concentrations of acetic acid. After removal from storage, the untreated silages increased significantly in temperature after 95 hours of air exposure. The treated silage did not increase in temperature during 168 hours of monitoring. 12 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

Composition and stability of corn silage after 90 days BMR Measure

Conventional

Control

Treated

Control

Treated

Dry matter, %

32.8

31.2

37.5

36.2

3.80

4.23

3.80

4.20

Lactic acid, %

4.75

1.04

4.76

1.18

Acetic acid, %

1.69

3.81

1.58

3.17

Ethanol, %

0.88

0.81

0.39

0.56

L:A ratio

2.82

0.27

3.02

0.37

Aerobic stability, hrs*

*Treated silage did not increase in temperature during 168 hours of monitoring.

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FORAGE SHOP TALK

Dave Whalen

Q&A

director of regulatory affairs and new trait development for Forage Genetics International

HFG: We’ve been talking about transgenic low-lignin alfalfa varieties for a long time. How does it feel to finally see the research and development transfer to farm fields? DW: I feel proud that Forage Genetics International (FGI) formed a strategic partnership between The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center and Pioneer, in conjunction with Monsanto Company. This research consortium had the talent, financial support and patience to execute a complex plan over several years that included basic research and discovery of the reduced lignin trait, trait development, proof of concept (field and animal studies) and product development. Our goal was to use new biotech tools for modifying lignin content (ADL) beyond what is possible through conventional breeding techniques. HFG: With limited seed supplies this first year, will the sale of HarvXtra varieties be controlled in 2016? DW: First of all, until we get full deregulation in key export markets, we will not have a broad commercial release. HarvXtra alfalfa was deregulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in November of 2014. HarvXtra alfalfa is not currently available for sale and is still pending regulatory approvals in key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. We anticipate a limited introduction in 2016 in the Midwest and East. HFG: In addition to the company brands that get their genetics directly from FGI, will there be trait use agreements for other breeding programs as well? DW: Yes. Once U.S. and key global approvals are obtained, FGI anticipates the technology will be licensed to a number of seed brands. As we move through the regulatory process, more information will become available. HFG: How many HarvXtra varieties are market-ready? Will both dormant and nondormant varieties be available? DW: We have both dormant and non-dormant HarvXtra alfalfa experimental varieties that meet product concept, but only dormant types will be available in 2016 because of the limited launch market area described earlier. The HarvXtra alfalfa products sold in 2016 will be FD4 (fall dormancy 4) types. We will eventually have a range of HarvXtra alfalfa products FD3 to FD9. HFG: It surprised many people when Roundup Ready

alfalfa was taken off the market by court order in 2007. How concerned were you that transgenic alfalfa traits might be doomed before ever really getting started? DW: In 2010, USDA/APHIS completed an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that supported commercialization of transgenic alfalfa traits. We believe that the 2010 EIS document and the higher court rulings in the Roundup Ready alfalfa dispute make it unlikely we will see court challenges associated with HarvXtra alfalfa. Since early 2011, U.S. farmers have continued to grow Roundup Ready alfalfa. HFG: Will all HarvXtra varieties also be glyphosate resistant (Roundup Ready)? What will the technology fee be? DW: Yes, HarvXtra alfalfa will only be sold in a trait stack with the Roundup Ready trait technology. FGI/Monsanto will announce the combined trait fee sometime later this year, or in early 2016. HFG: Are you confident that the agronomics of HarvXtra varieties will be at least as good as the top conventional varieties? DW: Yes, our testing shows that the new HarvXtra alfalfa varieties will be competitive with leading conventional varieties. HFG: There has been a lot of discussion on how to manage low-lignin varieties. Options include: delayed cutting to eliminate a harvest, take the additional quality with same number of cuttings, or delay first cutting and manage the other cuttings the same. Will you have a recommendation or simply let each user figure out what works best? DW: Our grower surveys suggest there won’t be a one size fits all model, and producers will be able to determine how HarvXtra alfalfa will most benefit their operation and management styles. We expect to see some growers maintain their current cutting schedule, while others will delay harvests to reduce the number of cuttings. Harvest flexibility will be a big advantage of HarvXtra. HFG: What’s next for low-lignin alfalfa? Will future improvements simply be better agronomics, or can lignin percentage be reduced further? DW: We’ve learned that the forage quality benefits of the HarvXtra alfalfa trait can be improved by selection for certain characteristics in the background germplasm of a HarvXtra

In each issue of Hay & Forage Grower, we talk to a forage industry newsmaker to get their answers on a variety of topics.

14 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

alfalfa variety. This is now a primary focus in our breeding program. We are also making some very good progress in breeding for improved abiotic stress tolerance (such as salt), resistance to new races of existing pathogens (aphanomyces and anthracnose) and in forage yield potential, per se. We continue to look for opportunities to incorporate these improvements into next generation HarvXtra alfalfa products. HFG: In corn and soybeans, we see a wide spread between the number of traited seed options available versus conventional. Do you see this same thing happening for alfalfa, or do you think conventional variety development will always remain strong? DW: We are committed to supporting strong alfalfa breeding programs for both conventional and traited varieties. HFG: There has been a lot of discussion about alfalfa varieties with protected protein and the many advantages that would come with that trait. Any estimates on how many years before we see those varieties in the field? DW: This was an early target for our research consortium, but it is a complex problem, and we are still in discovery phase. However, there’s been some exciting progress in the last two years. We now have alfalfa plants containing condensed tannins, and in vitro results suggest a significant increase in rumen undegraded protein (RUP) in these plants. Although there is still much to do, we are cautiously optimistic. A best-case scenario would allow commercialization in about 10 years.

HFG: What other transgenic traits are in the pipeline that you’re excited about? DW: Second generation herbicide tolerance will provide multiple modes of action that help manage weed resistance and offer better control of some problem perennial dicot weeds in the West. FGI is also looking at a few exciting alternatives that would cause delayed flowering in alfalfa — potentially improving both forage yield and forage quality. We think there may also be the potential for a second and incremental improvement in fiber digestibility through one of a few novel strategies coming from a broad U.S. Department of Energy investment in biofuels research. There are also nontransgenic, applied genomic approaches for novel traits that we are excited about. It’s never been more exciting to be a plant breeder. HFG: Do you think alfalfa will ever be able to compete with corn silage from a yield perspective? DW: Alfalfa and corn silage are perfect partners. Corn silage will be hard to beat for forage yield potential, but alfalfa will offer unique forage quality attributes, rotation benefits for corn, and the well-known and not well-understood benefits of having alfalfa and corn silage together in a dairy ration. We believe HarvXtra alfalfa and our work on improving efficiency of alfalfa protein utilization will make alfalfa a larger share of the forage diet. HFG: Favorite food? Trick question? Alfalfa sprouts are not a stand-alone favorite but improve any salad. Good yogurt and great cheese. •

Forage Management for Dairy Forage is the backbone of livestock rations. Sections in this resource book include cost-saving feeding strategies; forage testing, weather management, storage strategies and efficient delivery to minimize shrink. 35 pages. q Forage Management for Dairy $9.95 Add shipping: $5 for orders up to $25, $8 for orders up to $60 Add sales tax: CA - 7.5%, IL - 6.25%, MN - 6.875%, WI - 5.5%, Canda add 5% GST Call for quantity pricing and shipping ORDERS OUTSIDE THE U.S. - CONTACT US FOR SHIPPING AND FEES

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November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 15

Boost stocking rate and profit by Jesse Bussard

HEN it comes to enhancing ranch profit, Johann Zietsman says the most important determinant will always be stocking rate. In mid-August, Zietsman, a cattleman from Zimbabwe, along with Florida grazier Jim Elizondo put on a three-day Profitable Ranching workshop in Billings, Mont. Among the topics discussed were ultra-high stock density (UHSD) grazing. “The goal is to obtain the maximum sustainable profits per acre by attaining the highest stocking rate possible,” says Elizondo. Zietsman concurred, noting for each increase in stocking rate a proportionate gain in profit per acre will be seen. To efficiently utilize the forage resource, Elizondo explains, grazing must be nonselective. This is achieved by using ultra-high stocking densities to maximize utilization. He notes while grazing principles for UHSD grazing methods are universal across environments, application of these principles must be done using an adaptive strategy tailored to each region and climate. On the last day of the workshop, attendees visited Montana rancher Chad Peterson’s operation to get a firsthand view of UHSD grazing in action. Peterson was one of the first graziers in the United States to begin using UHSD grazing on his former Nebraska Sandhills ranch in 2001. According to Peterson, “If you keep 16 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

your animals bunched up enough and only go over your ranch once a year, you can’t screw it up.”

Some pitfalls exist Still, Peterson explains, depending on your location, this grazing style can come with challenges. In his experience, he has found individual animal performance, like application of this grazing style, is largely dictated by environment. While it is possible to grow more grass and improve soil quality, it is impossible to change what the animal performance potential is in a given location. Due to the high-fiber, low-protein forages present in his Nebraska ranch’s environment, Peterson’s “animal performance ceiling” was not very high. In 2014, he moved his operation to Montana where he felt he would have a better chance at obtaining higher animal performance using UHSD grazing methods. Grass quality was the big draw. Peterson started his 2015 grazing season with approximately 1,000 head of stocker heifers and steers. His cattle inventory fluctuates throughout the year as he sells and buys animals. Cattle are kept in one mob and moved at minimum twice a day. Depending on the quality of forage being grazed, however, he has moved cattle as much as six times a day. Determining grazing density Peterson says is a trial-and-error process, “Sometimes you won’t give them a big enough

area. Sometimes you’ll give them too much. You’re always adjusting (paddock size) to the last try until you get it right.” Benefits seen from UHSD grazing include an increase in diversity of desirable forage species, while decreasing undesirable ones, as well as more uniform grazing, manure distribution, and trampling of plants. The increased herd effect in turn creates more litter cover, improves water infiltration, and enhances soil health, making the land more resilient to drought and other stresses. Peterson has also noticed less fly and parasite problems in his cattle thanks to the frequent moves of UHSD grazing. Additionally, he is able to run a lower bull-to-cow ratio because bulls do not have to travel far to find females. “In Nebraska, I used one bull to 100 cows and got good breed-ups,” says Peterson. Peterson cautions that producers must be observant. If grazing managers do not pay close enough attention to their animals, stress can occur, leading to reduction in animal performance and, potentially, health problems. Due to the high management skill needed for this style of grazing, Peterson recommends those interested in giving UHSD grazing a try do a trial experiment on productive land. “Get it set up with fencing and water systems so you will be able to do a very good job,” says Peterson. “Do this in a small area so you can experiment, see the results of it, and get some experience before you go all in.” As Peterson pointed out, getting good at UHSD grazing will take time, but when implemented properly this grazing method can yield huge benefits for the land, livestock and producer’s bottom line. More information on ultra-high stock density grazing methods can be found in Zietsman’s book, Man, Cattle, and Veld published in 2014. • JESSE BUSSARD The author is a freelance writer from Bozeman, Mont., and has her own communications business, Cowpunch Creative.

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genetics

Low-lignin alfalfa varieties offer potential quality gains by Dave Combs

LFALFA producers will have a couple of new options to consider in the upcoming growing season. Low-lignin alfalfas are being touted as the next innovation that will give producers more options for producing consistently higher quality forage. Low-lignin alfalfa should allow producers to harvest alfalfa with improved fiber digestibility if they choose to maintain the same harvest schedule as they now use with conventional lines. Low-lignin alfalfa may also allow producers to delay harvest a few days and still have acceptable forage quality for high-producing dairy cows. Preliminary evidence suggests that low-lignin alfalfa will, in fact, improve fiber digestibility, but there are still unanswered questions about whether or not this will translate into higher milk production or if these low-lignin lines will yield as much tonnage as conventional lines. 18 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

Alforex and Forage Genetics International have taken different approaches to developing low-lignin alfalfa varieties. Alforex developed its Hi-Gest lines by using conventional plant breeding methods. Alforex released Hi-Gest in 2014, and very limited supplies of seed were available for planting this past spring. Forage Genetics International developed HarvXtra by down regulating the pathways of lignin synthesis. The low-lignin trait is combined with the Roundup Ready trait to produce a transgenic variety. HarvXtra will be available on a limited basis this coming spring. Reducing lignin to improve forage quality has been used in corn and sorghum for a long time. The brown mid-rib (BMR) trait in corn and sorghum was discovered as a natural genetic mutation over 90 years ago. After years of conventional breeding, commercially viable lines of BMR corn and sorghums were made

available to producers in the 1990s. During the late 1990s through 2007, 15 university studies showed that, on average, cows fed BMR corn silages produced between 1.5 and 11 pounds more milk than cows fed conventional corn silages. Alforex and Forage Genetics International are anticipating that their new low-lignin alfalfas will result in similar improvements in milk production as has been achieved with BMR corn. Alfalfa and corn have similar pathways for producing lignin, but no natural BMR DAVE COMBS The author is a dairy scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

mutation has been found in alfalfa. Thus, Alforex and Forage Genetics International chose to take different strategies to develop low-lignin alfalfa varieties.

Unanswered questions So what do we know about low-lignin alfalfa, and what donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we know? There have been no published feeding experiments with either the HarvXtra or Hi-Gest varieties, so we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what the cows say about low-lignin alfalfa. We do know, however, that, when fiber digestibility of alfalfa improves, milk production and feed intake go up. Preliminary research suggests that fiber digestibility is improved with low-lignin alfalfa as compared to conventional alfalfa. Hi-Gest varieties contain between 7 to 10 percent less lignin than conventional alfalfa varieties. HarvXtra alfalfa contains approximately 10 to 15 percent less lignin than conventional alfalfas. Hi-Gest 360, an alfalfa with a fall dormancy rating of 3, was grown and harvested from research plots in southern Wisconsin in 2014 and analyzed for fiber digestibility. The fiber in the Hi-Gest 360 variety was more digestible and more quickly digested than the fiber in the conventional check variety of alfalfa in both a five-cut and three-cut harvest system (see Table 1). There are two factors related to fiber digestion that can affect intake and milk production. One factor is the proportion of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) that is potentially digestible (pdNDF), and the other is the rate at which the fiber will digest (kd). Lignin cross links with fiber and reduces the proportion of fiber that is

Low-lignin alfalfa holds the promise of higher feed intakes and improved milk production. Though laboratory analyses show improved digestibility, no feeding trials have been done to date.

potentially digestible. When more of the plant fiber is indigestible, feed intake will go down because of greater rumen fill. Rate of fiber digestion helps to increase intake by faster digestion of fiber in the rumen. In our study, both extent and rate of NDF digestion improved. The HarvXtra alfalfa harvested from research plots also had superior fiber digestibility when compared to a Roundup Ready only alfalfa (see Table 2). In this study, the HarvXtra alfalfa had a higher proportion of potentially digestible fiber and a higher total tract NDF digestibility (TTNDFD) than the alfalfa having only the Roundup Ready trait. Delaying the cutting interval reduced pdNDF and TTNDFD of both forages. Statistically there was little difference in rates of fiber digestion

due to cutting interval or between the Roundup Ready and HarvXtra forages. The TTNDFD value, which accounts for both pdNDF and rate of fiber digestion, indicates that the HarvXtra alfalfa would be a higher quality forage whether harvested at the same maturity as the Roundup Ready or if it was harvested four to five days later than the Roundup Ready alfalfa. The preliminary data suggests that low-lignin alfalfas will improve forage quality of alfalfa by improving fiber digestibility. Feeding trial data will provide a more critical evaluation. In addition, little is known yet about forage yield and whether or not these low-lignin alfalfas will resist lodging. We expect to find these important answers during the next couple of years. â&#x20AC;˘

Table 2. Fiber digestibility compared between HarvXtra and a Roundup Ready alfalfa

Table 1. Fiber digestibility compared between Hi-Gest 360 and conventional alfalfa* 28-day cut system (five cuts per year) Potentially digestible NDF % of NDF

Rate of fiber digestion % per hour

TTNDFD** % of NDF

Hi-Gest 360

73.3

7.2

Conventional alfalfa

68.2

6.6

Difference, %

Variety

pdNDFa (% of NDF)

Rate of NDF digestion (% per hour)

35-day cut system (three cuts per year) Potentially digestible NDF % of NDF

Rate of fiber digestion % per hour

TTNDFD % of NDF

Hi-Gest 360

59.1

5.9

Conventional alfalfa

54.8

5.4

Variety

Difference, %

* Forages harvested from research plots in Wisconsin in 2014. ** Total tract NDF digestibility: an in vitro fiber digestibility measure that predicts the proportion of fiber that will be digested in a high-producing dairy cow.

TTNDFDb (% of NDF)

Cutting interval

Roundup Ready

HarvXtra

65.9

70.1

57.9

63.0

60.7

60.8

7.8

7.1

7.0

8.2

6.4

8.9

Shorter cutting interval (P<0.01) and HarvXtra (P<0.05) increased the proportion of potentially digestible NDF. b Shorter cutting interval (P<0.01) and HarvXtra (P<0.05) increased TTNDFD. TTNDFD is an in vitro fiber measure that predicts fiber digestibility in a high-producing dairy cow. a

November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 19

FORAGE QUALITY

by John Goeser

What is brewing in your silo?

ISCUSSING the current year’s crop quality over beers, postharvest, is normal etiquette to some, but perhaps how often do you discuss silage and beer similarities? These subjects may seem like a far cry from one another (unless a few drinks in), but as I have learned more about silage (and beer) making over the past decade, it’s become apparent that there are many similarities between these consumable products (albeit consumable by different species — unless your cows love a good porter and you’ve learned to enjoy silage salad). Science has led us to realize that similar fermentation processes apply to both beer and ensiled feed. Alcoholic beverages and silage or haylage are produced by fermentation, a process where sugar is fermented into other desirable (and undesirable) products. Within beer, barley, wheat or rice sugar is converted to ethanol by yeast. The process is tightly controlled to manage flavor and quality.

Silage came first With fermented forage, alfalfa and corn sugars are converted into fermentation acids and other compounds by bacteria (both applied as inoculant and wild) and wild yeast. It might surprise you to learn that fermenting feed predates beer making! Archaeologists have found fermented feed evidence dating back a thousand years, when people in the Middle East stored feed in the ground. With humans having ensiled feed for hundreds of years, one would assume the process to be perfected. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In just the last few years, substantial opportunities, where growers and farms could have done a better job “brewing” their haylage or silage by better controlling the process, have been apparent. Feed will nearly always ferment, reaching a stable point in storage. However, the path to stable feed is not always direct or desirable. An analogy can help in understanding what can happen when fermentation is not controlled: Consider taking both a 40 miles per gallon (mpg) and 15 mpg vehicle to go to the store. Both vehicles get there; however, one consumes substantially more fuel and energy. Fermentation is no different, the process can be direct and controlled 20 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

(desirable) or prolonged and wild (undesirable). There are very specific bacteria species that are desirable to “brew” quality silage — creating acids from just the right amount of sugar, and no more, to produce stable feed. There are also undesirable wild (epiphytic) bacteria and yeast, which are abundant in the soil, and harvested with the crop, which lead to poor-quality haylage and silage. With high-quality silage and preservation, 97 to 98 tons are fed out of every 100 tons harvested. Nearly all of the harvested forage is effectively preserved. In the case of poor-quality silage, you end up feeding less than 80 tons for every 100 harvested! In this instance, preservation leaves a lot to be desired. The missing tonnage is consumed by bacteria, yeast and molds during uncontrolled fermentation. While the results of low-quality silage may drive anyone to open another beer, one can take solace in efforts to gain insight into how well the crop fermentation was controlled with fermentation product measures. The fermentation products routinely analyzed by a commercial laboratory are lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, ethanol and ammonia-N. Lactic acid is desirable and sugar is efficiently converted into this silage acid. Fermentations with lactic acid greater than 3 to 3.5 percent of dry matter (DM) can indicate greater efficiency –similar to the high mpg vehicle in the previous analogy. However, the other fermentation acids and compounds need to be reviewed and considered before final judgment. Acetic acid, ethanol, ammonia-N, and other acids are less desirable, with sugar converted less efficiently to preservation acid — similar to a less efficient (or broken) vehicle. When these compounds are produced, protein is broken down and gases are formed — representing lost feed. Goals for other compounds are feed specific, but generally speaking the desirable silages include (guidelines): • Acetic acid: less than 1.5 to 2 percent of DM • Propionic acid: less than 0.25 percent of DM • No detectable butyric acid • Ammonia-N: less than 10 percent of total crude protein (CP)

• Lactic acid to acetic acid ratio: greater than 3:1 Just like unique flavors with craft beers or a skunky beer taste, there can be other unique compounds produced during feed fermentation, which can affect animal intakes and performance. This is an evolving area and our industry has a substantial amount to learn.

Improving fermentation If silage shows a less than ideal preservation, per the guidelines above, here are some points to consider to control fermentation: 1. Harvest crop at optimal moisture — not too wet, not too dry. 2. Pack tightly — the more feed packed into a given space, the less air and oxygen can infiltrate. a. Oxygen is a potent efficiency robber. 3. Seal the silo (meaning upright, bag, bunker, pit, pile, trench, and so forth) quickly. Silos taking longer than a week to fill are prone to less efficiency. a. Seal the edges and sides if possible. 4. Keep the air and oxygen out — use tires, tarps, oxygen barrier covering or scavenger on the top, and keep varmints away. 5. Feed silage and haylage out appropriately — oxygen can penetrate up to 3 feet into the face, depending on density. a. Feed enough silage so that feed is not “exposed” for more than a day. While a certain amount of finesse is required by the brewmaster to create a tasty beer, following sound management protocols, understanding the biological forage preservation process, and setting measurable goals provide a simple means to create high-quality silage. It’s important to remember that while similar in fermentation — optimal fermentation of silage has a much more important role in cattle’s performance than the brew’s role in our everyday productivity. •

JOHN GOESER The author is director of nutritional research and innovation with Rock River Lab Inc., and adjunct assistant professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Dairy Science Department.

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Hi-Gest 360 seedings will enter their first full production year in 2016 after a limited launch last winter.

Alfalfa seed inventories look adequate by Mike Rankin

EED availability for alfalfa producers looks to be in pretty good shape for the 2016 growing season; however, like most years, there may be issues for those who wait to order elite varieties that are in high demand. “Hot weather during seed fill reduced production somewhat,” says Jeremy Hayward, WL brand manager. “Everything was harvested early, especially in Canada. I anticipate production being at least average.” He notes demand will dictate how tight supplies get as spring approaches. Dan Wiersma, alfalfa business manager for DuPont Pioneer, indicates their seed supplies of non-Roundup Ready varieties will be very good. Says Wiersma, “We had a good production year with high seed quality.” He also anticipates higher inventories of Roundup Ready varieties than was the case last fall, which followed a below normal 2014 production year. Dave Hallberg, Nexgrow brand manager, agrees that seed availability will improve for 2016. “It’s going to be better than the past two years,” he notes. A similar story holds true for Winfield. “We have adequate supplies for both our conventional and Roundup Ready varieties,” says Randy Welch, national alfalfa and forage agronomist for Croplan Genetics. He anticipates no significant change on seed pricing for 2016. Monsanto’s product manager, Jon Riley, also confers an adequate seed

22 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

supply. “With favorable fall weather, seed production has been good, but I’d still suggest early ordering for the popular varieties.” Riley also indicated that Roundup Ready technology fees would increase slightly to $140 per bag in the East and $173 in the West. The seed supply story at Alforex Seeds is “adequate to meet anticipated plantings,” according to Leon Herriod, the company’s marketing manager. Herriod says most non-dormant varieties are in good supply this fall, but elite varieties will likely sell out early. Only modest price increases are expected.

Low-lignin lowdown The conventionally bred Hi-Gest low-lignin technology was introduced last year and about 10,000 acres were seeded in 2015 from a limited availability launch. This included Alforex’s Hi-Gest 360 (dormant) and 660 (semi-dormant) varieties. Herriod says a full supply of seed will be available for 2016 plantings, but cautions initial indications are for a high demand. Even with a full inventory of seed, he anticipates the supply will be sold out by January. Two new varieties with the High-Gest low-lignin breeding have also been made available this fall. For the southwest U.S., Alforex released AFX 1060, a fall dormancy 10 variety. Mycogen Seeds will also have 4H400 (fall dormancy 4) available on a limited launch capacity. It will have the same conventionally bred,

Hi-Gest low-lignin technology as the Alforex offerings. Both companies are affiliated with Dow AgroSciences, and all of the Hi-Gest varieties tout a 7 to 10 percent reduction in lignin compared to standard varieties. The transgenic low-lignin trait, HarvXtra, will also be made available in 2016 but on a limited and targeted launch basis. All six companies that will offer the HarvXtra trait next year have said they will strategically place all or most of the seed based on management factors such as the ability to control harvest timing and segregate the feed. The HarvXtra trait, developed by a consortium that included Forage Genetics International (FGI), results in lignin reductions of 10 to 15 percent. It will always be linked with the Roundup Ready trait technology and each trait will have an associated technology fee. Though the Roundup Ready fee is known, the HarvXtra technology fee won’t be determined until late 2015 or early 2016. Export agreements for HarvXtra are still being negotiated so the initial trait launch will largely (perhaps entirely) be east of the Rockies. This will help to ensure export shipments don’t get contaminated before agreements are reached. • For additional HarvXtra insights, see our interview with FGI’s Dave Whalen on page 14.

Visual characteristics of BMR hybrids include a darker stalk and leaf mid-rib.

BMR corn silage options expanded for 2016 by Mike Rankin

HE brown mid-rib (BMR) corn silage market is still nowhere close to that of conventional silage corn, but hybrid offerings continue to expand along with the number of acres planted. The BMR trait is a naturally occurring, recessive mutant gene that reduces the amount of lignin in the stalk. The result is a corn plant that has consistently higher fiber digestibility than its normal hybrid counterparts. The improvement in digestibility has generally resulted in improved dry matter intake and animal performance. The challenge for plant breeders has always been to meet the agronomic standards of top-end normal hybrids in terms of yield, disease resistance and standability. Starch content is somewhat lower for BMR hybrids as well. Most people would agree that the agronomic gap has still not been closed, but plant breeders continue to work toward that goal. If high-quality corn silage is the primary consideration, BMR hybrids generally separate themselves from the pack. For 2016, both Mycogen Seeds and DuPont Pioneer will give silage producers more options in their respective BMR lineups.

Mycogen Seeds Four new hybrids are being introduced by Mycogen Seeds to bring their

current lineup to 15 BMR choices ranging from 92 to 116 day relative maturity (RM). The new hybrids will no longer carry the “F2F” nomenclature; all are glyphosate resistant and contain trait protection for below and above ground insects. BMR97B34 is a 97 RM hybrid that performs best at moderate plant densities in soils with adequate water-holding capacity. It offers good tolerance to northern corn leaf blight and is ranked high for standability. Described as widely adapted from east to west, BMR10B27 RA offers high tonnage with agronomics that support moderate to moderate-high plant densities; it’s recommended that it be planted in soils with good water-holding capacity. The 110 RM hybrid comes with Dow AgroSciences’ Refuge Advanced and does not require a separate refuge be planted. Tall plant stature and excellent fiber digestibility are features of BMR12B75. This 112 RM hybrid offers consistent yield in fields with variable soil types, though it is not recommended for planting in soils with poor drainage. Medium planting rates are suggested. The longest maturity new BMR corn being offered by Mycogen Seeds is BMR14B96, a 114 RM hybrid with

medium height and good standability. It’s described as having high tonnage with improved foliar leaf disease resistance. Strong root and stalk characteristics are also traits associated with this hybrid.

DuPont Pioneer DuPont Pioneer entered into the BMR market in 2011 and now offers six different hybrid choices ranging from 102 to 114 RM. The two new options for 2016 are P0677AMX and P1449AMX; both come with integrated refuge (AcreMax Xtra), above and below ground insect protection, and glyphosate resistance. Good emergence qualities characterize P0677AMX, the new 106 RM hybrid from DuPont Pioneer. It features excellent yield and forage quality characteristics and is suitable for planting following a previous corn crop where high residue conditions exist. The company’s second new offering, P1449AMX, builds off of the current P1449XR version by offering an integrated refuge option. This hybrid touts high starch content, fiber digestibility and tonnage potential. Plant at medium to high densities for maximum starch and yield returns. This hybrid couples a tall plant height with very good root strength. • November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 23

CUSTOM CORNER

by Jon Orr

It’s cleanup time

S THIS is written, silage harvest season is quickly winding down. Once the choppers shut off, cleaning up all the different equipment correctly can take longer than you would think. I am amazed how often this very important part of the season is skimped on or totally skipped. Proper cleaning of machines takes less time than fixing them.

On trucks, we start by opening up the cowling and removing the inner door panels. If window seals are not perfect, the door might be half full of gunk. We then move to the cab and clean out the heater core and try to coax all the silage out of the dash and vents with compressed air. We follow up with an extensive pressure washing, including washing from underneath.

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We finally found a soap that will loosen up the corn starch scum and that has proven extremely helpful. Take notes on where you find oil residue while you are cleaning so you can take care of these problems over the winter. Tractors are the easiest to wash, but cleaning up after pushing silage is different than after tanking manure or doing tillage. Pay extra attention to the buildup of material under the cab and around the exhaust. Silage particles pose a fire risk until cleaned.

Choppers Now let’s dive into the choppers and start by stripping off any shield that can be removed. This does not mean take them off and leave them off. We expect to spend two days with three people per chopper. Areas we find that get missed a lot are the inside of the spout and accelerator, center V of the engine, top of the fuel tank below the shield, and the space in front of the transition just below the spout rotation. We also remove the front wheels as part of the entire process, which really allows for great access to the area behind the cutter head. Be sure to separate the feed roll housing off the machine so you have access to the cutter head. We repeat the same process on the corn head and the processor. Once everything is clean, the final rinse is completed and shields are replaced. Run the chopper long enough to allow the greaser to complete a few cycles. The debris that comes off or out of the chopper accounts for more than a skid loader bucketful. I often wish the engineers would have to wash a machine a few times before it gets to a production model. A few little tweaks here and there sure would make the job easier. Although nobody is ever pumped up about cleanup time, it is more important in my eyes than changing the oil. A clean fleet will reward you with reliability next year. Happy cleaning! • JON ORR

Talk to your dealer today!

(877) 560-5181 | alforexseeds.com Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Alforex Seeds LLC is an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC. ©2015 Dow AgroSciences LLC. All rights reserved.

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October 21, 2015 4:35 PM 24 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

The author is a partner in Orrson Custom Farming Ltd., Apple Creek, Ohio. He currently serves as president of the U.S. Custom Harvesters Inc.

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For a full list of conventional and Genuity Roundup Ready varieties, visit americasalfalfa.com America’s Alfalfa is a registered trademark and Traffic Tested, the America’s Alfalfa logo and the Traffic Tested logo are trademarks of Forage Genetics International, LLC. © 2015 Forage Genetics International, LLC. Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa seed is available for sale and distribution by authorized Seed Companies or their dealers for use in the United States only. This seed may not be planted outside of the United States, or for the production of seed, or sprouts. Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. Do not export Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa seed or crop, including hay or hay products, to China pending import approval. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Biotechnology Industry Organization. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Genuity and Design,® Genuity Icons, Genuity,® Roundup Ready,® and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC.

FORAGE IQ

Producing alfalfa and forages in a water-challenged world The 2015 Western Alfalfa and Forage Symposium will be held in Reno, Nev., from December 2 to 4 at the Silver Legacy Hotel. The focus will be on water, irrigation, pest management and economics. The conference will offer a great opportunity to learn more about alfalfa and forage crops, and to visit with farmers, scientists and experts in various fields to learn about alfalfa management in the West. Eleven Western states have joined forces to plan the symposium, which is managed by the California Alfalfa and Forage Association in Sacramento, Calif. Highlights include: • One-day alfalfa irrigation training workshop (December 2) • Economic trends • Pest management methodologies • Environmental/water issues • Alternative forage crops in a drought year • Forage quality and utilization • Harvesting technology For more information on the program and registration, visit the symposium website at: http://calhay.org/symposium/

Rouge, La., from January 10 to 12, 2016. The event will begin with a farm tour sponsored by the Louisiana Forage and Grassland Council on Sunday, January 10. Teddy Gentry, of the band Alabama, will open the educational program on Monday.

Workshops being planned include an in-depth look at tall fescue, no-till/ soil health, warm season grasses, NRCS programs and GMOs. There will also be plenty of educational posters to view, a trade show and several forage-related competitions. The AFGC awards banquet will be held on Tuesday evening. Information and registration information can be found at www.afgc.org. •

Sixth National Conference on Grazing Lands Grapevine, Texas, will host the 6th National Conference on Grazing Lands being held December 13 to 16. Featured speakers will include Don Ball, former extension forage agronomist and professor emeritus at Auburn University; Garry Lacefield, forage agronomist at the University of Kentucky (retired); Kathy Voth, author of the book Cows Eat Weeds and cofounder of OnPasture.com; and Rachel Gilker, sustainable agriculture and soil health professional and cofounder of OnPasture.com. The program will provide a forum for discussion and exchange of grazing lands information and technology and an opportunity to identify research and program needs. For additional information, visit www.grazinglands.org. ®

AFGC annual meeting set for Baton Rouge The American Forage and Grassland Council will kick-off the New Year with their annual meeting in Baton November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 27

Sorghum-sudangrass, sunflower and cowpea mixture planting to be grazed by beef cows during the transition from fescue to another forage species.

Transition pastures with warm-season annuals by Jeff Lehmkuhler

ALL fescue comprises the main forage species in pastures in the upper transition zone. Much of this fescue contains an endophytic fungi that provides improved pest and drought persistence. However, the alkaloids produced by the fungus have negative impacts on animal production, which significantly costs the beef industry. Interest in alternative forage species as well as newer fescue varieties with novel endophytes that do not have the negative impacts on livestock production are increasing. During pasture renovation of old tall fescue pastures, a spray-smother-spray approach is generally recommended. The smother aspect is often a warm-season annual that provides forage production during the renovation process. Sudangrass, forage sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids have long been utilized to provide high yield and good quality forage during renovation. The availability of brown mid-rib (BMR) varieties provides an option for improved quality and animal performance.

Research is promising Texas researchers observed a 0.3 pound per day advantage for a BMR sorghum variety when grazed by beef steers compared to a similar non-BMR sorghum variety. This translated to a 37 pounds per acre increase in beef production. Photoperiod-sensitive varieties that delay flowering until later in the growing season when day length is shorter are also available. These varieties provide greater flexibility in harvest windows by delaying maturity. Photo28 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

period-sensitive sorghum-sudangrass hybrids can also be used in combination with climbing warm-season legumes. Warm-season annual legumes often considered include cowpeas, lablab beans, lespedeza and soybeans. Cowpeas and lablab beans can be quite productive in semiarid regions. These legumes can produce forages with quality similar to alfalfa. Percentage crude protein can be in the low 20s, neutral detergent fiber percentages are often in the upper 20s to low 30s range with fiber digestibility in the high 50s to low 60s. Yields can range from 1.5 to 2.5 tons of dry matter per acre for lablab beans and cowpeas. Many annual legumes can be used in combination with annual grasses. In one study, lambs grazing cowpeas were found to have greater performance in three of four years compared to lambs that grazed sudangrass or were fed hay and a 16 percent crude protein supplement. Legumes will climb and are ideally suited for use with photoperiod sensitive sorghum-sudangrass or grazing corn to provide additional protein and improved digestibility. Some researchers have noted that cattle selectively consume the large leaves of lablab beans as plant maturity advances. In addition, as forage availability fell below 1,000 pounds of dry matter per acre, performance declined. Soybeans can also be utilized as a warm-season annual legume, providing 3 to 6 tons of dry matter per acre and high digestibility.

Lessons learned Lessons learned from my farm experience using warm-season mixtures

include the importance of seed drill calibration, as these mixtures won’t be found in the user’s manual. Winter annual forages need to be sprayed out as they compete with the establishing forages; this occurs even after cutting the winter forage for hay prior to planting. To avoid high forage nitrate levels in sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, residual nitrogen from corn fields and legume-based sod pastures need to be credited and application rates adjusted accordingly. Cowpea and lablab beans will regrow after grazing and haying, but they may not grow as fast as the grass component and contribute less than expected. Plant cowpeas and lablab beans at rates of at least 30 pounds per acre to have sufficient legume contributions (20 to 30 percent of the total plant population). Cattle do not graze sunflowers, which are best suited for haying. Extremely wet conditions can lead to pugging and soil compaction; keep cattle off crop fields until conditions improve. Even with some nitrogen and weather challenges, producers have been able to get 50 to 75 cow-grazing days per acre on fields planted to these annual forages. Using warm-season annuals is an option for beef producers to provide grazing during the transition to a more productive permanent pasture. These forages can be grazed in about 45 days following planting with subsequent grazings approximately every four weeks. Delay planting until soil temperatures are near 60°F for best establishment. In regions where summer precipitation is limited, millets may be a better option to eliminate the risk of cyanide poisoning. Several options exist for combining warm-season forages. Good forage quality and yields combined with reasonable cost of production provide alternatives for beef cattle producers to mitigate the summer slump of cool-season forages and reduce the risk of fescue toxicosis. • JEFF LEHMKUHLER The author is an extension beef cattle specialist at the University of Kentucky.

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MACHINE SHED

Claas launches the Disco 1100 mower-conditioner

John Deere unveils W155 self-propelled windrower

Claas has announced the launch of the largest tractor-mounted triple mower available with a conditioner. Spanning a working width of 35 feet, the latest mower in the Disco line can be ordered with either a tine- or roller-conditioner. The MAX CUT cutterbar features a wave-shaped bed stamped from a single piece of steel. The Disco 1100 mower has a transport height of less than 13 feet and a transport width of less than 10 feet. The transport-locking device is hydraulically locked and unlocked during the folding process to enable compact, maneuverable and safe transport. The Disco 1100 is also fully ISOBUS-capable for convenient operating functionality from a single device. All models of Disco mowers include an innovative bolt concept for maximum deflection and impact resistance, top chop quality with the MAX CUT cutterbar, low diesel consumption and smooth operation, even at high speeds. The mower also has a two-piece PTO shaft, which requires lower maintenance. In addition to the introduction of the Disco 1100, five new models of Disco mowers will receive the updated MAX CUT cutterbar, as well as a new model number to signify the change. For more information, visit www.Claas.com.

Building on the success of the W150 self-propelled windrower released three years ago, John Deere announced its replacement with the new W155 windrower for hay and forage producers. The self-propelled windrower offers fast cutting speeds and easy-to-maneuver controls, streamlining forage cutting and windrowing for all types of conditions and terrain. It includes new features like the Final Tier 4 PowerTech 4.5 Liter engine that generates 155 horsepower and provides the low-speed torque ideal for high altitude operation and fast acceleration. The W155 self-propelled windrower offers features to enhance operator comfort and convenience. These include a four-point independent spring and shock cab suspension design, a reversible operating station and a single-point multi-coupler with a hydraulic center link (controlled from the cab). In addition, the W155 comes with the option of an AutoTrac Controller kit. When paired with AutoTrac Activation, GreenStar Display and the StarFire 3000 receiver, the controller kit can reduce header overlap by up to 90 percent, which allows operators to cover more acres in less time. For more information, visit www.JohnDeere.com/Ag.

New SPFH additions to John Deere 8000 series John Deere announces the addition of three new models to its lineup of 8000 Series self-propelled forage harvesters. Growers can choose from three new models: • 8300, 483-horsepower with a Tier-IV Final 13.5-liter engine • 8700, 755-horsepower with a Tier-II, non-EGR 19.0-liter engine • 8800, 832-horsepower with a Tier-II, non-EGR 19.0-liter engine Each model can be equipped with HarvestLab, an advanced crop analysis and documentation component that uses constituent sensing to improve forage quality. Headers for the SPFH machines include the John Deere small drum rotary harvesting units from six to 12 rows, John Deere large drum rotary harvesting units from six to 10 rows, and the all-new 9 Series hay pick-ups. All the John Deere headers are automatically speed-matched to the length of cut. Other features include the DuraDrum cutterhead with reverse sharpening and other technologies to improve forage processing and nutrient quality. Improved capacity adds another element to the performance of the new 8000 Series. Also included is a

new spout design and turning mechanism. Another new feature, John Deere Active Fill Control, allows for automated filling of trucks and wagons, which results in reduced operator fatigue and crop losses. Other available features include a dual tire option for reduced soil compaction and better traction in wet soil conditions, lengthened service cycles, reduced daily maintenance and cleaning needs, and a new and innovative stone detection system. The new 8000 Series models provide forage producers with a more efficient cost of operation with improved fuel efficiency — up to 6 percent (gallons per ton) in corn and up to 15 percent (gallons per ton) in grass. To learn more about the new 8000 Series self-propelled forage harvester models, visit www.JohnDeere.com/Ag.

The Machine Shed column will provide an opportunity to share information with readers on new equipment to enhance hay and forage production. Contact Managing Editor Mike Rankin at mrankin@hayandforage.com.

30 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

Vermeer expands mower-conditioner line Vermeer Corporation continues to expand its mower-conditioner line with the addition of the MC4500 mower-conditioner. It has a 15-foot cutting width to meet the needs of large volume operators. Efficiency features like a drawbar swivel hitch allow hooking up the implement to become a hassle-free, one-man job. Similarly, the Quick-Clip Blade Retention System makes replacing and reversing blades quick and convenient. Q3 Cutter Bar technology helps maximize productivity by making the mower more fuel-efficient with minimal gear-togear interface, requiring less horsepower than gear-bed style cutterbars. The Quick-Change Shear Ring sits within the disc hub and shears when a potentially damaging object encounters the disc to protect the internal gears and drive spline.

Vermeer mower-conditioners are equipped with a nitrogen-charged accumulator suspension system to provide a consistent weight on the cutterbar throughout the full range of motion. Operators can easily customize suspension settings for their specific field conditions, resulting in less cutterbar weight on the ground and less stress on the header and framework compared to traditional mechanical spring systems. Vermeer mowers have the option of either a steel roller or v-tine conditioner. Multiple swath adjustments give users control over their windrow formation.

John Deere adds to Triple-Mounted Mo-Co lineup

New Kuhn FC triple mowerconditioner combination

John Deere announces the addition of five new triple-mounted mower-conditioner models that increase productivity of mowing and conditioning operations. The combination front- and rear-mounted machines offer wider front cutting widths at 3.1 or 3.5 meters and three combined cutting widths up to 9.9 meters. With the addition of these models, the John Deere front and rear Mo-Co lineup now includes five models with different configurations, depending on customer needs. Productivity can be optimized further with AutoTrac, the guidance system available on John Deere Tractors, which enables the new mower-conditioners to cut and condition the crop at speeds up to 20 mph. Depending on tractor horsepower, transport speeds range up to 30 mph and transport widths can be configured to 3.5 meters or less. The new front design improves operator visibility when working. For more information, visit www.JohnDeere.com/Ag.

The new Kuhn triple mowerconditioner combination, FC 3525 D F front mount and FC 10030 D rear mount, offers the ability to cut and condition up to 32 feet 6 inches of crop in a single pass. The heavy-duty Optidisc cutterbar is lubed-forlife providing minimal maintenance and maximum cutting efficiency with integrated Protectadrive disc shear protection. The proven Fast-Fit blade change system allows an operator to rapidly quickly replace knives for optimum cutting performance. Adjust the conditioning intensity to match your harvesting window with the 2-speed DigiDry finger conditioner. Both mower-conditioners have superior ground adaptation as a result of the hydro-pneumatic suspension, which limits ash content and compensates for immovable field obstacles. For further ground adaptation, the front unit features an industry-leading 27-1/2-inch range of vertical travel and can oscillate from side to side a total of 30 degrees. Learn more at www.KuhnNorthAmerica.com.

Krone releases new pull-type mower-conditioner The EasyCut TC 400 and EasyCut TC 500 are the newest models to join Kroneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lineup of mower-conditioners. The EasyCut Trailed Center (TC) mower-conditioners are larger pull-type mowers, but offer narrow transport widths. The optional endwise transport can change the machine from working position to a 9-foot-wide transport position in only 30 seconds. Using the in-cab control box, the mower swings 90 degrees from working position to transport, and an axle pivots under the mower to support it during road transportation. The center pivot allows mowing up and down the field in either direction to minimize the number of turns in the field. The EasyCut TC mowers also come with the option of a

two-point hitch or drawbar hook-up. Both models have a 10-foot 9-inch wide conditioner that offers consistent windrows with fast dry down times. The EasyCut TC is available with multiple conditioning options including no conditioner, steel chevron rollers, polyurethane intermeshing rollers or new style v-tines. The operator has the ability to remove the conditioner if no conditioning is needed. Visit EasyCutTC.krone-na. com to learn more about the new EasyCut TC models. November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 31

MACHINE SHED

John Deere introduces 459E Round Balers

New inline bale wrapper from Vermeer

John Deere adds the new 459E Baler to its hay and forage product lineup for 2016. The economical 459E Round Baler features the Edge-toEdge net wrap option and is designed to make tight 4- by 5-foot bales. Six Diamond Belts, which cover more than 90 percent of the bale chamber, help to reduce leaf loss while improving bale quality. The 459E is available with two wrap options: either net or twine. The baler also comes with the BaleTrak Pro Monitor that allows the operator to both monitor and control important baler functions conveniently from the tractor seat. Another added feature is an adjustable hitch, which helps operators attach the baler to the tractor drawbar with ease at an ideal height of 16 to 18 inches. Producers can bale at higher speeds with the 459E Edge-to-Edge net wrap option. For more information on the new 459E Baler, visit www.JohnDeere.com/Ag.

Vermeer Corporation has added a new inline bale wrapper to its hay and forage equipment lineup. The Vermeer BW5500 bale wrapper is designed to give large volume hay operations and custom operators faster wrapping times and more operational control. The BW5500 is equipped with a digital controller that allows the operator to set the desired amount of wraps on bales by adjusting hydraulic flow automatically to provide the right amount of wrap is used at all times. The easy-to-read LCD screen allows the operator to track data and determine the total number of bales wrapped. The BW5500 has three 30-inch prestretchers, allowing for faster wrapping and less frequent load cycles. A soft start feature progressively starts the movement of the hoop, which reduces machine wear and limits the potential for plastic film tearing on startup. There is also an optional remote control to let the operator start, stop or steer the bale wrapper remotely.

New BiG Pack large square MultiBaler from Krone

Case IH introduces Optum Tractor Series and ISOBUS 3 Capabilities

The BiG Pack 870 High Speed (HS) HDP is the newest large square baler with Krone’s MultiBale technology. The baler produces 2-feet 7-inch by 2-feet 3-inch bales with the ability to tie up to eight small bales within one large bale. The BiG Pack 870 HS HDP has been engineered for producers searching for the capacity and efficiency of a large square baler, while offering a product that may replace small square balers and handling systems. The baler achieves up to 25 percent higher bale density with HDP technology compared to a standard large square baler. Heavier bales result in fewer bales to handle. The BiG Pack 870 HS HDP uses Krone’s proven double knotter technology. Equipped with a total of five double knotters, two knotters are used to tie individual MultiBales and the additional three knotters tie the MultiBales into one large bale. The MultiBale function can be turned off so that traditional large square bales are made and tied using all five knotters. By cutting the three strings holding the large bale together, the individual bales become accessible. The BiG Pack 870 HS HDP features Krone’s active pick-up technology and an integrated bale weighing system. Standard comfort electronics, including last bale eject, offer complete baler control and adjustments to be made from the cab. Visit BP870HDP.krone-na.com to learn more.

To better meet power and equipment needs of high-volume hay and forage producers, Case IH offers the new Optum tractor series. Fulfilling a new horsepower segment, the Optum tractor joins the company’s complete line of hay and forage equipment, which includes updates across its tractor lineup. Elevating baling productivity, Case IH also announced a new ISOBUS Class 3 enabled Feedrate Control system available for select LB4 series large square balers. The advanced baling technology enables the baler to run at optimal performance by controlling the speed of the tractor. Using Feedrate Control, the baler controls the tractor’s forward speed through ISOBUS Class 3 commands, maintaining desired capacity by using a charge sensor. The system then calculates the best speed based on the information received from the sensors. The Optum series features the necessary horsepower for high-volume hay and forage operations, plus enough muscle for larger tillage tools and planters. With PTO horsepower ranging from 240 to 270 hp, the tractor series includes the fuel-saving Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). To learn more about the complete Case IH hay and forage offering, visit caseih.com.

32 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

BUYERS MART

ELIMINATES Burrowing Rodents

NO Explosions! NO Poison Bait!

Pressurized Exhaust Rodent Controller PERC®

• The most effective and safe way to control burrowing rodents. • Saves time, gopher mounds are probed, not dug out.

• Control ground squirrels-gophers-prairie dogs. • Low operating cost and simple to use. • Preserves turf and landscaping. Gopher Control Manufacturing & Sales 855-667-5181 • 530-667-5181 or cell# 530-640-3981 www.hmgophercontrol.com

MORE THAN JUST BAGGERS. AG-BAG IS A COMPLETE FEED STORAGE SYSTEM.

ELIMINATE UP TO 20% LOSS FROM SHRINKAGE You’ve grown high quality feed, now store it in an airtight system that prevents growth of aerobic bacteria, mold, and insects while it ferments and becomes an easily digestible and highly nutritious feed.

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THE AG-BAG SYSTEM is proven to be the ideal environment for preserving high quality, highly digestible feed that raises production and herd health levels.

COMPLETE LINE OF SILAGE BAGGERS From the largest, highest capacity LX1214 Professional, the midsize MX1012 Commercial, and the pull-type G Series Ag-Baggers, there is an Ag-Bag solution for your size of dairy and beef operation.

Use Genuine Ag-Bag bags. 7/20/15 2:36| PM November 2015 | hayandforage.com 33

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REALRanchers Call for Winte Discounr ts

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How do BaleSkiis速 Baler Liners solve your baling problems? Add it up! Eliminates knotter problems + Makes perfect bale for picking, stacking & transporting + Reduces wear, breakdowns, & down time + Decreases fuel usage + Increases RFV & forage quality

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If you grow or feed alfalfa, you need to be here!

This event is about all things forage! A large trade show featuring equipment, seed, chemicals and everything related to forages; informative speakers programs and a fund raising auction are all a part of this 2 day event.

www.LDAGmachinery.com 866-889-3846 Baleskiis@LDAGmachinery.com Watch the BaleSkiis速 in action on: 34 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

Admission is FREE!

Lunch available on grounds, special speaker Machinery Pete and free Hog Roast Tuesday night! Event details online at

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Progressive by Nature. Safety by Design. Since 1995, dedicated volunteers and generous sponsor organizations have been getting together to support the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program. They’re doing their part to realize our common mission: providing education and training to make farm, ranch and rural life safer and healthier for children and their communities. It’s easy to get involved. Contact us to find out how you, your organization or your community can join the effort to make that vision a reality at 1-888-257-3529 or www.progressiveag.org.

THANKS TO THESE FARM SAFETY DAY CORPORATE SPONSORS: Bunge North America Crop Production Services Agrium Inc. Hay and Forage Grower

The world’s fastest bale wagon

Archer Daniels Midland Company

Crop Specific Inoculant

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re Bales

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BALE WAGONS: New Holland self-propelled & pull-type models/parts/ tires/manuals. Can finance/deliver. 208-880-2889, www.balewagon.com

CALL FOR DISTRIBUTOR LOCATIONS • 800-383-1132 • www.chemorse.com

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Headline News and Field Reports • Market Insight and Crop Updates Original Features • Event Coverage • Direct to your inbox every Tuesday morning

multipackC14 • Vertical system • Automatic continuous • Bales can be of any type of hay & straw

• Makes 20-30 bales per hour • 80 hp tractor minimum • 14 bales per bundle

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36 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

DECEMBER 2‐4, 2015 SILVER LEGACY RESORT CASINO, RENO, NV � � � �

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EXHIBITOR & SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, EXHIBITOR/ SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION, AND SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE calhay.org/symposium/ Con�nuing Educa�on Credits will be provided Hosted by the California Alfalfa & Forage Associa�on Contact us at (916)441‐0635 or jane@agamsi.com

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November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 37

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Make Better Forage Faster 316M MERGER ATTACHMENT

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· Ideal for rotational grazing systems · Easy to install, move, and winterize · Ideal for odd size fields or hilly terrain

Earlage at a whole new level for John Deere 8000 Series Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters.

K-Line Irrigation NA Call or check on-line for a dealer near you. 866-665-5463 or www.k-linena.com

RCI Engineering reserves the right to make changes in design or appearance without incurring any obligations related to those changes. Images shown may not be representative of final production unit.

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970 Metalcraft Drive RCI products your local For more information, visitMayville, us at www.RCIengineering.com, call usareatavailable (888) through 472-4552. WI 53050 John Deere dealer or call RCI Toll Free at 888-472-4552 Fax: 920-387-9806 RCI products are also available through your local John Deere dealer. © 2013 RCI Engineering LLC. All rights reserved.

A John Deere Allied Supplier

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For Superior Hay

1-‐800-‐497-‐4243 www.isfglobal.com 38 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

BUYERS MART

Bale hay when you need to. Not just when you can ﬁnd help. The versatile Model 1000 accumulator features the new telescopic push-over arm, for increased productivity. Preserve your hay quality by stacking the bales on edge, without bending or dragging them. 1/2 page - 4 color 3.62” x 10” Hay & Forage Grower

Eight models of forks are available for different conﬁgurations. Handle from four to 18 bales at a time.

Help food banks fill their fridge at FeedingAmerica.org

Serving hay growers since 1978! www.hoelscherinc.com 620-562-3575 November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 39

BUYERS MART U.S. Postal Service STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Simple, On Purpose. Sustained success in hay production doesn’t happen by chance.

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Publication Title: Hay & Forage Grower Publication No.: 021-713 Filing Date: September 28, 2015 Issue Frequency: January, February, March, April/May, August/September and November No. of Issues Published Annually: 6 Annual Subscription Price: $0 om lete ailing ddress of nown ffice of u lication ilwau ee venue est, o , ort t inson, efferson ounty, ontact erson rian V. Knox, Telephone: 920-563-5551. om lete ailing ddress of ead uarters or eneral usiness ffice of u lisher ilwau ee venue est, o , ort t inson, efferson ounty, Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing 9. Editor: u lisher oard ons om any, rian no , ilwau ee venue est, o , ort t inson, Editor: anaging Editor ichael an in, ilwau ee venue est, o , ort t inson, 10. Owner: Hay & Forage LLC, 28 Milwaukee Ave. W, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538; Paris M Knox 1990 Educational Trust, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538; Gillian V. Knox 1990 Educational Trust, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538; Brian V. Knox II 1992 Educational Trust, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538; Gregory J. Mode, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538; Gina L. Mode, 28 Milwaukee Ave., W, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None 13. Publication Title: Hay & Forage Grower 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: August/September 2015 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run): 66,009 b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail): 1. Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing, and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer re es s a er ser’s roo o es a e a ge o es : 52,951 2. In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS From 3541.(Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing, and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, a er ser’s roo o es a e a ge o es : 0 3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS®: 0 4. Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail®): 0 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3) and (4)): 52,951 d. Non-requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail) 1. Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, builk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 0 2. In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other resources): 0 3. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class Mail, nonrequestor copies mailed in excess of 10% limit mailed at Standard Mail® or Package Services rates): 0 4. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail nclude ic u stands, trade shows, showrooms, and other sources): 730 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)): 12,468 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and e): 65,419 g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3): 590 h. Total (Sum of 15f and g): 66,009 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100): 80.94% 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run): 66,530 b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail): 1. Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing, and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer re es s a er ser’s roo o es a e a ge o es : 52,659 2. In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS From 3541.(Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing, and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, a er ser’s roo o es a e a ge o es : 0 3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS®: 0 4. Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail®): 0 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3) and (4)): 52,659 d. Non-requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail) 1. Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, builk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 0 2. In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 0 3. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class Mail, nonrequestor copies mailed in excess of 10% limit mailed at Standard Mail® or Package Services rates): 0 4. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail nclude ic u stands, trade shows, showrooms, and other sources): 998 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)): 12,691 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and e): 65,350 g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3): 1,180 h. Total (Sum of 15f and g): 66,530 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100): 80.58% 16. Electronic Copy Circulation Hay & Forage Grower. Average No. Copies Each Issue During Previous 12 Months. a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies: 0 b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15C) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 0 c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 0 d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c X 100): 0%. 16. Electronic Copy Circulation Hay & Forage Grower. No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date. a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies: 0 b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15C) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 0 c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 0 d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c X 100): 0%. I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic & print) are legitimate requests or paid copies. 17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the November 2015 issue of this publication. 18. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information re uested on the form may e su ect to criminal sanctions including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties). Brian V. Knox, Publisher September 28, 2015

40 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

BUYERS MART

Is injury, illness or arthritis impacting your farming? Get back to doing what you love. Contact AgrAbility to find out how we can help.

ELIMINATE MULTIPLE PASSES Designed for the Hay & Forage industry, it has more rotors and blades, allowing for a finer cut and a better seed bed. The front mounted sod wheels help to ensure there is a constant level surface, causing less wear on expensive harvesting equipment. Like all NW Tillers this unit significantly reduces the number of passes, reducing the amount of equipment, fuel & labor allowing you to have better seed germination.

UPCOMING SHOWS NW Ag Show Jan 26-28, 2016 Portland, OR

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November 2015 | hayandforage.com | 41

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HAY MARKET UPDATE

For most, the hay harvest wraps up Most reports from around the U.S. have the hay harvest being completed. The growing season was one of extremes — wet early and dry late. Forage inventories are at their highest point since 2005, though much that is in storage may not be of Supreme or Premium quality. Hay

sales are expected to increase after a relatively slow summer of trading. The prices reported below were obtained primarily from USDA hay market reports in late October. Prices are FOB for large square bales unless otherwise denoted. •

For weekly updated hay prices, go to “USDA Hay Prices” at hayandforage.com Supreme-quality hay California (northern SJV) California (northern) Idaho Illinois (central) Kansas (southwest) Missouri Montana Montana-ssb Nebraska (northeast/central)-lrb New Mexico (eastern) Oklahoma (central) Oregon (Lake County) Pennsylvania (southeast)-ssb Texas (western)-ssb Utah (central) Washington (Columbia Basin) Premium-quality hay California (SV) Colorada (San Luis Valley) Colorado (southeast)-ssb Idaho Illinois (northern) Iowa-ssb Kansas (north central/east) Missouri Montana Nebraska (northeast/central) New Mexico (southern) Oklahoma (western) Oregon (eastern) Oregon (Lake County) Pennsylvania (southeast) South Dakota (East River) Texas (Panhandle)-ssb Utah (southern) Washington (Columbia Basin) Washington (Columbia Basin)-ssb Wisconsin Wyoming (central/western) Good-quality hay California (central SJV) California (SV) Colorado (southeast) Idaho Iowa (Rock Valley) Iowa-lrb Kansas (southwest) Missouri Montana Nebraska (Platte Valley)-lrb New Mexico (southeastern) Oklahoma (central) Oregon (Klamath Basin)-ssb Pennsylvania (southeast)

Price $/ton 230 210 170-190 300 175-200 180-200 185-190 200-225 175 200 170-200 215-240 360-410 315-333 150-180 215 Price $/ton 190-200 170 200 160 225 177-185 160-180 150-190 170-180 185 170 130-165 200 210 275-295 215 250 120-150 200 260-265 125-145 200 Price $/ton 145 255 150 100-110 125-175 70-75 120-150 120-160 150-170 70-80 150 120-140 180 235

(d)

South Dakota (Corsica)-lrb South Dakota (East River) Utah (northern) Wisconsin Wyoming (eastern) Fair-quality hay California (northern SJV) California (southeast) Idaho Illinois (southern) Iowa (Rock Valley)-lrb Kansas (southwest) Minnesota (Pipestone)-lrb Missouri Montana Nebraska (northeast/central)-lrb New Mexico (southern) Oregon (Klamath Basin)-ssb South Dakota (Corsica)-lrb South Dakota (East River) Texas (north, central, east) Utah (Uintah Basin) Washington (Columbia Basin) Bermudagrass hay Alabama-Good ssb Alabama-Premium lrb Alabama-Premium ssb Texas (Panhandle)-Premium Texas (south)-Good ssb Bromegrass hay Kansas (north central/east)-ssb Kansas (southeast) Good Missouri-Fair to Good Orchardgrass hay California (northern) California (SV)-Premium Oregon (eastern)-Good Washington (Columbia Basin) Timothy hay Montana-ssb (Premium) Montana-ssb (Good) Oregon (eastern)-Good ssb Pennsylvania (southeast)-Good Oat hay California-SV (Good) Colorado (San Luis Valley) Kansas (southwest)-lrb Oregon (Lake County) Straw Alabama Iowa Iowa (Rock Valley) Kansas (north central/east) Pennsylvania (southeast) South Dakota (East River)

Abbreviations: d=delivered, lrb=large round bales, ssb=small square bales, o=organic

42 | Hay & Forage Grower | November 2015

95-115 175 120-140 80-120 70-80 Price $/ton 105 95 80 100 90-115 100-120 70 100-120 90-135 65-75 120 130 (d) 67-88 140 140 85-100 125 Price $/ton 160 130 180-300 180 231 Price $/ton 120-145 100-125 50-80 Price $/ton 275 260 (o) 190 260-275 Price $/ton 180-225 150 190 210-270 Price $/ton 125 80 60 105 Price $/ton 160 95-105 75-110 55-75 155-160 100

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INTEGRAseed.com For information only. Not a label. Prior to use, always read and follow the product label directions. WILBUR-ELLIS logo, Ideas to Grow With, INTEGRA and INTEGRA FORTIFIED SEED are registered trademarks, and INTEGRA logo is a trademark of Wilbur-Ellis Company. K-0915-519

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www.krone-na.com Cash discounts vary and are determined by exact machine model. ©2015 Krone is a registered trademark of Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmBH. PO Box 18880 Memphis, TN 38181-0880. 901-842-6011

Alfalfa Variety Ratings

Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistance Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties 2016 Edition

This National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance publication is intended for use by Extension and agri-business personnel to satisfy a need for information on characteristics of certified-eligible alfalfa varieties. NAFA updates this publication annually to keep the information current.

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WINTER SURVIVAL, FALL DORMANCY & PEST RESISTANCE RATINGS FOR ALFALFA VARIETIES % Resistant Plants 0-5% 6-14% 15-30% 31-50% >50%

RESISTANCE RATINGS Resistance Class Susceptible Low Resistance Moderate Resistance Resistance High Resistance

FD Rating 1 2 3 4 5

FALL DORMANCY (FD) RATING DESCRIPTIONS Description FD Rating Description Very Dormant 6 7 Semi-Dormant Dormant 8 9 Non-Dormant Moderately Dormant 10 11 Very Non-Dormant

FD is the degree of fall alfalfa growth, as a response to temperature and day length. Lower dormancy ratings exhibit less fall growth, while higher dormancy ratings indicate greater fall growth. FD ratings are indices assigned by comparing the height of fall growth with standard check varieties, and tested across locations and years to accurately represent dormancy response across environments.

WINTER SURVIVAL RATINGS Category Check Variety Extremely Winterhardy ZG 9830 Very Winterhardy 5262 Winterhardy WL325HQ Moderately Winterhardy G-2852 Slightly Winterhardy Archer Non-Winterhardy CUF 101

Class Abbreviations S LR MR R HR

Score 1 2 3 4 5 6

FD 2 - VERY DORMANT

2 HR MR HR MR R

Alforex Seeds

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Spredor 5

Nexgrow Alfalfa

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Spyder

BrettYoung

6305Q

Nexgrow Alfalfa

HR R HR R

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR 2 HR R

R-RRA; H-75-95% Hybrid

Salt Tolerance (G-Germination/F-Forage)

PGI 212

Standability Expression (R-Resistance)

Allied

R HR

Continuous Grazing Tolerance (Y-Yes)

Ladak II

Multifoliolate Expression (H-High/M-Mod/L-Low)

2 HR HR HR HR HR R

Northern Root Knot Nematode

Farm Science

Southern Root Knot Nematode

FSG 229CR

Stem Nematode

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR MR

Potato Leafhopper

2 HR HR HR HR HR R

BrettYoung

Blue Alfalfa Aphid

BrettYoung

3010

Pea Aphid

2010

Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Aphanomyces Race 2 Root Rot

Aphanomyces Race 1 Root Rot

Phytophthora Root Rot

Anthracnose Race 1

Fusarium Wilt

Verticillium Wilt

Bacterial Wilt

Variety

Contact for Marketing Information

AmeriStand 433T RR America's Alfalfa

FD 3 - DORMANT

Winter Survival

Information is obtained from the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) and the National Alfalfa Variety Review Board (NAVRB) report. Blank spaces indicate the variety has no approved rating through AOSCA.

HR M G

MR R HR

R HR HR HR

HR HR HR HR HR HR

H R

Concept

BrettYoung

FSG 329

Farm Science

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Graze N Hay 3.10RR

Croplan

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Hi-Gest 360

Alforex Seeds

Lariat

J.R. Simplot

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

LegenDairy XHD

Croplan

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

R HR

MagnaGraze II

Dairyland

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

RR Presteez

Croplan

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Rugged

Alforex Seeds

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR MR

WL 319HQ

W-L Research

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR L

HR HR HR HR HR HR HR

M R

H H

HR R HR

R HR

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1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

4010BR

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

HR R HR

4020MF

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

HR MR HR

4030

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

R MR HR

4040HY

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

6401N

Nexgrow Alfalfa

6422Q

Nexgrow Alfalfa

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

647 2A

Nexgrow Alfalfa

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR

6497 R

Nexgrow Alfalfa

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Adrenalin

BrettYoung

AmeriStand 407 TQ

America's Alfalfa

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

R HR

AmeriStand 409LH

America's Alfalfa

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

AmeriStand 415NT RR America's Alfalfa

HR HR HR HR HR HR

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR

R HR R

America's Alfalfa

AmeriStand 445NT

America's Alfalfa

AmeriStand 455TQ RR America's Alfalfa

HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR R HR HR HR R

R HR

HR M

HR H

HR M

HR H

BrettYoung

HR HR HR HR HR HR

MR HR HR

Camas

E ureka

HR R HR HR HR HR

HR R

Denali 4.10RR

Croplan

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

DG 4210

Dyna-Gro

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR R

DK A40-16

DeK alb

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

DK A40-51RR

DeK alb

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR R

DK A43-13

DeK alb

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

DK A43-22RR

DeK alb

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

DK A44-16

DeK alb

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

FSG 403LR

Farm Science

FSG 408 DP

Farm Science

FSG 420LH

HR R

HR HR

2 HR R HR HR HR R

Farm Science

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR R

FSG 423ST

Farm Science

2 HR HR HR R HR R

FSG 429SN

Farm Science

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

R HR

GrandStand

Dyna-Gro

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

R HR

Hyb riForce-2400

Dairyland

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR 2 HR HR HR HR HR HR MR

G R

Dairyland

R R

G/ F

Hyb riForce-3400

HR M

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

Barricade SLT

Hyb riForce-2420/ Wet Dairyland

HR MR HR

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR HR R HR HR HR R

FD 4 - DORMANT

AmeriStand 427 TQ

HR HR HR HR HR R

R-RRA; H-75-95% Hybrid

Farm Science

Salt Tolerance (G-Germination/F-Forage)

428 RR

Standability Expression (R-Resistance)

Pioneer

Continuous Grazing Tolerance (Y-Yes)

54Q14

Multifoliolate Expression (H-High/M-Mod/L-Low)

Northern Root Knot Nematode

Southern Root Knot Nematode

Stem Nematode

Pea Aphid

Potato Leafhopper

Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Blue Alfalfa Aphid

Aphanomyces Race 2 Root Rot

Aphanomyces Race 1 Root Rot

Phytophthora Root Rot

Anthracnose Race 1

Fusarium Wilt

Verticillium Wilt

Bacterial Wilt

Winter Survival

HR HR HR HR HR HR R

Variety

Contact for Marketing Information

R HR L R HR

HR R HR

G/ F

HR R HR

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FD 4 - DORMANT

Dairyland

Magnum 7 -Wet

HR M R

HR R

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

HR R HR

Dairyland

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

HR HR HR

Magnum Salt

Dairyland

2 HR HR HR R HR R

HR R HR

Magnum V

Dairyland

2 HR R HR R HR MR

Mariner IV

Growmark/ Allied

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

Marv el

Growmark/ Allied

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Medalist

U nion

3 HR HR HR HR HR R

Mutiny

Nexgrow Alfalfa

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

O ptimus

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

PGI 424

Alforex Seeds

2 HR HR HR HR HR R

PGI 427

Alforex Seeds

PGI 437

Alforex Seeds

PGI 459

Alforex Seeds

2 HR HR HR HR HR R

Reb ound 5.0

Croplan

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Reb ound 6.0

Croplan

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR HR R

RR AphaTron 2XT

Croplan

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR

RR Stratica

Croplan

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR R

RR VaMoose

Croplan

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

MR R

RRALF 4R200

E ureka

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

SGS 47 M

J.R. Simplot

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Shockwav e BR

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

HR R HR

Stockpile

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR R

HR R HR

TS 4007

Alforex Seeds

HR HR R HR HR HR

Venus 4 PLU S T

Alforex Seeds

HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 326 GZ

W-L Research

3 HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 343HQ

W-L Research

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 352LH.RR

W-L Research

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 353LH

W-L Research

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 354HQ

W-L Research

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 356HQ.RR

W-L Research

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR HR MR R

WL 358 LH

W-L Research

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 359LH.RR

W-L Research

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

R HR HR R

R HR R

G/ F

MR H

HR M

MR HR R

R HR

MR MR

R R HR HR

LR R

G/ F R H

HR MR

HR HR HR

R HR

HR HR HR HR HR HR R

R MR

G/ F R

R-RRA; H-75-95% Hybrid

Magnum 7

Salt Tolerance (G-Germination/F-Forage)

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Standability Expression (R-Resistance)

Growmark/ Allied

Continuous Grazing Tolerance (Y-Yes)

Magnitude

Multifoliolate Expression (H-High/M-Mod/L-Low)

Growmark/ SS/ TFC 2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

Northern Root Knot Nematode

Lancer

HR R

Southern Root Knot Nematode

R HR HR HR HR R

Stem Nematode

Wilb ur-E llis

Potato Leafhopper

Integra 8 444R

Blue Alfalfa Aphid

HR HR HR HR HR HR

Pea Aphid

Wilb ur-E llis

Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Integra 8 420

Aphanomyces Race 2 Root Rot

Aphanomyces Race 1 Root Rot

Phytophthora Root Rot

Anthracnose Race 1

Fusarium Wilt

Verticillium Wilt

Bacterial Wilt

Winter Survival

Variety

Contact for Marketing Information

R G

HR MR

HR R

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55V50

Pioneer

HR HR R HR HR HR HR R

55VR05

Pioneer

HR HR HR HR HR HR

55VR06

Pioneer

HR HR R HR HR HR MR R

55VR08

Pioneer

5010

BrettYoung

HR HR HR HR HR HR

MR HR R

6516R

Nexgrow Alfalfa

HR HR

6547 R

Nexgrow Alfalfa

HR R HR HR HR HR

658 5Q

Nexgrow Alfalfa

Archer III

R HR HR M

R R

HR M

HR H

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

America's Alfalfa

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR H

DK A50-18

DeK alb

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

E v ermore

Allied/ SS/ TFC

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR R

MR L

FSG 524

Farm Science

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

GU NNE R

Croplan

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR H

Magna 551

Dairyland

2 HR HR HR R HR HR

MasterPiece II

J.R. Simplot

HR HR HR HR HR HR

Nimb us

Croplan

HR R HR HR HR HR

PGI 529

Alforex Seeds

HR R HR HR HR HR

MR R MR

PGI 557

Alforex Seeds

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR L

Premium

U nion

HR HR HR R HR HR

HR R

HR H

RR501

Channel

RR NemaStar

Croplan

HR HR HR HR HR HR

RR Tonnica

Croplan

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

SW 5213

WL 363HQ

W-L Research

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

WL 365HQ

W-L Research

1 HR HR HR HR HR HR

HR HR

WL 37 2HQ.RR

W-L Research

2 HR HR HR HR HR HR

6010

BrettYoung

2 HR HR HR HR HR R

6020HY

BrettYoung

2 HR R HR R HR

R MR HR

6610N

Nexgrow Alfalfa

Alfagraze 600 RR

America's Alfalfa

Arrib a II

America's Alfalfa

Cisco II

Alforex Seeds

2 HR HR HR R HR MR

FSG 639ST

Farm Science

3 HR R HR R HR MR

Hi-Gest 660

Alforex Seeds

R MR HR HR R

2 HR

HR HR HR HR R

G/ F R

FD 5 - MODERATELY DORMANT

HR HR HR HR HR HR R HR HR HR HR HR

R-RRA; H-75-95% Hybrid

HR HR HR HR HR HR R

Salt Tolerance (G-Germination/F-Forage)

Pioneer

Standability Expression (R-Resistance)

55Q27

HR R

Continuous Grazing Tolerance (Y-Yes)

HR HR HR HR HR HR R HR R

Multifoliolate Expression (H-High/M-Mod/L-Low)

Pioneer

Northern Root Knot Nematode

55H94

Southern Root Knot Nematode

Stem Nematode

Potato Leafhopper

Blue Alfalfa Aphid

Pea Aphid

Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Aphanomyces Race 2 Root Rot

Aphanomyces Race 1 Root Rot

Phytophthora Root Rot

Anthracnose Race 1

Fusarium Wilt

Verticillium Wilt

Bacterial Wilt

Winter Survival

Variety

Contact for Marketing Information

HR M

G G/ F R

HR HR HR HR HR HR HR R HR

HR HR HR R HR R

HR HR HR

HR H

HR HR

R HR HR H

H G

MR HR HR

HR HR

HR R

HR H R HR

HR R HR

R G G/ F F

FD 6 - SEMI-DORMANT

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FD 6 - SEMI-DORMANT FD 7 FD 8 - NON-DORMANT FD 9

RRALF 6R200

E ureka

SW 6330

R LR R

Tango

E ureka

MR HR HR HR HR

WL 440HQ

W-L Research

HR HR HR HR HR R

WL 454HQ.RR

W-L Research

R HR HR HR

68 29R

Nexgrow Alfalfa

AmeriStand 7 15NT RR America's Alfalfa CW 7 04

R HR HR R R

HR R HR

HR HR HR

HR R

R R

HR HR R

HR R

HR HR R

R HR

R HR HR

HR HR

R HR HR HR

HR HR

Alforex Seeds

R HR HR HR

HR HR HR

HR HR R

Magna 7 15

Dairyland

R HR HR R

SW 7 410

HR MR R

AmeriStand 8 03T

America's Alfalfa

HR MR HR

MR R HR

R HR R HR

R G

HR M R

G G/ F R G

MR R LR HR

Croplan

GrandSlam

Dyna-Gro

Integra 8 8 00

Wilb ur-E llis

LaJolla

Imperial Valley

Magna 8 01FQ

Dairyland

Pacifico

E ureka

PGI 8 01

Alforex Seeds

RRALF 8 R100

E ureka

Seq uoia

Nexgrow Alfalfa

SW 8 210

SW 8 421S

HR R

SW 8 7 18

HR R

MR R

WL 535HQ

W-L Research

HR HR

WL 552HQ.RR

W-L Research

HR R

6906N

Nexgrow Alfalfa

AmeriStand 901TS

America's Alfalfa

Desert Sun 8 .10RR

MR LR HR

HR HR HR R HR

R HR

R MR HR MR HR

HR R

R MR HR R HR

HR HR HR

MR R HR HR HR

HR HR HR

MR R HR

HR R HR

HR HR R

HR MR MR

MR R MR

MR HR MR HR

R MR

R HR

HR R

R MR HR R HR R MR R HR

R HR

Catalina

Imperial Valley

DG 9212

Dyna-Gro

LR R HR HR HR

HR HR HR HR R HR HR HR

R M

R HR HR R

R R

HR R MR HR HR HR

HR H

MR R HR

HR R

R HR

G/ F R

HR R HR

AmeriStand 8 55T RR America's Alfalfa

AmeriStand 915TS RR America's Alfalfa

R HR HR

R HR

MR R

HR M

HR R

F H

HR HR R

R HR MR

R-RRA; H-75-95% Hybrid

HR HR HR HR HR

Salt Tolerance (G-Germination/F-Forage)

Croplan

Standability Expression (R-Resistance)

RR Six Shooter

Continuous Grazing Tolerance (Y-Yes)

HR R HR HR HR

Multifoliolate Expression (H-High/M-Mod/L-Low)

Nexgrow Alfalfa

R MR HR R HR MR

Northern Root Knot Nematode

Rev olt

R MR

Southern Root Knot Nematode

Dairyland

Stem Nematode

Magna 601

MR R

Potato Leafhopper

Wilb ur-E llis

Blue Alfalfa Aphid

Integra 8 600

2 HR R HR HR HR R

Pea Aphid

Dairyland

Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Hyb riForce-2600

Aphanomyces Race 2 Root Rot

Aphanomyces Race 1 Root Rot

Phytophthora Root Rot

Anthracnose Race 1

Fusarium Wilt

Verticillium Wilt

Bacterial Wilt

Winter Survival

Variety

Contact for Marketing Information

HR HR

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R-RRA; H-75-95% Hybrid

Salt Tolerance (G-Germination/F-Forage)

Standability Expression (R-Resistance)

Continuous Grazing Tolerance (Y-Yes)

Multifoliolate Expression (H-High/M-Mod/L-Low)

Northern Root Knot Nematode

Southern Root Knot Nematode

Stem Nematode

Potato Leafhopper

Blue Alfalfa Aphid

Pea Aphid

Spotted Alfalfa Aphid

Aphanomyces Race 2 Root Rot

Aphanomyces Race 1 Root Rot

Phytophthora Root Rot

Anthracnose Race 1

Fusarium Wilt

Verticillium Wilt

Bacterial Wilt

Winter Survival

Variety

Contact for Marketing Information

Magna 901

Dairyland

Magna 995

Dairyland

LR LR HR MR HR

HR R

Mecca II

Alforex Seeds

LR LR HR LR R

HR HR HR

PGI 908 -S

Alforex Seeds

HR HR HR

R HR HR

Pinal 9

Nexgrow Alfalfa

RR902

Channel

HR HR

RRALF 9R100

E ureka

SALTANA

Imperial Valley

Sun Quest

Croplan

SW 9215

SW 9628

SW 97 20

WL 656HQ

W-L Research

WL 662HQ.RR

W-L Research

MR R

6015R

Nexgrow Alfalfa

A-108 6

Alforex Seeds

MR R HR R HR

AFX 1060

Alforex Seeds

LR R

SW 10

WL 7 12

W-L Research

R HR HR HR R

MR R R

R HR

R LR HR

R HR R HR R R HR

R HR

HR R HR

HR HR HR HR R HR HR HR HR

G/ F

HR HR

G HR

R LR R

HR R

HR HR R

MR HR

HR R HR

HR HR HR

R MR HR

HR HR HR

HR R

HR HR HR

R R

R R R

LR MR HR MR HR

R R

HR HR HR HR HR R

FD 10

HR R HR

R MR R

HR HR R

FD 9 - NON-DORMANT

HR MR HR

This publication provides ratings of alfalfa varieties eligible for certification by seed certifying agencies. It does not list all important characteristics to be considered in the selection of alfalfa varieties. With the exception of some varieties listed as checks, all varieties listed can be purchased in the United States.

NAFA HEADQUARTERS OFFICE

4630 Churchill Street, #1 St. Paul, MN 55126 Phone: (651) 484-3888 • Fax: (651) 638-0756 nafa@comcast.net

NAFA WESTERN OFFICE

100 N. Fruitland, Suite B Kennewick, WA 99336 Phone: (509) 585-5460 • Fax: (509) 585-2671 agmgt@agmgt.com

VISIT NAFA AT WWW.ALFALFA.ORG

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MARKETERS

Varieties are submitted by marketers and listing does not imply NAFA endorsement. Variety information in this publication is that which is submitted for certification.

Alforex Seeds

DEKALB

NEXGROW Alfalfa Seeds

Leaflet Listing: Alforex Seeds

Leaflet Listing: DeKalb

Leaflet Listing: Nexgrow Alfalfa

Jordan, MN 55352 877-560-5181

St. Louis, MO 63167 314-694-2723

Pocahontas, IA 50574 855-4NEXGROW

www.alforexseeds.com

www.asgrowanddekalb.com

www.plantnexgrow.com

Allied Seed, LLC

DuPont Pioneer

S & W Seed Co.

Leaflet Listing: Allied

Leaflet Listing: Pioneer

Leaflet Listing: S & W

Nampa, ID 83686 888-252-7573

Johnston, IA 50131 800-247-6803

Five Points, CA 93624 559-884-2535

www.alliedseed.com

www.pioneer.com

www.swseedco.com

America’s Alfalfa

Eureka Seeds, Inc.

Southern States Coop

Leaflet Listing: America’s Alfalfa

Leaflet Listing: Eureka

Leaflet Listing: SS

Nampa, ID 83653 800-873-2532

Woodland, CA 95776 530-661-6995

Richmond, VA 23230 804-281-1000

www.americasalfalfa.com

csharp@eurekaseeds.com

www.southernstates.com

BrettYoung Seeds

Farm Science Genetics

Tennessee Farmers Coop

Leaflet Listing: BrettYoung

Leaflet Listing: Farm Science

Leaflet Listing: TFC

Winnipeg, MB R3V 1L5 800-665-5015

Nampa, ID 83686 888-252-7573

LaVergne, TN 37086 615-793-8011

www.brettyoung.ca

www.farmsciencegenetics.com

www.ourcoop.com

Channel

Growmark FS

Union Seed

Leaflet Listing: Channel

Leaflet Listing: Growmark

Leaflet Listing: Union

St. Louis, MO 63167 314-694-2723

York, PA 17402 717-854-3818

Nampa, ID 83653 608-786-2121

www.channel.com

www.fsseed.com

dwhalen@foragegenetics.com

Crop Production Services

Imperial Valley Seeds, Inc.

W-L Research

Leaflet Listing: Dyna-Gro

Leaflet Listing: Imperial Valley

Leaflet Listing: W-L Research

Chaska, MN 55318 612-419-5274

Sacramento, CA 95814 916-554-5480

Ozark, MO 65721 800-406-7662

www.dynagroseed.com

www.imperialvalleyseeds.com

www.wlresearch.com

CROPLAN

J.R. Simplot Company

Wilbur-Ellis Company

Leaflet Listing: Croplan

Leaflet Listing: J.R. Simplot

Leaflet Listing: Wilbur-Ellis

St. Paul, MN 55164 800-426-8109

Boise, ID 83707 208-672-2813

Sacramento, CA 95834 515-292-1300

www.croplan.com

www.simplot.com

www.integraseed.com

Dairyland Seed Co., Inc. Leaflet Listing: Dairyland

West Bend, WI 53095 800-236-0163

NAFA is proud to collaborate with Hay & Forage Grower on the distribution of its “Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistance Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties” 2016 Edition.

www.dairylandseed.com “Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistance Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties” 2016 Edition is a publication of the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance and cannot be reproduced without prior written permission from NAFA.

VISIT NAFA AT WWW.ALFALFA.ORG 2016 Variety Leaflet.indd 8

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