NAFA's DC Fly-In Approaching Soon

NAFA's Washington, D.C. fly-in, scheduled for February 4-7, is approaching quickly. Any NAFA member interested in participating is encouraged to do so. The event, which will include Congressional visits, agency visits, and a board meeting, is a great opportunity to reinforce to agencies and members of Congress and their staffs the importance of the alfalfa and forage industry to production agriculture and the environment. As NAFA members, you won't want to miss this important opportunity to have your collective voices heard. NAFA members interested in attending should contact the NAFA office at 651.484.3888 ASAP.

NAFA President Presents at Idaho, Washington Winter Meetings Remotely

Unable to join the meetings in person, NAFA President Beth Nelson did the next best thing, joining the Idaho Alfalfa and Clover Seed Winter Conference (January 8 in Caldwell, ID) and the Northwest Hay Expo (January 16-17 in Kennewick, WA) remotely via video conference. Nelson gave an update of the organization's activities over the course of the past year including progress on NAFA's legislative priorities in Washington, DC, projects funded through NAFA's alfalfa checkoff, and a resurgence in participation in NAFA's popular Alfalfa Intensive Training Seminar (AITS).

“Winter meetings are great way to stay in touch with our member organizations and to keep them aware and informed of our activities,” said Nelson. “It’s nice to be able to interact directly with the farmers, let them know exactly what we’re working on, and get their feedback in what we're doing and their input on new needs we should be tackling.”

Forage growers recognize that balanced soil fertility is critical for achieving crop genetic potential and for maximizing profitability on the farm. Recent evidence suggests that inadequate soil levels of potassium could be limiting crop yields in several Midwestern states. Potassium removal from the soil through forage and grain harvesting has increased in corn and alfalfa as yields for both crops have increased over the past 30 years. Click here for the complete article.

NAFA Welcomes New Members

NAFA is pleased to welcome two new members into the NAFA family with the addition of Jones Twine & Net Wrap and Jordan Ag Supply. Both Jones Twine & Net Wrap and Jordan Ag Supply join NAFA as Associate members in the Class V Allied Industries category.

Jones Twine & Net Wrap is based in Sheldon, MO, and is proud to have served the Midwest since 1955 with four generations of experience in the area of hay baling products.

Jordan Ag Supply is based in Monroe, WI, and has been in business since 2008 and provides high quality forage harvesting products.

NAFA is pleased to add Jones Twine & Net Wrap and Jordan Ag Supply to its long list of distinguished members. If you are aware of any other organizations who are not currently a NAFA member but should be, please contact NAFA at nafa@alfalfa.org.

NAFA Representatives to Present at Alfalfa U

Alfalfa U, a farmer-focused program to provide information about alfalfa agronomics, marketing, and management, will be held at three locations in February:

• Sioux Falls, SD, Feb. 5
• Fort Hall, ID; Feb. 19
• Dodge City, KS Feb. 21

Alfalfa U, sponsored by Alforex Seeds, John Deere, and High Plains Journal, is a one-day session packed with agronomic and marketing information and is free to farmers. Speakers include university and private professionals focused on weed and insect management, ensuring high-quality hay, irrigation and water usage, testing procedures, and marketing. A NAFA representative will be on hand at each location to inform attendees about NAFA activities as well.

Attendees will hear from a panel of farmer growers who will share agronomic information and the procedures they use to produce high-quality alfalfa hay. Growers can customize their learning experience by choosing from over a dozen sessions and educational topics, chosen especially for the area.

Each event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m., and the program at 9:00 a.m. Alfalfa U is free to attend and includes a complementary luncheon, courtesy of event sponsors Alforex, John Deere, and High Plains Journal.

For more information or to register go to www.AlfalfaU.com. (Application has been made for continuing education credits and commercial pesticide application credits.)

Hay & Forage Grower to Feature Results of NAFA's Alfalfa Checkoff Projects

Hay & Forage Grower magazine will soon begin featuring the results of research projects funded through NAFA's U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative, better known as the Alfalfa Checkoff. The feature will focus on project results and demonstrate how your checkoff dollars are working for you - the alfalfa farmer.

The NAFA board of directors began the Checkoff to facilitate a national farmer-funded research program to advance industry research. Implemented voluntarily by seed brands, the alfalfa checkoff is assessed at the rate of $1/bag of alfalfa seed sold with 100% of the funds supporting public research into alfalfa and alfalfa forage systems. It supports research into the improvement of yields and forage quality, agronomic management, feed value consistency; new uses and market development, fertility, soil management and health, and other research areas holding the potential to advance the alfalfa industry

Detailed reports of Alfalfa Checkoff projects can be viewed as they become available on NAFA's searchable Research Database. Four final reports are currently available (one of which can be viewed in NAFA's Research Summaries feature below) with the balance of Round 1 projects wrapping up early in 2019.

Be sure to look for Hay & Forage Grower's new Alfalfa Checkoff feature in its February issue.

"Two treatments, tedded and untedded, were applied to an alfalfa field to determine their impact on the quality of the resulting forage. The tedded treatment area was tedded after the cutting of the field, and the untedded treatment was left in its original swath."

"Tissue testing whole alfalfa plants at harvest provides opportunities to direct nutrient decision making more accurately. Critical levels developed allow in-season recommendations and applications and would save producers time and effort since growers are already taking samples for hay quality."

"In early August 2018, six populations of two-spotted spider mites were collected from fields of alfalfa grown for seed in Walla Walla County, WA and the toxicity of 6 acaricides was tested on these populations."

All CHECKOFF/AFRP/APRI final reports and current project objectives can be found on NAFA's website at http://alfalfa.org/research.php in a convenient searchable database.