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New alfalfa varieties don’t go to market overnight

New alfalfa varieties can take up to 11 years to reach farmers’ fields, but Forage Genetics International’s Phil Bollman says that long pipeline is delivering healthier, higher-yielding options for today’s growers.

Bollman tells Brownfield that from concept through development and yield trials, it takes time for new alfalfa varieties to reach the market. “From a parent plant, four to five years of field testing.  We combine those into varieties which take about four to five more years to yield test over time, and then seed production adds another year or two, so anywhere from nine to ten or eleven years.”

Bollman says the pipeline is full of new varieties as they constantly try to improve plant health and yield. “You’re generally going to have more yield, better persistence to all of the diseases, whether it’s Anthracnose, Aphanomyces, and that sort of thing that growers might face in their field.”

Forage Genetics International develops varieties for the NEXGROW brand, which is owned by Land O Lakes Cooperative. 

AUDIO: Phil Bollman with Forage Genetics International’s West Salem, Wisconsin field research facility discusses alfalfa development with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.