The National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) has released the 2013 edition of its popular “Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistant Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties.” This publication provides a current and comprehensive listing of winter survival, fall dormancy and pest resistance ratings of alfalfa varieties eligible for certification by seed certifying agencies. All varieties listed can be purchased in the U.S.

DuPont Pioneer recently prevailed in a major European patent challenge to its bacterial strain used in the Pioneer brand inoculants portfolio. The decision in favor of Pioneer by the European Patent Office (EPO) means that the key bacterial strain designed to improve fiber digestibility for livestock is patent-protected and covers all Pioneer fiber technology as silage inoculants.

New Holland Agriculture has been honored with six AE50 Awards by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The AE50 awards are presented for the fifty most innovative product ideas to enter the market in 2012 – ideas ranked highest in innovation, significant engineering advancement, and impact on the market served.

KUHN Krause, Inc. has announced the grand opening of its previously announced expanded manufacturing facilities in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Construction ground breaking for the high-bay, 70,000-square-foot building expansion began in April 2012 and was recently completed.

Alfalfa is a productive and vigorous forage crop. Alfalfa is high-quality forage commonly fed to beef cattle, sheep and horses, and it can be also used for green chop and silage. Alfalfa is a cool-season perennial legume with up to 36 inches of growth and a deep taproot well adapted to dry conditions. Most tillers arise from the crown. Leaves are trifoliloate with serrated leaflets at the tip.

The Diesel Technology Forum issued the following statement regarding the study published recently by the University of California – Berkeley comparing diesel and gasoline emissions.  Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, issued this statement:

“There have been several studies and reports released this year regarding diesel emissions, including ones by the Health Effects Institute and EPA, that highlighted the extensive advancements in clean diesel technology and dramatically reduced emissions (see below).

With the click of a mouse, a consortium of Case IH dealerships in central Ohio bought one of the most unique skid steers around and became a major benefactor of the FFA at national, regional and local levels. The final bid of $77,000 won Evolution AG LLC the online auction for Red Power – a one-of-a-kind skid steer donated by Case IH to raise funds for the organization.

Forage testing is used to estimate the nutritional value of forage for livestock rations. It involves sampling and lab analysis. The information gained is most useful if it is correctly used in the development and feeding of balanced rations, or in some cases in hay marketing.

Soil test reports vary from laboratory to laboratory; however, they all report key results of pH, lime test index (LTI) or buffer pH, phosphorous and potassium. These results are used to develop fertilizer recommendations.