Jeff Jackson, alfalfa and forage specialist with WinField United, showed and explained the new and solid-line forages, such as alfalfa, sorghum, hybrid rye and a new triticale variety last summer at a WinField Answer Plot.

The hybrid rye is from WinField United’s partnership with KWS Seeds, and the triticale is through their partnership with Northern Star.

“These products, in my mind, truly give you the benefit of higher yields, better consistency. The performance is there, the tailoring ability of these newer genetics and the pieces that we see today are actually mind-boggling,” Jackson said.

Jackson encouraged visitors to the forage site to “touch it, feel it, and ask questions” about these forages.

“You have all these acres out here, whether it’s forage production, soil stabilization, live healthy roots in the soil, winter grazing, haying or winter carbon sequestration, there are a lot of benefits to looking into these products in the annual pipeline, as well,” he said

As new seed technologies emerge in the industry each year, it’s important to make sure producers get the most out of those alfalfa acres planted and use the products proven to work.

“We have some great products, including reduced lignin alfalfa for good digestibility, in the HarvXtra variety that helps us with higher quality alfalfa or having a more flexible cutting window,” Jackson said.

With HarvXtra technology, the flexible cutting window means that producers could harvest alfalfa on a standard 28-day cycle for higher quality forage or delay it for 7-10 days for up to 20 percent higher yields.

“With HarvXtra technology, if you have somebody doing high quality hay selling to dairies on a dollar per point basis, that’s something that’s really valuable,” he said.

Jackson stopped in front of the RR Saltiva sign. The green, hardy alfalfa behind him growing in a strip trial is Roundup Ready and performs well in tough soils with high saline conditions. 

“RR Saltiva can withstand saline conditions and be sprayed with glyphosate to control weeds,” he said.

It has an excellent pest-resistance package and high resistance to stem nematode and multi-species aphid resistance

“We intensively gridded this farm and we know that we have a salt problem right across the ditch. Does that alfalfa look like it established pretty well over there? Yeah, we have been harvesting it,” Jackson said.

Jackson said he was part of the crew that planted RR Saltiva on a saline seep in South Dakota.

“If the kochia won’t make it, the alfalfa’s probably not going to do much better. But we do have people locally that have planted RR Saltiva in some of these spots that had some really good success,” Jackson said. “So, another thing for our group here today to remember is that you have a very good product right there. You can use glyphosate to clean it up in-season.

BMR (brown midrib gene) has a brownish red pigmentation of the leaf. Coloring will disappear on the leaf but remain in the stalk.

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“BMR varieties have significantly lower lignin concentrations that allow for better digestibility and improved nutrient uptake,” he said.

BMR 3211 is an early-maturing hybrid with excellent yield potential and the BMR-6 trait has excellent quality potential and is great for lactating cows. CROPLAN also recently released BMR 3212.

Sorghum PAF (prussic acid-free)

Sorghum breeders continue to research ways to improve yield and quality for farmers, and now prussic acid-free sorghums.

“From a WinField standpoint, we have a very diverse lineup of sorghum-sudangrass,” Jackson said.

Varieties offering a prussic acid-free component are entering the market, allowing producers to graze sorghum-sudangrass into stress periods or frost events without risk of prussic acid poisoning. 

Jackson pointed out that prussic acid was a concern with grazing livestock in the fall, primarily when it freezes.

“Sudangrass that’s frozen has cyanide gas in the leaf, so these new products are going to be great for cattle producers,” Jackson said.

A CROPLAN sudangrass product called 23SSE/PAF (prussic acid-free) is a BMR, as well.

“This product is something you could let them graze through the frost and not have to take them out. Does that make sense? Because generally when we have a hard frost, you take the cows out for 7-14 days and let that gas escape out of the plant and then they can return back to the feed,” he said. “This product allows you to put them in in October and let them go.”

The PAF is a non-GMO. It’s a natural breeding selection that they found that does not produce that compound.

KWS collaborates with WinField CROPLAN

KWS, based in Idaho, plans to build on its breeding and research facility by starting construction on the most high-tech greenhouse research facility in North America.

A representative from KWS was at the forage site at the Winfield Answer Plot to talk about KWS hybrid rye. He said he conducted his own on-farm trials with the KWS hybrid rye to verify the claims of improved consistency and yield potential.

Producers may want to try KWS forage varieties of hybrid rye, which provide hybrid vigor and more consistent yields compared to open-pollinated rye.

Hybrid rye can be integrated into crop rotation systems effectively. Its flexibility allows farmers to rotate it with other crops to help manage pests and diseases and improve overall soil health.

KWS hybrid rye has large, above ground biomass and a larger ear compared to conventional rye. It also has an aggressive, deep-rooted system, making it suitable for light land that is drought prone, but it still yields well on heavier land. 

Northern Star’s current triticale seed genetics were introduced into the CROPLAN brand.

Triticale is a crop known for its growth and adaptability to various conditions and environments. It can also work as a cover crop, which can improve soil health and support the sequestration of soil carbon.

The improvements in plant health, stress tolerance, and forage quality highlighted by Jackson could have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of forage and livestock operations, particularly for dairy and high-quality hay producers.

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