Seed availability on the rebound

Seed availability is on the rebound

by Dan Foor

FTER a few years of extremely tight overall forage seed inventories that were exacerbated by supply chain challenges, many of the primary forage species in key production areas should start to have average to good availability for spring plantings in 2023.

Helping to bring forage seed supply more into balance has been a recent trend away from newly seeded forage acres and toward cash crops such as corn and soybeans, which have offered record-high prices in recent years. The general sense in the industry is that spring of 2023 will see increased forage plantings due to the need for older stands to be replaced and overall forage demand from dairy and beef producers. As always, we know that in more Northern regions of the Midwest, a challenging winter can significantly influence spring seed and forage needs.

Alfalfa will have good availability across the spectrum of fall dormancies and trait packages, and seed prices are expected to be stable to slightly higher. Two forage seed categories to be especially mindful of are timothy and the summer-annual complex. Most of the timothy seed produced in North America is from the Peace River area of northern Alberta, which has seen unprecedented seed production weather challenges the last two years. It’s anticipated that timothy supply won’t return to normal levels until 2024.

Forage sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, and pearl millet seed production during the 2022 season also experienced extreme drought challenges and it’s expected that supplies will be lower than average. Given that these products are typically seeded later in the spring or early summer, producers would be wise to secure seed needs early to ensure the ability to utilize this option in their forage rotations.

The table below outlines the supply picture for most popular forage species. Common (C) and Improved (I) supplies are noted in parenthesis, and maturities are separated if there are differences in the outlook for the species. If there is no designation, the supply rating applies to both common and improved options as well as maturities for the species. The “Extremely tight” designation indicates that the species will likely sell out at some point in the season. By comparison, last year there were only six items in the “Average” supply category and 15 with an “Extremely tight supply” designation. As always, please check with your local supplier for specific variety availability. •

Average supply Tight supply

Alfalfa

Annual ryegrass Bermudagrass Clover, Ladino (C)

Clover, Red (C)

Festulolium Bromegrass, Meadow Bromegrass, Smooth Clover, Alsike

Clover, Berseem

Clover, Ladino (I)

Clover, Red (I)

Millets, Hay Orchardgrass, Early (C) Clover, White

Clover, Yellow blossom

Perennial ryegrass, Tetraploid Orchardgrass, Early (I) Ryegrass, Italian Orchardgrass, Mid Tall Fescue Orchardgrass, Late Tall Fescue, Novel endophyte Perennial ryegrass, Diploid Teffgrass Timothy (C)

Extremely tight supply

Forage sorghum Meadow fescue

Millets, Pearl

Peas, Forage Reed canarygrass Sorghum-sudangrass Sudangrass Timothy (I) Trefoil

Compared to last year, it appears most seed types will be easier to source this fall and winter. As always, those varieties in high demand will need to be ordered early for 2023 planting.

DAN FOOR

The author is the senior vice president of distribution for DLF North America.

Advice from a baleage pioneer

by Mike Rankin

BEING an early adopter is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s possible to gain a competitive advantage; on the other hand, mistakes need to be made in real time as there is little experience from others to lean on.

Kendall Guither has been making baleage for 25 years. He’s made most of the mistakes, but he’s also had plenty of time to develop a system and marketing strategy that needs few improvements. The veteran baleage maker shared his thoughts on the Dairy Forage Seminar Stage at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., last month. Guither and his

KENDALL GUITHER wife, Katherine, farm in northwest Illinois near the town of Walnut, growing both alfalfa and corn. He recalls that in the late 1990s many people didn’t know what baleage even was. Now, his high-quality baleage is in high demand.

Starts with a good stand

Guither’s success begins by establishing a healthy stand of alfalfa. He broadcasts 20 pounds of coated alfalfa seed per acre onto a firm seedbed, using alfalfa varieties with fast regrowth and excellent winterhardiness. Guither seeds both HarvXtra-traited and conventional varieties.

“I harvest my alfalfa pretty aggressively,” the veteran baleage producer said. “I’ll start my first cutting when alfalfa reaches late-vegetative or early bud stage. I have some customers who maintain a standing order for early-cut, first-cutting baleage. The other advantage to an early first cutting is that the stems are thinner and more pliable, so they won’t penetrate the plastic after the bale is wrapped.”

In Guither’s experience, high-quality baleage always sells. “I run out of it every year,” he said.

For subsequent summer cuttings, Guither mows at the late-bud stage and, one time during the summer, will allow his crop to flower and build higher levels of root reserves. When mowing, Guither is a proponent of laying a wide swath to speed drying and reduce respiration losses.

“I want to have my summer cuts done by the beginning of September, then I’ll take a late-fall cut after the plants go dormant,” Guither explained. With that late cut, he leaves about a 5-inch stubble to catch snow.

Guither uses rotary rakes and a merger between mowing and baling. These implements best handle the wetter forage material. He will put up to four windrows together, depending on the amount of biomass. This helps to prevent overdrying.

When making baleage, Guither noted that it’s important to keep soil out of the bales. This is why he doesn’t recommend using a wheel rake. “Clostridia can be a problem in baleage where dirt was incorporated into the bale at some point during harvest.”

It’s not a backup plan

Ideally, Guither likes to bale between 44% and 58% moisture. He might go a little higher or lower if needed but doesn’t like to go below 40%. “There’s just not enough moisture below 40% to get a good fermentation,” Guither asserted. “Baleage shouldn’t be a backup plan. If you’re going to do baleage, then go into it with the mindset of harvesting for baleage. If you don’t, it will get too dry for a good fermentation.”

Another baleage key that Guither emphasized was to make dense bales to minimize oxygen within the bale. He uses twine with a high 440 knot strength on his 3x3 large square bales. Guither likes the 3x3 bales because they are easy to wrap, are safe for transporting, and most of his customers have equipment that can handle their size and weight. They are also easier to feed by hand, if necessary.

Guither applies a dry inoculant on all of his baleage to promote faster fermentation and improve forage quality. He emphasized the importance of choosing a quality product and applying it at recommended rates.

Alfalfa bales are sampled prior to being wrapped. This avoids the need to poke holes in the plastic if bales were cored later. Guither samples at least a third of the bales that come off a field to get a representative sample. If it’s a small field, he might core every bale to make a composite sample.

“We want to have bales wrapped within three hours,” Guither said. “If we have to, we’ll shut down the baler so that the wrappers can catch up.” The wet bales are moved from the field on wagons to the wrap site. Guither has two individual bale wrappers. This enhances his capacity to wrap and also provides a backup if one of them should break down.

“We use no less than eight layers of 1 mil wrap,” Guither said. “It’s important to use a quality wrapping material because integrity is really tested on large square bales. Once you get a $100 bale made, don’t skimp on 80 cents worth of plastic.”

A near perfect feed

Once bales are wrapped, Guither emphasized having a good storage area. “Bales need to be kept where there is good drainage. Putting bales near buildings or a road will help deter wildlife such as deer and raccoons that can cause damage to bales.” Guither routinely places bait stations around his bale storage area to prevent damage from mice.

Guither labels all of his bales by cutting and field number and keeps an inventory sheet with the forage quality of each bale lot.

The baleage is marketed based on the prevailing dry hay (15% moisture) price, adjusting for the higher moisture product. This way, the buyer is not paying for water, but they do pay for the higher transportation costs of the wetter feed.

A quarter century ago, Guither started making baleage to narrow his harvest window and to improve forage quality. But he’s also found that harvesting hay as baleage can add an extra cutting in some years, and there is no need for a shed to store the product.

In summarizing his preference for making baleage, Guither said, “It’s a near perfect feed when it’s made right, and you save leaves. Animals want to eat it.” •

THE ART OF THE TARP

Tarping hay following harvest is the primary storage method for growers in the arid West. Although some growers purchase their own tarps, it’s far more common that they use the services of a tarping company.

by Mike Rankin

MONG the many unique rural landscape features found in the western United States, firsttime visitors will witness thousands of scattered haystacks that have seemingly sprung forth from the parched soil like the even more predominate sagebrush. Stacks of hay can be seen along the road, in the distance, on hilltops, and in manicured farmstead gravel lots.

Adding to the Western skyline are the colorfully striped tarps that top the vast majority of these haystacks. One of the companies responsible for painting the tarp-laden landscape is ITC Services, based in Moses Lake, Wash. The area is part of the Columbia Basin, which is rich in irrigated crops and a stronghold for alfalfa and timothy production. This land base receives about 7 inches of rain per year, most of which comes in the winter.

Freddie Prado is the general manager for ITC Services. He’s been with the company for over 20 years and oversees an army of field managers and tarping crews. ITC Services operates offices in nine Western states with Moses Lake serving as the headquarters. A sister company, Inland Tarp & Liner, manufactures the tarps.

“Eighty-five percent of our business involves leasing tarps to farmers,” Prado said. “A grower calls, tells us where the stack is located, and we go cover it. Whenever hay from the stack is used or sold, we then go pick up the tarps. When time allows, and if stacks are only partially emptied, we will go to the farm, fold the tarp back, and then reclose the stack.”

According to Prado, a tarp can last for years, or it can be destroyed in 45 minutes of severe wind if it’s not properly secured from the time of installation until the stack is gone. Part of the tarp lease agreement entails that an ITC crew will inspect the tarp and tighten it down as needed.

Job 1: Make dry hay

Prado oversees several million tons of hay being covered in Washington each year. A successful tarping outcome begins with putting up dry hay. “If bales are a little wetter than desired, it’s best not to wrap the stack right away,” Prado said. “We’ve had situations where it was going to rain, and we’d cover the stack and then take the cover off after the rain passed to allow the bales to dissipate moisture.”

It’s also important that growers know where the hay is ultimately going. Hay destined to be exported needs to be fully wrapped, which includes a ground tarp, side tarps, and a top cover. Many buyers in the export or horse market don’t want bleached hay, so tarping is essential if the entire stack is going to be sold to these end users. For hay being used locally by dairies or feedlots, hay producers sometimes choose to only use a top tarp or top and side coverings.

Regardless of use, Prado emphasized the importance of putting stacks in a well-drained area where water won’t accumulate during the winter. In some areas, enough room must be left between stacks to allow for winter snow removal. The stack location also needs to be accessible for trucks and loading equipment.

Most haystacks are the width of either two or three 8-foot-long bales (16 or 24 feet), although some regions such as Montana, for example, favor a onebale width. The height is often determined by the stack wagon that picks up bales out of the field and delivers them to the stack. Prado prefers growers also put a single row of bales lengthwise across the top of the stack, forming an inverted “V” or ridgeline, so that water and snow can run off the top.

The tarps are manufactured to fit bale stacks that are one to five bales wide, and the length of the tarp can’t be too long so that they can be handled during installation. Insurance companies often limit how much hay can be put in a single stack, which will dictate length and the amount of separation between stacks.

The prevailing wind impacts the direction the tarp is installed, with overlap openings facing in the opposite direction of the wind. This allows the wind to blow over the overlap and not into it. Most overlaps are 4 to 6 feet. Of particular interest is that each tarping company has their own unique top tarp stripe color. ITC Services’ tarps are recognized with a maroon stripe.

A need to communicate

If hay is targeted for export, farmers need to call their tarp company before a field is baled so that the ground tarp can be put down. “We prefer farmers call us when they start raking,” Prado said. “We’d love a couple days’ notice, but that doesn’t always happen. Often, our field managers stay in close contact with our customers and know about when they will be cutting.”

Each of the five field managers that work out of the Moses Lake facility has a geographic area that they’re responsible for. They are also the ones who schedule the tarping crews. The crews are based at about a half dozen locations throughout Washington. In some areas, where hay may only be cut once on the drylands, crews are temporarily put in hotels for six to eight

weeks to service the harvest. Similar business models are in place for other states where ITC Services covers hay. “Because we don’t always get a lot of advanced notice, being close by helps with the response time,” Prado noted.

During the course of the summer, the requests for tarping ebbs and flows. In between cuttings, the workload slows down, while during harvest it becomes extremely busy. A tarping crew generally consists of four people, although another person or two may be needed in windy conditions. Prado said that they’ve been fortunate to maintain enough labor to service their customers, although, like every business, labor costs are rising. “It’s a tough, physical job to tarp hay, but you’d be amazed how fast a good tarping crew can get a stack covered,” he added.

Freddie Prado oversees multiple field managers and tarping crews from the corporate office in Moses Lake, Wash. He’s worked at ITC Services for over 20 years.

Tarping crews work throughout Washington on any given day. Trucks are equipped with GPS units that help track their location using specialized software.

All of the ITC crew trucks are equipped with GPS units. Using specialized software, Prado and his field managers are able to identify the location and movement of all their tarping crews at any given time.

The tarping advantage

“Although the benefits of covering hay destined for export are obvious, more and more of the dairies and feedlots are recognizing the importance of hay coverings,” Prado said. “They get a higher quality product, and the bottom bales aren’t contaminated with soil and stay dry. From a marketing perspective, growers who cover their hay are generally going to sell their hay faster than those that don’t, and they will get a better price.”

Prado explained that the advantage of a tarped stack to growers is that they’re flexible in where hay can be stored. Tarping helps to eliminate hauling hay long distances with stack wagons to a central barn location. Even so, it’s probably more economical to have barns if an entity like an exporter has a single storage location where hay is being moved in and out of the same place year after year.

The cost for tarping a haystack is charged either by the ton or linear foot. That cost will vary depending on the completeness of the tarping job. Only tarping the top costs less than a complete wrap (bottom, sides, and top). The bale and hay type are also factors, as high-value three-string bale stacks for export or retail are often covered on the ends as well. Prado noted that it’s common for a large hay producer to work with more than one hay tarping company.

As for his biggest challenge, Prado cited the same answer that farmers often give — the weather. “It’s not just dealing with rain at an inopportune time, but also sometimes having to work in extreme heat.”

As long as hay gets made, the tarping industry should continue to thrive. Getting hay covered in a timely and effective manner is a logistical dance between grower and business. In most cases, it’s a mutually beneficial relationship, and it’s that relationship that will continue to leave its mark on the Western rural skyline for years to come. •

FROM FARMER TO TARPING ENTREPRENEUR

Glen Knopp had been farming on his own near Marlin, Wash., since the early 1970s. In 1977, he found himself covering a haystack with sacrificial straw bales that would soak up moisture and protect the more valuable hay. By chance, his cousin was visiting from Canada and told him about some effective light-weight tarps that were being used north of the border. Knopp purchased some tarps to use on his farm. Slowly but surely, neighbors and then their neighbors began requesting tarps from Knopp who soon found himself selling these new hay coverings throughout the West.

By 1990, Knopp was working full time selling tarps and covering stacks. He moved the business to Moses Lake in 1998. His Canadian tarp supplier wasn’t as responsive as Knopp would have liked in terms of shipping product, so he started making his own tarps with the help of various U.S. suppliers. Knopp also developed a system to help keep the tarps Glen Knopp intact during periods of high winds. Eventually, he found a manufacturer that was willing to integrate improvements that Knopp wanted to make to the tarp fabric. These days, ITC tarps are being manufactured in both the U.S. and abroad.

Through the years, Knopp grew not only his hay tarping business, which now provides rental and covering services in 13 states and sales in all 50 states, but also several other companies that provide specialized tarps and liners for industries outside of agriculture.

Approaching retirement, Knopp sold his companies to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) trust in 2020. Now, a third-party trustee ensures that the business is managed in the best interest of the employees. After working a designated amount of time for the company, each employee gets annually issued stock shares that grow in value as the company does. Essentially, all of the employees become shareholders and owners of the company.

“I wrestled with this decision for a long time,” Knopp said. “This option allows the company to move forward with the same management team, vendors, and business model that we’ve always had. The transition was seamless, and our customers couldn’t even tell there was a change.”

These days, Knopp still serves as the chief visionary officer and board chairman for the family of companies, but most of his time is spent on other noble pursuits. He and his wife, Carol, travel and visit their eight children, who are scattered across the country. Knopp is also completing his college bachelor’s degree and has finished the required classes to become an ordained minister. Finally, he and Carol have started a nonprofit organization called Minister to the Nations.

In closing, Knopp said, “I guess I want to spend the rest of my life trying to advance God’s kingdom here on earth.” There’s little doubt that he’ll have the job covered.

1 WRAPPING THE STACK

2

A ground tarp is laid on the ground before the stack is made. The tarp is then secured to the base of the stack.

3

The side tarps are dropped from the top and secured at the top and bottom. Most hay for export has both a bottom and side tarps.

4

The top tarp is hoisted to the top using a small motor and pulley system, which is in development by ITC Services.

5

A final tarp is laid across the top of the stack. A single row of bales is often set in the middle of the stack so that rain and snow can run off.

6

Ropes from the top tarp are cinched tight with the bottom tarp. This creates a complete wrapping effect. A finished tarping job. Each tarping company is associated with specific stripe color.

Carbs are foundational to forage quality

IN THE August/September “Feed Analysis” column, we delved into forage protein and its associated complex feed analysis measures. The nitrogen and amino acids in forage are valuable, with protein supplement costs near record highs. However, a majority of your forage quality is better defined by a different feed fraction, namely carbohydrates.

At least 50% of the forage energy is derived from carbohydrates, so estimating quality based on carbohydrates is reasonable. The carbohydrate nutrient class is the second we’ll cover in our dedicated column series discussing feed analysis interpretation.

Forage fiber, starch, and sugar levels prove pivotal in defining forage quality because these nutrients relate to both energy and feed intake. From an energy perspective, these three different carbohydrates each contain approximately 4 calories per gram in potential energy. Yet, forage fiber contributes only half the digestible energy value per gram relative to starch and sugar due to limited fiber digestion in dairy and beef cattle. Here, we’ll focus our attention on improving your understanding of the different carbohydrate fractions reported on the feed analysis.

A detergent rinse

Fiber relates to both energy and feed intake. Cornell University’s Peter Van Soest developed a detergent system for fiber analysis in ruminant nutrition. His research laid the foundation for our commercial feed analysis, where forage testing laboratories use different detergents to rinse away nonfiber feed fractions and then measure the insoluble remaining fraction.

Through Van Soest’s work, the neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber measures were born and are reported on your forage analysis as aNDF and ADF. In reality, the aNDF and ADF describe neutral and acid detergent insoluble fiber, respectively.

The aNDF and ADF laboratory measures are like a laundry machine cycle. The laundry detergent washes away the dirt and grime, and you’re left with clean clothing. At the forage lab, technicians use detergents to wash away starch, sugar, protein, and other nonfiber compounds, and then fiber is left. Lignin is also measured in a similar fashion to ADF and aNDF, but with a concentrated sulfuric acid. Lignin values reflect a completely indigestible component in fiber and forage.

The “a” in the aNDF acronym describes amylase, which is important alongside the neutral detergent to extract starch in starch-rich feeds such as corn silage. There is also a bit of soil and ash that’s retained in the fiber measures; aNDFom accounts for this by subtracting the ash that’s in the insoluble NDF. Think of this like sand in your pants pockets after the laundry rinse.

The ADF and aNDF measures have become the bedrock for forage quality measures such as relative feed value (RFV). For more discussion around RFV and other hay evaluation index measures, reference the three articles from 2020 that Dave Mertens and I wrote in Hay & Forage Grower.

Generally speaking, aNDF is a focal point on the forage analysis, with higher quality dairy forage being 40% to 45% aNDF or less. In forages, less fiber means more energy because the calories in fiber are partly locked in lignin and are less digestible relative to starch, sugar, and other feed components. Hence, more fiber dilutes the other energy-rich components in fiber.

Beef and dairy cattle derive energy from forage fiber, starch, and sugars.

Mike Rankin

Additional carbs

Mary Beth Hall, a dairy scientist with the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, Wis., standardized the starch analysis over the past decade. Starch is a chain of glucose molecules, and laboratories measure starch by breaking it down into glucose. Then the technicians measure the resulting glucose with a hospital grade glucose analyzer. Following Hall’s work, starch content in forage and grains is now one of the most accurate measures on your report.

While starch is reliable and quantifies a known compound, crude sugar measures are a bit different. Sugar is like crude protein, with crude sugar measured using either ethanol or water as solvents to extract sugar-like compounds. The water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) or ethanol-soluble carbohydrate (ESC) measures represent an estimate of true plant sugar. Water extracts more sugar-like compounds than ethanol, which is why WSC is typically greater than ESC. In the future, measuring known forage sugars such as fructose, sucrose, and glucose will replace the WSC and ESC measures on your forage analysis.

For current dairy and beef nutrition purposes, focus your attention on the WSC measure to assess sugar levels. Hay and baleage will contain more sugar than silage due to sugar being used by fermenting bacteria in the ensiling process. Typical WSC measures in forage range from near zero to 10% or more.

Bringing this article full circle, remember that carbohydrates define forage quality. With an improved understanding of the fiber, starch, and sugar measures on your forage analysis report, rank your forages based upon these carbohydrate measures, with lower fiber and more starch or sugar being the goal. Fiber and starch digestibility are also important for ranking forages, and interpreting this aspect of your forage analysis report will be covered in a future column. •

JOHN GOESER

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

Fungicide use to inhibit Aphanomyces

Hay & Forage Grower is featuring results of research projects funded through the Alfalfa Checkoff, officially named the U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative, administered by National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA). The checkoff program facilitates farmer-funded research.

KENTUCKY research that tested the efficacy of fungicide seed treatments and foliar fungicides on alfalfa to potentially manage Aphanomyces root rot wasn’t conclusive. It didn’t show that the products, rather new to alfalfa production, could consistently improve plant populations and yields in alfalfa fields with a history of the disease, said Kiersten Wise, University of Kentucky (UK) plant pathologist. But the research provided a “great opportunity to get more specific data on an important disease and some practices that are widely promoted,” Wise said. “Fungicides are widely promoted, but there’s not a lot of independent research that shows whether or not they’re worth a farmer’s investment.”

Aphanomyces root rot can seriously impact alfalfa establishment, particularly in poorly drained and heavy soils found in Kentucky. The disease thrives when those soils are saturated after planting and temperatures turn cold. It can kill or stunt alfalfa seedlings and thin stressed stands, so weeds get the upper hand.

Conditions especially favored the disease in her state in 2019, leading Wise to apply for Alfalfa Checkoff funding and look for solutions under the climatic and environmental conditions Kentucky farmers were contending with. Most fungicide research — and resulting university recommendations — come from Northern states, particularly Wisconsin, she pointed out.

This new research “at least gives Kentucky farmers a little more information about how these products work under their production systems,” Wise added. As part of the research project, Wise also co-authored a Crop Production Network resource, called “An Overview of Aphanomyces Root Rot.”

Despite COVID-19 restrictions and limitations in 2020, Wise and Chris

Teutsch, a UK plant and soil scientist, applied fungicide seed treatments to conventional alfalfa before planting it on a poorly drained field with a history of root rot. Replicated trials were conducted at the UK Research and Education Center in Caldwell County. Some treatments did increase plant populations but not yields. The foliar fungicides were applied in 2021 after first cutting to test whether cutting timing and fungicide would impact dry matter yield. “We didn’t see any differences with the foliar fungicides, but we were conducting the research in years where we didn’t have a KIERSTEN WISE lot of foliar disease pressure,” Wise said. Funding: $24,928

PROJECT RESULTS

1. The fungicide seed treatment Rizolex + Apron XL increased alfalfa plant populations compared to the nontreated check and all other seed treatments, but it did not affect yield, ADF, or NDF. 2. Foliar fungicides didn’t increase dry matter yields as compared to the nontreated check on a 30- or 40-day cutting schedule. 3. A soil bioassay to help determine

Aphanomyces race structure was not completed due to tornado damage to soil samples and facilities.

Some bad luck

The researchers also planned to soil sample alfalfa fields across the state to determine which Aphanomyces race was prevalent. Races 1 and 2 had been confirmed in the state, but it had only been assumed that Race 2 was more widespread. Travel restrictions due to COVID-19 kept them from gathering

Impact of fungicide seed treatment on several alfalfa parameters (Princeton, Ky., 2020)

Treatment, formulation, and rate/cwt. seed Population (plants/a)z Total dry matter yield (lbs./a) Acid detergent fiber (ADF) Neutral detergent fiber (NDF)

Non-treated check

Apron XL, 3.0 SL, 0.64 fl oz Stamina, 1.67 FS, 1.50 fl oz

Apron XL, 3.0 SL, 0.64 fl oz + Stamina, 1.67 FS, 1.50 fl oz

Rizolex, 4.17 FS, 0.30 fl oz

Rizolex, 4.17 FS, 0.30 fl oz + Apron XL, 3.0 SL, 0.64 fl oz 368,337 c

580,692 b

477,237 bc

406,452 bc

542,577 bc

803,937 a 2,408.8

2,466.7

2,397.3

2,030.0

1,993.2

2,595.6 37.0

39.6

36.4

35.7

35.0

37.5 45.8

48.6

44.9

44.1

43.6

46.4

P= 0.0014 0.5638 0.0910 0.1163

zColumn numbers followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to least squares means tests at the P=0.05 level. Analysis of foliar fungicide trials indicate, on a 30- or 40-day cutting schedule, foliar fungicide applications did not increase dry matter yield. No noticeable foliar diseases were present in the trial, which may have impacted results.

samples, but they did receive a few samples from county agents. Before those samples could be bio-assayed, they were lost in the December 2021 tornado that destroyed the UK research center.

The only consistent protection farmers presently have against the disease are alfalfa varieties with “race-specific” resistance to Aphanomyces, Wise says. “When we look at recommending new management practices, we want to think about consistency. So, additional research would be needed to see if those results are consistent across broader areas (of Kentucky) and different types of production.”

Fungicide seed treatments may potentially help protect against the disease when alfalfa is established in high-risk areas, including fields with poor drainage or a history of disease outbreaks. To help farmers fight Aphanomyces, Wise and her colleagues discuss variety resistance and ask whether the fields have a history of Aphanomyces outbreaks, as well as other questions. They help determine whether fields are at high, medium, or low risk of future outbreaks.

To access the report, “Improving Our Understanding of Aphanomyces Root Rot of Alfalfa,” or the Aphanomyces overview, visit alfalfa.org. •

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