“We milk 250 cows, twice a day, and feed all of our alfalfa to our herd. We try to manage our alfalfa for the highest protein content. We like to cut at the bud stage to get the most feed value. It’s possible to maximize tonnage, too, if you time the cuttings right. Moisture is the key.

“We are very high-management on our alfalfa. A consultant tells us what inputs we need. We usually apply liquid manure in the fall, then additional potash and herbicides in the spring. We take our first cutting in early May, then the second cutting about a month later.

“We are in a five-year stand rotation. All of our acres are in America’s Alfalfa varieties, most of it in AmeriStand 403T. We also started some AmeriStand 407TQ last year, and it’s looking very good. We’re pleased with both of the America’s Alfalfa varieties, and we really like the Traffic Tested trait.”

-- Marcus Martin of Mercersburg, Pa., a 150-acre alfalfa grower (all America’s Alfalfa) and an America’s Alfalfa grower for more than a decade.