FEEDSTUFFS & KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) announced March 30 the availability of $1.9 million in 2017 funding for research and development to improve the agricultural productivity, profitability and conservation of the U.S. alfalfa forage industry.

Funding is made through NIFA’s Alfalfa & Forage Research Program (AFRP).

In 2016, Kansas State University was the recipient of a $265,000 USDA NIFA Alfalfa grant. Dr. Doohong Min, a forage agronomist in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University is one of the researchers involved in this multi-state alfalfa project that will focus on developing a K fertility management program that will improve alfalfa production and quality across the central and western U.S.

 “Alfalfa and other forage crops have great potential as high-value, sustainable crops,” NIFA director Sonny Ramaswamy said. “These NIFA investments will help expand this potential into profit for agricultural producers.”

Alfalfa is a high-nutrition animal feed that also shows promise as a source for bio-based materials and other renewable resources. AFRP is an integrated, alfalfa-oriented research and extension program that supports collaborative research and technology transfer to improve overall agricultural productivity, profitability and conservation of natural resources through conventional and organic forage and seed production systems.

Feedstuffs