The IFA Agronomy Division has been vigilantly working to provide patrons with information on IFA’s newest alfalfa variety since its introduction in the fourth quarter of 2006. The performance of Medalist, as it is called, has proved to be a success.
“The introduction of this new flagship variety has been very successful,” says Vice President of Ag Operations, Layne Anderson. Management expects Medalist to be well received in it’s first year “great profit opportunity to IFA’s alfalfa-growing members.” Medalist has shown superior performance in trials and preview fields. Anderson is confident that Medalist will become the leader in the strong battery of IFA varieties.
Choosing a seed variety is a serious business with so many factors to consider in developing a new variety: forage yield, fall dormancy rates, persistence and resistance to pests. After visiting a test plot in Idaho in September of 2005, IFA crop advisors concluded that Medalist was the “right variety” for IFA. Brett Harman, Agronomy Purchasing Manager says, “It has excellent resistance to disease and pests and produces a great combination of high quality and high yields.” The alfalfa variety is well-suited to the Intermountain West.
