West Bend, Indiana, USA
July 19, 2010

Dairyland Seed, the developer of hybrid alfalfa, announced today that a new second generation hybrid specifically designed for tough soil types will be available next season. HybriForce-2420/Wet Gen-2 is a branch rooted alfalfa to be used on heavy or poorly drained soils.

“Our dedicated plant breeders continue to raise the bar for yield potential of dairy quality forage,” says Chad Staudinger, forage product manager of Dairyland Seed. “We are excited to offer producers this branch rooted Gen-2 product so they can have the yield advantage we introduced with HybriForce-2400 even on their wet soils.”

Dairyland Seed was the first to introduce hybrid alfalfa to the market in 2001. Producers increased their yield by 8 to 15 percent with HybriForce-400. Last year, Dairyland Seed brought the second generation to the market. HybriForce-2400 Gen-2 offers an additional 5-percent increased yield potential. HybriForce-2420/Wet extends the Gen-2 hybrid alfalfa line and also offers a 5-percent yield advantage over the first generation HybriForce-420/Wet.

“HybriForce-2420/Wet expresses a higher degree of the branch root trait,” says Steve Wagner, an alfalfa breeder at Dairyland Seed’s research center in Clinton, Wis. “It enables more of the root system to stay above the water table and better anchors the plant in the ground when freezing and thawing occurs.”

The branch root trait combined with high resistance to the six major alfalfa diseases and resistance to Aphanomyces root rot (Race 2) consistently delivers high performance in heavy soil types. HybriForce-2420/Wet outyielded competitors 82 percent of the time when tested in independent university trials.

HybriForce-2420/Wet was developed using Dairyland’s patented msSunstra® Hybrid Alfalfa Technology. Through this process, Dairyland’s hybrid alfalfas all feature greatly improved uniformity, consistently fine stems and greater productivity.

“Gen-2’s fine stems mean faster drydown and faster harvest,” says Staudinger. “The fine stems also feature greater palatability for dairy cows, which means less wasted forage at the end of the day.”

“Our focus on sound research continues to bring the best products to the market,” says Tom Strachota, general manager of Dairyland Seed. “Producers have seen the results of this with our previous products and will continue to see an improved return on investment with HybriForce-2420/Wet Gen-2.”

Dairyland Seed began its seed business in 1907 and has built an established dealer network throughout the Upper Midwest, with international sales in more than 20 countries. The business experienced great success under the leadership of Orville and Marie Strachota, entering the field of plant breeding in 1977. Now part of Dow AgroSciences, the family leadership continues through their son Tom and grandson TJ. Primary research locations are in Clinton, Wis.; Gibson City, Ill.; Otterbein, Ind.; Gilbert, Iowa; and Sloughhouse, Calif., with plant breeding programs in hybrid alfalfa, hybrid corn and soybeans. Dairyland Seed is headquartered in West Bend, Wis.

Website: http://www.dairylandseed.com

Published: July 19, 2010