# Latest New On Roundup Ready Alfalfa?



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Anybody heard what the latest status and availability of RR alfalfa is? I am making plans for next year and would like to try some, if it isn't too expensive!

Ralph


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Ralph, The USDA is suppose to make a final decision this year whether or not it will be allowed for spring planting. There are a lot of bills flying around in Congress over this. You can probably get some good info from the National Alfalfa site. Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

The last I heard.

There is plenty of RR seed in storage.It was produced before the halt on seeding of RR alfalfa.They don't throw old seed away it will be in refrigerated storage and keeps well.

Tech fee around $150 per bag the last I heard.









Maybe it was $300 a bag.









Dang I forget but will find out.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

The seed producers are still growing seed every year. They are keeping it in conditioned storage. Mike


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

I guess only the USDA knows when they will make the final decision on allowing selling and planting Roundup Ready alfalfa based on their environmental impact statement findings. I had to give up hoping for doing a 2010 fall seeding. Latest that I hear from alfalfa company personnel is that a decision may be made by mid-2011, but who knows.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

This is what I "HEARD" last week.









About a 70% chance that seed will be available for spring of 2011.

Tech Fee of about $200 a bag.









Seed will be coated.

There is 4 yrs of seed production in storage.

Sooo,It looks like you can by 4 yr old seed genetics for about $400-500 a bag.

By the way I'm not a Monsanto fan.I use their products but think they will squeeze every dollar they can out of us.I did plant a field to conventional corn and it did as well or better than everything else I had,215 bpa.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

The EIS is favorable, but the language of the it needs to be bulletproof for the next lawsuit that will certainly come. It'll be nice to get the second generation traits (low lignin, PPO, etc.) into alfalfa. The PPO is the enzyme in red clover that increases the protein use efficiency, by increasing the percentage of rumen escape protein.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

UpNorth said:


> It'll be nice to get the second generation traits (low lignin, PPO, etc.) into alfalfa. The PPO is the enzyme in red clover that increases the protein use efficiency, by increasing the percentage of rumen escape protein.


They honestly can't do that without making it roundup ready??

I'm with swmnhay, I don't care for Monsanto at all and use generic products when ever possible. I have a feeling RR alfalfa is going to open up a bigger can of worms than it possibly could be worth. I'm getting really tired of having to take RR corn to get the newer traits, then end up spending more on my herbicide program for beans just to get rid of the RR volunteer corn.

Has anybody thought to ask the horsey, goat and small dairy people if they even _want_ to buy RR alfalfa regardless the shape of the bales?

I can't wait to see to see the line of rhetoric the die hard organic folks will come up with when it comes to RR alfalfa.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Say what you want about Monsanto Company. They are in business to make money just like you and me, and have invested heavily in development of the RR crop seed that they sell. I can understand your frustration with having to use additional chemicals to control RR corn in RR beans.

For those of us in southern states who want to grow relatively weed free alfalfa, RR will help us control weeds like curly dock that also exist in northern states and that are quite difficult to control using broadleaf weed chemicals, such as Pursuit, labeled for alfalfa. Our biggest weed problem, even with using Roundup on RR alfalfa is going to be common bermudagrass that will not be controlled at the labeled rates allowed on RR alfalfa.

What chemicals do you use on difficult to control weeds in conventional alfalfa?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Don't use any, ever. For the most part with our weather, the only time we have weed problems is a year like this one. Weed seeds get carried in by wind, fowl, or critter, get a chance to germinate then goto seed before it can be mowed because of the monsoon we had earlier in the year. For the most part in the spring our hay is up and growing before the weeds are and in the fall if your following the recommended date to _stop_ cutting, their is enough regrowth to stop any winter annuals from taking hold.

Granted we keep a close eye on all the fields and may not mow them in order by distance but instead get a few mowed early to get ahead of any weed problems. Biggest problem up here is wild oats.

Even my steady horse customers don't mind the occasional weed in the first cutting as long as it hasn't gone to seed. For the most part once the first is made, weeds aren't a problem the rest of the year.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

vhaby said:


> .
> 
> What chemicals do you use on difficult to control weeds in conventional alfalfa?


HERE none.If you are getting weeds in it is getting thin and time to plow it out.I use a cover crop of annual ryegrass to hold weeds back in new seeding.

I realize RR ready alfalfa will be better for some farther south with different weed pressure..

But I believe Monsanto will squeeze every dollar they can out of us.Yea they are in bussiness to make money.But if the price of grain goes up than they want a bigger piece of the pie.And I am and bussiness to make money also so if I can make more by not using it that is what I'm going to do.

And I also think its BOGUS that they can't bring other traita to the market with out RR trait.They have done this in corn & soybeans,generaly you can't get the newest genetics without it being RR,VT3,Smart Stack,blah,blah,blah.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

It would be nice to again experience weed-free alfalfa like what you describe and like I experienced with irrigated alfalfa in Montana several (many) years ago. Here, curly dock currently is growing in its rosette stage. If it is not controlled at this stage, it goes into its stem extension stage very early next season and seems to set seed on every inch of the stem. If not controlled chemically and cut with the hay, this weed will produce viable seed by the next hay cutting.

Also, the first year with alfalfa on Coastal Plain soils, common bermudagrass is not a problem because the alfalfa is not fertilized with nitrogen. However, bermudagrass starts encroachment the second alfalfa season after the nitrogen fixed by Rhizobia has been deposited in alfalfa leaves that drop off the plant and are mineralized, releasing the nitrogen for use by the bermudagrass. Because of this, as you know, it is so important to thoroughly clean up weeds, and germinate seeds, from proposed alfalfa fields before ever seeding the alfalfa.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I could see in your area vhaby how RR alfalfa would be a plus considering you're weed season is practically year round. I still won't use it though, even if they came up with RR Late mate orchard grass I wouldn't use it, it's just overkill for my operation. I have no problems ever moving good hay with a some orchard grass in it, sometimes it seems like I almost have to give away straight alfalfa regardless of the cutting. Years ago when we were still in the dairy business Dad would never bale straight alfalfa for the cows, it went straight in the silos with the mixed hay being baled for supplemental and free choice feeding.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Cy, What the heck is a tech fee? They gonna come out and advise me how to plant my seed or maybe even plant it for me at that ridiculous price. I'll deal with my plantain and curly dock. I'll just add some of your quickdraw OG to take care of that problem. Mike


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> I use a cover crop of annual ryegrass to hold weeds back in new seeding.
> 
> .


Differences are becoming much clearer between northern and southern alfalfa production methods. Here, if we don't control volunteer annual ryegrass at fall seeding time, especially in highly fertile soils such as those fertilized with poultry litter, it out competes the alfalfa in spring. Needless to say, we don't recommend seeding a companion crop with a new seeding of alfalfa.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> Cy, What the heck is a tech fee? Mike


Basicaly the fee that Monsanto collects on all Roundup Ready crops.They collect a fee for the RR along with any other traiats they have in the seed.In corn it is also can be Corn Borer,Root Worm and the other one???? for below ground pests.Or any combination.

So you can Have RR corn,RR Bt Corn,VT3 corn Smart Stax corn.etc,etc.

Just to give you idea not exact prices.
So in corn.Conv seed $100 a bag,RR corn $150,RR,BT corn $200 Vt3 corn upto 300 quad stack 350.

So the actual seed costs around 100 a bag and the rest is for tech fees and pehaps larger profits for middle man.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

vhaby said:


> Differences are becoming much clearer between northern and southern alfalfa production methods. Here, if we don't control volunteer annual ryegrass at fall seeding time, especially in highly fertile soils such as those fertilized with poultry litter, it out competes the alfalfa in spring. Needless to say, we don't recommend seeding a companion crop with a new seeding of alfalfa.


Spring seedings here not using a cover is mostly unheard of, still use oats for a fall seeding. Have seen people plant their alfalfa in August, come back in late fall, no till wheat in, cut the wheat in July, then mow it all and bale.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

mlappin said:


> They honestly can't do that without making it roundup ready??
> 
> .


They had to do the first genetic modification in order to do the second, third, fourth, so on. Monsanto picked roundup ready to be the first one that would have to go through all of the testing, regulation, etc. Biologically they could have introduced any genetic modification first, but roundup ready has been certified in other crops so it makes sense to do it again. The other traits will be able to to go in without all of the overhead regulation.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

UpNorth said:


> They had to do the first genetic modification in order to do the second, third, fourth, so on. Monsanto picked roundup ready to be the first one that would have to go through all of the testing, regulation, etc. Biologically they could have introduced any genetic modification first, but roundup ready has been certified in other crops so it makes sense to do it again. The other traits will be able to to go in without all of the overhead regulation.


I would be willing to bet Monsanto stood to make more money from the RR modification than the others.


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## kdtd (Nov 6, 2010)

So is there going to be round up ready alfalfa for 2011.


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

From The Western Farm Press on line. 
http://westernfarmpress.com/alfalfa...seed-sales-expected-resume-spring?cid=nl_wfpd...

http://westernfarmpress.com/alfalfa...seed-sales-expected-resume-spring?cid=nl_wfpd
Roundup Ready alfalfa seed sales are likely to resume this coming spring after a four-year hiatus foisted by licentious lawsuits regurgitated from a radical environmental group famous for such legal anti-agriculture shenanigans.

Mark McCaslin, president of Forage Genetics, West Salem, Wis., expects a final USDA-APHIS Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on non-regulated sale of RR alfalfa before the end of this year.

http://westernfarmpress.com/alfalfa...seed-sales-expected-resume-spring?cid=nl_wfpd


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## robert23239 (May 10, 2009)

For several years I really don't see how Roundup Ready hay will help anyone in the long term .


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## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

It will help for some producers with unique weed problems mostly during stand establishment.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

robert23239 said:


> For several years I really don't see how Roundup Ready hay will help anyone in the long term .


Don't forget with the obscene tech fee on a bag of RR Alfalfa seed it will also help the ceo and the board of directors at Monsatan justify the obscene bonuses they give themselves.

What happened to the days of if a company wanted to recoup it's R&R costs, they had to have a superior product that would sell itself and take market share from the competitors?

I'm sure by now with the round up trait in corn and beans, they have recovered their costs to develop it ten times over.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

mlappin said:


> don't forget with the obscene tech fee on a bag of rr alfalfa seed it will also help the ceo and the board of directors at monsatan justify the obscene bonuses they give themselves.
> 
> What happened to the days of if a company wanted to recoup it's r&r costs, they had to have a superior product that would sell itself and take market share from the competitors?


monopoly,greed


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