Alfalfa Variety Test Report

New Mexico's variety of one of its great joys and frustrations. The 2007 New Mexico Alfalfa Variety Report is a result. The report is posted in the economic reports section at www.capitolreportnm.com. The report does engage in a bit of the obvious. It says, "Choosing a good alfalfa variety is a key step in establishing a productive stand of alfalfa whether for hay or pasture." NMSU estimates that alfalfa hay produce sales of $218 million in 2007, up $52 million from 2006. Alfalfa hay is the state's leading cash crop. Run alfalfa through a cow and its value jumps due to the "sale of meat, milk, and other products from livestock enterprises," the report says.

Alfalfa is rated by local adaption and persistence, winter hardiness, disease resistance, insect resistance, and nematode susceptibility. NMSU tested alfalfa varieties over several seasons in Las Cruces, Artesia, Clovis, Los Lunas, Tucumcari and Farmington. Statistics tests were applied to the results to be sure the performance differences were real and not random.