Management Guide

Alfalfa Management

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Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa allows you to drive more value per acre

Producing high yielding and high quality forage with fewer weeds is now easier and more convenient than ever before. The end result is more milk or more beef per acre – and more profit in your pocket. Greater profitability is made possible with less weed competition, which allows you to produce more high-quality forage. The Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa system helps you recognize unsurpassed weed control and crop safety.

By combining the Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system with the superior America’s Alfalfa Traffic Tested® genetics, your crop can respond to higher levels of management because you have more control over production variables.

With Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa, you may safely apply non-selective Roundup® herbicide (glyphosate) over the top for cost-effective weed control.

Easy and ConvenientControlling a broad spectrum of weeds for a

pure forage product is simple and convenient with the Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system. Unsurpassed weed control and crop safety starts with flexible application timing. Research data indicate a single application of Roundup® at the seedling stage when your alfalfa is in the three to four trifoliate stage – is the most effective for stand establishment. And, you’ll also have the flexibility of making an application in the six to nine trifoliate stage to set up a superior quality forage harvest.

Quality ForageProducing a more consistent, high-quality

forage is now easier as another production variable is under your control. Weed-free forage is made possible with the Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system. Less weed competition also makes for more cost-effective crop production and utilization of your resources and management inputs.

Quantity IncreaseYield increases are now possible with the

Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system, coupled with good management practices. Seeding-year yield increases are possible by significantly reducing weed competition with Roundup® herbicide.

Simply Grow More Hay

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System† Treated StandardGenuity® Roundup Ready®

100

80

60

40

20

0First Cut Second Cut Third Cut

96.9

a*

99.5

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99.4

a

68.5

b 90.5

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93.2

b

Data Sources 1-6 Data Sources 2-4 Data Sources 3, 4

Data Sources1 Blank, Monsanto, Walla Walla, WA, exp. ID 2002103022 (4); 2 Hahn, Cornell University, exp. ID AALF0203 (5); 3 Keeling, Texas Agriculture Experiment Station, Lubbock, TX, exp. ID 2003999A07 (1); 4 Kells, Michigan State University, exp. ID 2003599501 (7); 5 Sheaffer, University of Min-nesota, exp. ID B4-03 (5); 6 Wrage, South Dakota State university, exp. ID 200372307 (5); Value in parenthesis indicates the number of weed species present. * Means within a chart followed by different letters are significantly different (LSD, P<.05). † The Roundup® agricultural herbicides used in the trials were Roundup WeatherMAX® and Roundup UltraMAX®.

Alfalfa Management

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Production Planning for Best Results

1. Before planting. Test the soil to determine pH and available nutrients in the soil. Adjust your pH and fertilize according to recommendations from your America’s Alfalfa dealer or your Cooperative Extension Service.

2. Planting rates and depth. As a general rule, seeding rates would be similar for Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa seed as they would be for standard alfalfa varieties. Check with your America’s Alfalfa dealer or with your Cooperative Extension Service for the appropriate seeding rates and planting depth for your soils and farm. Early weed control and irrigation may allow you to lower seeding rates.

Whether with no-till or conventional tillage, seed-to-soil contact and adequate soil moisture are very important in obtaining an optimum stand of alfalfa and to the service life of the stand. Always start with a weed-free field.

3. Planting with cover crop. Traditionally, cover crops have been used to assist in stand establishment by helping to manage early season weed pressure. Cover crops are not needed with the Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system.

4. Weed Management. The Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system extends you unprecedented control over a broad spectrum of weeds. Still, scout your fields regularly and identify the weed spectrum on a field-by-field basis and their impact upon forage production and quality. Eliminate perennial weeds with fall applications of Roundup®; and annual weeds, such as foxtail in the spring. Control all weeds as they germinate and compete with the alfalfa crop. If protected from initial weed competition, a vigorous alfalfa stand competes well with weeds.

• Start with a weed-free field. Use a burn-down herbicide application for no-till seeding.

• After alfalfa seeding, apply Roundup WeatherMAX® from emergence up to the three to four trifoliate stage of alfalfa. Refer to the Roundup WeatherMAX® label for rates and timing.

• A sequential application of Roundup® may be made after the five trifoliate growth stage up to five days before the first cutting. Refer to the label for appropriate rates by weed species, size of weeds and volume of application. In California, Arizona and New Mexico, applications must be spaced more than seven days apart under heavy weed pressure.

• After the first cutting, apply Roundup WeatherMAX® up to five days before cutting, but target weeds less than four inches tall.

Genuity® Roundup Ready®

Oat Nurse Crop Pursuit

Alfalfa Management

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5. Managing weed resistance. Weed management strategies that incorporate integrated cultural weed control methods and rotations of herbicides are important in preventing weed resistance to any herbicide, including Roundup®. Consider rotating Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa after a crop produced with a conventional herbicide program, or following Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa with a crop requiring multiple modes of action.

• Start with a clean, weed-free field.

• Control weeds early, when they are less than 4 inches in height.

• Where possible, include additional herbicides and cultural practices to lessen the weed selection pressure to Roundup® herbicide.

• Always use the correct rate for the right weed and timing. Refer to the Roundup® label for specific guidelines.

• Reduce the seed bank by field by controlling weeds throughout the season.

• Report repeated non-performance of herbicides to your local crop protection retailer.

Stand Removal of Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa

Roundup® herbicide has traditionally been used to terminate alfalfa stands, but it will not perform this function in Genuity® Roundup Ready® fields. Use a combination of cultivation and herbicides for an effective stand termination.

• Cultivation. Use a plow or heavy disk, or undercut the stand with a blade or rototiller.

• Herbicides. Treatments containing 2,4-D or dicamba are the most effective and generally have fewer crop rotation restrictions. Other herbicides may be used, including Stinger, Garlon, Ignite, Aim and Harmony.

Take extra precaution when rotating from Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa to Genuity® Roundup Ready® cotton, soybeans or corn. The use of alternative herbicides in combination with effective cultivation achieves nearly a 100 percent termination of the stand.

StewardshipGenuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa seed may

not be planted outside of the United States, or for the production of seed or sprouts. Before seeding Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa seed, you will be asked to read, understand and accept the stewardship requirements, including weed resistance management, for the biotechnology traits expressed in the seed as set forth in the current Monsanto Technology/Stewardship Agreement.

Any forage produced from Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa seed can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Talk to your grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for forage produced in a Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa production system.

Based on the decision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 27, 2011, Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa seed is available for sale and distribution by authorized Seed Companies or their dealers for use in the United States only. This seed may not be planted outside of the United States, or for the production of seed, or sprouts. Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. Do not export Genuity® Roundup Ready® alfalfa seed or crop, including hay or hay products, to China pending import approval. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Biotechnology Industry Organization.ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Roundup Ready® and Roundup® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. (c)2011 Monsanto Company.

©2011 America’s Alfalfa (logo) and Traffic Tested (logo) are registered trademarks. D1989

Dormant Varieties

3 Alfagraze 300 RR

Dual Purpose, High Yielding Traffic Tested® Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa

3.3 AmeriStand 433T RR

Persistent, Winterhardy Variety with Increased Stand Life

4 AmeriStand 405T RR

High Yielding Traffic Tested® Genuity® Roundup Ready® Variety

6 Alfagraze 600 RR

High Quality, High Yielding Traffic Tested® Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa

Non-Dormant Varieties

7.5 AmeriStand 815T RR

First Non-dormant Traffic Tested® Genuity® Roundup Ready® Variety

8.5 AmeriStand 855T RR

High Yielding, Aphid Resistant Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa

The Only Traffic Tested® Genuity® Roundup Ready® Alfalfa