Preferred Seed

The Lightning EXTRA Alfalfa Story

     Lightning Bolt Alfalfa, marketed exclusively by Preferred Seed Company, is one of the new elite alfalfa varieties. It combines high yield potential, excellent pest resistance, fast recovery after cutting, outstanding winterhardiness and persistence and excellent forage quality with a high expression of the multifolioate leaf trait. In yield trials conducted over a wide range of environments, Lightning Bolt has consistently ranked at or near the top. In Cornell University trials at Ithaca and Perry, NY Lightning Bolt was one of the highest yielding varieties, topping check varieties by 10% and 15% respectively. It is especially well suited for Northeast soil conditions because of its winterhardiness and persistence. Lightning Bolt is the product of a selection program by alfalfa breeders designed to improve the fall dormancy / winterhardiness relationship. The result is one of the very best winter hardy varieties with later fall dormancy and fast recovery after cutting, along with excellent forage yield potential. Lightning Bolt has a high expression of the multifolioate leaf trait, which is considered a component in improved forage quality. All this, combined with the high relative feed values and high milk per acre calculations of Lightning Bolt prove the claim of its excellent forage quality. Lightning Bolt has the added value of maintaining high forage quality over a wider harvest window compared to other conventional alfalfas. This allows producers to manage around unexpected weather or equipment delays without sacrificing quality. When it comes to the “Queen of the Forages”, choose Lightning Bolt for your most advantageous alfalfa production.