Preferred Seed

     PS Northeast Premium Blend Alfalfa is blended by Preferred Seed Company for use where economical stand development is the primary concern. It performs satisfactorily under a range of conditions for multiple years or can be used as an excellent green manure cover crop.

   Alfalfa, often referred to as “Queen of the Forages”, is the most important forage crop species grown in the USA. Among all crops grown in the US alfalfa is third in value, exceeded only by corn and soybeans.

   Early alfalfa varieties grown in the Northeast lacked sufficient winterhardiness and were susceptible to a number of diseases that often resulted in thin or weakened stands. Likewise several insect pests caused sporadic damage to both new and established stands. Newer varieties marketed have been bred for resistance to one or more of the most damaging diseases, and several recently released varieties also have some resistance or tolerance to certain insect pests.

   There have been other recent breakthroughs by alfalfa breeders including: improved feeding quality; greater fall growth without loss of winterhardiness; grazing tolerance; a greater expression of branched roots; and the introduction of hybrid alfalfas. All of these improvements will add to the versatility of this crop for use by dairymen and livestock producers in the Northeast. PS Northeast Premium Blend Alfalfa has the advantage of many of these successes in its breeding.