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Research Project: Genetic Improvement and Cropping Systems of Alfalfa for Livestock Utilization, Environmental Protection and Soil Health

Location: Plant Science Research

Title: Alfalfa research: Still growing strong after 65 years

Author
item Samac, Deborah - Debby

Submitted to: Forage Focus
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/28/2021
Publication Date: 5/1/2021
Citation: Samac, D.A. 2021. Alfalfa research: Still growing strong after 65 years. Forage Focus. (May 2021):8-9.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There is a long history of alfalfa research in Minnesota, starting from the development of the first winter-hardy alfalfa by the German immigrant Wendelin Grimm in the 1860s. The Plant Science Research Unit was established in 1955 in St. Paul, MN on the campus of the University of Minnesota by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Over the past two years, five new scientists focusing their research on alfalfa have been hired to fill positions vacated by retirements and made possible by stakeholder advocacy. This article highlights past accomplishments and current research to address regional and national priorities in agricultural and environmental research.