What the heck is alfalfa, anyway?

Alfalfa by TwoWings via Wikimedia Commons.

Alfalfa is an awesome plant that is quite unique among field crops. It’s a legume, which means it can fix nitrogen (meaning less nitrogen fertilizer needs to be added) as well as being one of very few perennial crops, which means it can be left in the field to grow year after year and keep being harvested. It’s roots can grow quite deep so it can be very drought tolerant. It produces a high quality forage for animals, and is especially great for dairy cows.

One problem with alfalfa is that, as it is left to grow for multiple years, weeds can accumulate and the alfalfa stand will need to be plowed under. Weeds can be controlled to some degree with harvesting at just the right time (before the weeds make seeds) but at some point that isn’t enough. Enter Roundup Ready alfalfa which can be sprayed with the herbicide glyphosate to control weeds while leaving the alfalfa healthy. It allows farmers to leave their alfalfa stands standing longer.

It gets better

The It Gets Better Project is a national effort to stop people from bullying LGBT youths. Public figures have created videos in which they encourage youths to keep persevering in their lives, including Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, and many many more – over 6,000 videos so far. Why am I bringing this up on Biofortified? Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has submitted a video and posted it on the It Gets Better website but also on the USDA blog. This shows a real commitment by the USDA to help prevent harassment of LGBT youths. As Secretary Vilsack said, LGBT youth in small-town and rural America are particularly at risk. The USDA has a lot of reach into those communities, so this commitment has the potential to do real good. Thank you, Secretary Vilsack!