Overview
Alfalfa is essential to agricultural production systems and rural economies. It offers significant benefits, including soil health, nitrogen fixation, crop rotation benefits, and wildlife habitat. To sustain these benefits, alfalfa production must be profitable for farmers through strong market opportunities that encourage continued or expanded acreage.
ASAFS supports integrated projects only, focused on research and Extension (but may include education) that emphasize technology transfer to improve overall agricultural productivity, profitability, and support of natural resources through conventional and organic alfalfa seed and forage production systems. ASAFS encourages applicants to establish interdisciplinary and multi-location regional research and Extension networks to address national priorities or regional science needs of the U.S. alfalfa industry. By bringing together expertise across multiple universities, federal agencies, and industry organizations and states, ASAFS projects seek to enhance the effectiveness of limited state, federal, and industry resources and so produce greater long-lasting impacts.
In FY 2026, under Assistance Listing 10.330, ASAFS will support the development of improved alfalfa seed and forage production systems, practices, and supporting technologies. NIFA is soliciting applications for FY 2026 under the following areas:
- Increasing alfalfa forage and seed yields and forage quality through improved management practices, plant breeding, and other strategies to reduce biotic and abiotic stresses and costs of production.
- Improving alfalfa forage and seed harvest and storage systems, including mechanization and automation that reduces labor costs, to optimize economic returns to alfalfa producers as well as end-users including milk producers.
- Developing methods to estimate alfalfa forage yield and quality to support marketing as a livestock feed and instruments to reduce producer risks.
- Exploring new uses for alfalfa such as fish feeds, nutritive supplements, alternative protein sources for human consumption, high-value chemical manufacturing, or other novel uses.
Developing improved insect, disease and weed management strategies, including spotted aphid, in alfalfa seed production and potential herbicide carry-over issues.
Featured Grant
Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage System Program
Eligibility
- State Agricultural Experiment Stations
- Colleges and universities
- University research foundations
- Other research institutions and organizations
- Federal agencies
- National laboratories
- Private organizations, foundations or corporations
- Individuals who are United States citizens or nationals
- A group consisting of two or more of the entities described in (1) through (8).