University of California Alfalfa Symposia
Image of Alfalfa Leaf 38th California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium and
Western Alfalfa Seed Conference (2008) Image of Alfalfa Leaf
PCA: 1 hr Laws & Reg, 6 hrs Other; CCA: 8 hrs Tour, 6 hrs Full Day (Wed), 3 hrs Half-Day (Thu)
The 38th California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium and Western Alfalfa Seed Conference was held in San Diego, California December 2nd - 4th. The symposium had over 600 attendees and 66 exhibitors. Watch this site for links to speaker's powerpoints. Speaker's proceedings papers are linked below in the online program.

View the 2008 Imperial Valley Tour Recap (summary, schedule, images)

Please evaluate the 2008 Symposium.
Many thanks to our Sponsors!
Gold Sponsors
Bayer CropScience
Engineered Coated Products
Eureka Seeds
Lockwood Seed and Grain
NK Brand/Syngenta Seeds
San Joaquin Valley Hay Growers Assoc.
Valent USA Corp.
Western Ag Enterprises, Inc.
Silver Sponsors
Bowles Farming Company, Inc.
Bridon Cordage
California Alfalfa & Forage Assn.
Dairyland Seed Company
JWM Leafcutters Inc.
Monsanto
New Holland
Producer's Choice Seed
Sierra Testing Service
Green Sponsors
AerWay
America's Alfalfa
Celpril
Inland Tarp & Cover, Inc.
International Pollination Systems
Northstar Seed Ltd.
Pioneer Hi-Bred Int'l.
PolyExcel, LLC
S & W Seed Company
T-L Irrigation Company
W-L Research
Proceedings
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Program (pdf) Program (doc)
Tuesday, Dec 2nd -- Field Tour (Imperial Valley) Tour Recap
Wednesday, Dec 3rd -- Morning Main Session and Breakout Sessions (I-IV)
Dairy and Forage Industry Trends
8:00 Welcome
Dan Putnam & Rod Christensen
8:10 Hay Market Trends in California
Seth Hoyt, The Hoyt Report, Ione, CA
8:35 Dairy Situation and Outlook 2008
PPT Presentation
Eric Erba, California Dairies, Inc., Visalia, CA
9:00 The Changing Nature of Dairy Rations and How it Affects Forage Demand
PPT Presentation
Jerry Higginbotham, Dairy Farm Advisor, UCCE Fresno Co., Fresno, CA
9:25 Upcoming Environmental Challenges – What are the implications for the Forage Industry?
PPT Presentation
Cynthia Cory, CA Farm Bureau Federation, Sacramento, CA
Seed Industry Trends and Biotech Crops
10:30 Producing Quality Alfalfa Seed for the Forage Industry
Shannon Mueller, Farm Advisor, UCCE Fresno Co., Fresno, CA
10:50 State of the Seed Industry
PPT Presentation
Mark McCaslin, President, Forage Genetics International, Minneapolis, MN
11:10 Gene Flow and Stewardship of GE Alfalfa
Larry Teuber, Alfalfa Geneticist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
11:30 Regulatory Review of Roundup Ready Alfalfa
PPT Presentation
Virgil Meier, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, USDA-APHIS, Riverdale, MD
Breakout Session I: Alfalfa Pest Management
1:30 Alfalfa Weed Control in the Low Deserts - 40 Years of Discovery and Innovation
PPT Presentation
Barry Tickes, Farm Advisor, University of Arizona, Yuma, AZ
1:50 Summer Annual Grass Control - What are the Strategies?
PPT Presentation
Mick Canevari, Farm Advisor, UCCE San Joaquin Co., Stockton, CA
2:10 Plant Poisonings in Livestock
Birgit Puschner, University of California Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Davis, CA
2:30 Pest Quiz - Test your Pest IQ
Tulio Macedo, Farm Advisor, UCCE Madera and Merced Co's., Madera, CA
3:30 Alfalfa Weevils: A New Look at an Old Pest
PPT Presentation
Larry Godfrey, Extension Specialist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
3:50 Alfalfa Nematodes: What can be done?
PPT Presentation
Becky Westerdahl, Extension Specialist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
4:10 Controlling the Worm Complex in Alfalfa
Eric Natwick, Farm Advisor, UCCE Imperial Co., Holtville, CA
4:30 An Economic Threshold for Thrips in California Timothy
PPT Presentation
Dominic Reisig, Research Associate, UC Davis, Davis, CA
Breakout Session II: Irrigation and Water Management, Manure, and Tillage
1:30 Irrigation Management for Alfalfa Hay Production on Beds
Dean Currie, Imperial Irrigation District, El Centro, CA
1:50 Irrigation Scheduling of Alfalfa Using Evapotranspiration
PPT Presentation
Rick Snyder, Extension Specialist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
2:10 Salinity Tolerance and Management for Alfalfa
PPT Presentation
Blake Sanden, UCCE Kern Co., Bakersfield, CA
2:30 Shallow Groundwater Use by Alfalfa
PPT Presentation
Jim Ayars, USDA, Parlier, CA
3:30 Phosphorus Runoff Management for Alfalfa in Desert Regions
Khaled Bali, UCCE Imperial Co., Holtville, CA
3:50 Flood vs. Pivot Irrigation for Forage Crops. What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?
Paul Brown, Extension Biometeorologist, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
4:10 Strip-Tillage in California's Central Valley Forage Production Systems
Jeff Mitchell, Extension Tillage Specialist, UC Davis, and Kearney Ag Center, Parlier, CA
4:30 Using Dairy Manure as a Nitrogen Fertilizer for Forage Crops
PPT Presentation
Marsha C. Mathews, UCCE Stanislaus Co., Modesto, CA
Breakout Session III. Producing Quality Alfalfa Seed
1:30 Stewardship Practices that Facilitate Coexistence when Producing Alfalfa Seed Including GM Traits
PPT Presentation
Mike Moore, Manager of the Wyoming Seed Certification Service, University of Wyoming, Powell, WY
1:50 Breeding Alfalfa for Resistance to Lygus
Larry Teuber, Alfalfa Geneticist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
2:10 Lygus Bug Management in Seed Alfalfa
Eric Natwick, Farm Advisor, UCCE Imperial Co., Holtville, CA
2:30 Arthropod Pest Management on Alfalfa Seed 2008
Doug Walsh, Research Entomologist, Washington State University, Prosser, WA
3:30 Weed Management Research in Alfalfa Seed Production in Washington State
PPT Presentation
Rick Boydston, Weed Scientist, USDA-ARS, Prosser, WA
3:50 Agricultural Research Service and Bee Lab Update
PPT Presentation
Rosalind James, Director, Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Logan, UT
4:10 Honey Bee Update - Colony Collapse Disorder, Africanized Bees
Kirk Visscher, Professor, UC Riverside, Riverside, CA
4:30 Chalkbrood Control in the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee
PPT Presentation
Rosalind James, Director, Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Logan, UT
Breakout Session IV. Corn, Sorghum, Sudan and Tef as Forage Crops
1:30 Future Trends in Corn Genetics and Biotechnology
PPT Presentation
Bill Curran, Research Scientist, Pioneer Hi-bred, Greeley, CO
1:50 Forage Sorghum and Silage Corn: Yield, Quality and Water
PPT Presentation
Brent Bean, Extension Agronomist, Texas A&M University, Amarillo, TX
2:10 Sudangrass Quality and Yield Traits: What to Look For
PPT Presentation
Juan Guerrero, Farm Advisor, UCCE Imperial Co., Holtville, CA
2:30 Teff as an Alternative Summer Forage
Don Miller, Director of Product Development, Producer’s Choice Seeds, Nampa, ID

Thursday, Dec 4th -- Morning Main Session
Equipment Innovations and Forage Systems
8:10 What's New in Forage Equipment?
PPT Presentation
Dan Undersander, Extension Forage Specialist, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
8:35 An Analysis of Alfalfa Harvesting Costs: Implications for Custom Harvest Charges
PPT Presentation
Karen Klonsky, Extension Economist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
9:00 Switchgrass and Alfalfa as Cellulosic Biofuels: Possibilities and Limits
PPT Presentation
Dan Putnam, Extension Forage Specialist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
9:25 Growing Crops for Biofuels: Implications for Water Resources
PPT Presentation
Mike Ottman, Forage Specialist, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Water, Fertilizers, and Food Security
10:30 How Much Water does Alfalfa Really Need?
PPT Presentation
Blaine Hanson, Irrigation Specialist, UC Davis, Davis, CA
10:55 What in the World? A Global Fertilizer Perspective
PPT Presentation
Rob Mikkelsen, Director, Western North America, International Plant Nutrition Institute, Merced, CA
11:20 Maximizing Fertilizer Efficiency through Tissue Testing and Improved Application Methods
PPT Presentation
Steve Orloff, Farm Advisor, UCCE Siskiyou Co., Yreka, CA
11:45 The Security of Food Production: What does the Future Hold?
Bryan McDonald, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA