The National Alfalfa Alliance will start its first ever national alfalfa checkoff January 1 of 2017. Alliance President Beth Nelson says the U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative is a voluntary checkoff.

She says the Alliance wants producers to give their input on what the research priorities should be for the checkoff funds.

Nelson says all of the checkoff funds will go towards research.

Nelson says alfalfa is the nation’s third most valuable field crop behind corn and soybeans. She also says there’s been a decline in alfalfa acres over the past few years and there’s a definite need for research which will hopefully lead to a boost in more alfalfa acres.