Alforex Seeds introduced Hi-Gest low lignin alfalfa at the World Dairy Expo. Following eight years of research and extensive testing, conventionally bred Hi-Gest offers improved digestibility, high yields and additional harvest flexibility, the company said.

Alforex Seeds general manager Ron Cornish said Hi-Gest is easier for cattle to digest than alfalfa with a higher lignin content. "The agronomists, animal nutritionists, breeders and technical advisers working on Hi-Gest tracked digestible fiber algorithms to monitor how the low-lignin product is broken down and digested in dairy cows," Cornish said. "Simply stated, low-lignin alfalfa delivers improved digestibility and allows cows to increase dry matter intake, yielding more milk per ton of alfalfa."

Hi-Gest offers harvesting flexibility, meaning farmers can harvest on their regular schedule and get higher-quality hay, or they can choose to delay the harvest by up to seven days and get a hay quality comparable to the harvests they received before using Hi-Gest.

Alforex Seeds is offering a limited number of Hi-Gest dormancies in select regions during its introductory season. The company will roll out additional dormancies across an expanded growing area in 2015.

Through its affiliation with Dow AgroSciences, Alforex Seeds focuses on developing and delivering alfalfa and forage solutions that help hay, livestock and milk producers maximize the profitability of their operations.