by Willard Jones It's not often that show stoppers like Doebler's Precedent and Star master come along in the alfalfa business. Precedent is fast out of the ground at seeding. And it produces big, like a whopping 8.20 tons per acre in Penn State's 1990 trials. Starmaster, a fine stemmed, dark green alfalfa, led the 5-year trial at Virginia's Northern Piedmont Ag Experiment Station with 25.9 total tons per acre. So you can understand my dismay when a farmer tells me Doebler's seed is too expensive. "Price is one of the last things to look at," I almost shout. Then I cool it and suggest these buying tips: Look at performance. Precedent, for instance, produced 3.63 more tons per acre at Penn State last year than the variety that placed No. 64. Check longevity. Starmaster showed its staying power in Virginia by producing 6.89 tons the fifth year. Tie seed cost to tons. I put a pen cil to Starmaster seed cost in that Virginia trial using current prices. It was a surprisingly low $2.27 per ton of hay produced. Demand good disease protection. Both Precedent and Starmaster are resistant to the big five diseases. Precedent also is resistant to Aphanomyes, a new alfalfa menace. The Apron advantage. Don't buy seed without it. Apron seed treat ment protects Doebler alfalfas from Pythrium and Phytrophthora during first critical weeks. DOEBLERS R.R. 1, Box 424, Jersey Shore, PA 17740 How to pick your next alfalfa GOBBLER'S ALFALFAS I'm Willard Jones, Doebler's sales manager, with a couple of winners for you Doebler's Precedent and Starmaster.
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