Know the acreage's of alfalfa production in IN, the US, and world-wide

Know the advantages and disadvantages of growing alfalfa for forage

Understand the origin and history of alfalfa use in agriculture

Understand why alfalfa is called the "Queen of the Forages"

Understand the major steps that have occurred in alfalfa improvement

Understand the origin and function of the foundation seed stock project

Understand the fertilizer requirements for growing and maintaining alfalfa

Know what is meant by fall dormancy, and how this impacts alfalfa cultivar selection

Understand carbohydrate reserve patterns in alfalfa and how these are used to make sound management decisions

Understand the compromises between yield, quality, and persistence in alfalfa cutting management decisions

Know how to use yield of digestible nutrients/acre as one method to reconcile the compromises in yield, quality and persistence

Understand how leaf:stem ratio of alfalfa changes with maturity and its impact on forage quality

Know Fick's MSC and MSW systems for staging alfalfa, and how these can be used to understand changes in forage quality

Understand the impact of cutting height on alfalfa yield, quality, and persistence

Understand fall cutting management options and impact on persistence

Understand the pros and cons of taking a late fall harvest after frost

Be able to recognize and understand the management of the following alfalfa diseases: bacterial wilt, Phytophthora root rot, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt

Be able to recognize and understand the management of the following alfalfa insects: potato leafhopper, alfalfa weevil, clover root curculio

Understand the benefits of controlling alfalfa pests in term of yield, quality, and persistence