2024 Joint Conference
NAAIC, Trifolium, & Grass Breeders
June 24-26, 2024 · Pasco, Washington

Agenda
- Subject to change -

Click underlined titles to view abstracts

AASAFS Funded
CCheckoff Funded
Monday, June 24
  6:00   Dinner & Poster Session - click to view poster abstracts
  7:30   Standard Test Committee Meeting
Tuesday, June 25
  8:00   Welcome Session (Moderator: Charlie Rodgers)
     Greetings from Washington
Greg Haubrich, Washington State Department of Agriculture
     Scope of Forages in Washington
Brian Irish, USDA-ARS PGITRU
  8:30   Session I: Forage Breeding & Genomics (Moderator: Holly Wright Presley)
     Patterns of G x E in Perennial Forage Grasses
Joseph Robins, USDA-ARS
     Relationship Between SNPs Density & Prediction Accuracy in Alfalfa Genomic Selection
Bill Biligetu, University of Saskatchewan
     Harnessing Underutilized Gene Bank Diversity & Genomic & Phenomic Prediction to Improve Annual Ryegrass (Lolium Multiflorum Lamarck)
Esteban Rios, University of Florida
     A Gem for the Queen of Forages: RUBY in Alfalfa
Jo Heuschele, USDA-ARS
     United States Hairy Vetch (Vicia Villosa) Germplasm Contains Two Subpopulations
Neal Tilhou, US Dairy Forage Research Center
     The Role of UDP-D-xylose Synthase (UXS) in Alfalfa Cell Wall Synthesis: A Target to Increase Digestibility
Amanda Fanelli de Souza, US Dairy Forage Research Center
  10:30   Break and Posters
  11:00   Session II: NAFA Efforts Supporting Alfalfa Research (Moderator: Bisoondat Macoon)
     NAFA Generates Funding for Alfalfa Research
Beth Nelson, National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance
     ASAFS Lightning Presentations
           Alfalfa Nutrient Preservation, Utilization & Cycling in Sustainable Southeastern
      Livestock SystemsA
      Jennifer Tucker, University of Georgia
           Genomics Enabled Purging Selection to Develop 200 Alfalfa Inbred Lines Toward
      High Yield Hybrid ProductionA
      Zhiwu Zhang, Washington State University
           Developing, Testing, & Implementing Improved Alfalfa Varieties for a Water-
      Challenged FutureA
      Charles Janssen, University of California-Davis
           Solving the Mystery of Alfalfa Autotoxicity: Causes & SolutionsA
      Virginia Moore, Cornell University
           The Compatibility & Contribution of Natural Enemies in Western U.S. Alfalfa ManagementA
      Ricardo Ramirez, New Mexico State University
     Checkoff Lightning Presentations
           Maximizing Alfalfa’s Yield PotentialC
      Charles Brummer, University of California-Davis
           Enhancing Alfalfa Yields & Stand Life by Improving Management of Seed Rot &
      Seedling Damping OffC
      Deborah Samac, USDA-ARS
  A Novel Approach to Expand Our Understanding of Alfalfa Hay Spoilage & Improve the Efficacy of Hay PreservativesA
Juan Romero, University of Maine
  Five Irrigation Approaches for Improving Alfalfa Yield & QualityC
Matt Yost, Utah State University
  12:20   Awards Luncheon
  1:20   Session III: Abiotic & Biotic Stress (Moderator: Charles Janssen)
     Bacterial & Fungal Communities Associated with Alfalfa in Soils with Stand Establishment Failure
Dan Schlatter, USDA-ARS
     Strengthening the NPGS & Its Pullman-Based Genebank Plant Genetic Resources
Paul Galewski, USDA-ARS PGITRU
     The Freezing Tolerance of Alfalfa Nodules Depends on Sinorhizobium Meliloti Strains
Annick Bertrand, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
     Identification of SNP Markers Associated with Resistance to Aphanomyces Root Rot Race 2
Deborah Samac, USDA-ARS
     Investigating the Impact of Neo-Autotetraploidy on Water Stress Response in Alfalfa
Seyedeh Nooshin Alavi Enderajemi, University of California-Davis
  3:20   Poster Session
  4:05   Business Meeting
Wednesday, June 26
  8:00   Session IV: Forage Agronomy & Physiology (Moderator: Aaron Anderson)
     Quality of Alfalfa Hay as Influenced by Phosphorus & Potassium Fertilization
Steve Norberg, Washington State University
     Managing Alfalfa Intercropping with Intermediate Wheatgrass: Towards Perennial Grain-Forage Systems
Megan Williams, Cornell University
     Grazing Evaluation of Fall Stocker Calves Grazing Alfalfa Interseeded into Two Bermudagrass Bases & the Associated Impacts on Plant & Animal Performance
Brooke Stefancik, University of Georgia
     Production & Economics of Dual Use Intermediate Wheatgrass [Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey]
Hannah Rusch, University of Minnesota
     Terrestrial Acidification, Ecotoxicity & Eutrophication Potential are Reduced in Production Systems that Include Perennial Forages
Ogechukwu Igboke, North Dakota State University
     Establishing Alfalfa & Sainfoin Through Intercropping with Sunflower
Marisol Berti, North Dakota State University
     Improving Alfalfa Protein Content & Stability
Christina Arther, US Dairy Forage Research Center
  9:45   Break and Posters
  10:15   Session V: Remote Sensing & Phenotyping (Moderator: Cree King)
     Remote Sensing for Estimating Genetic Parameters of Biomass Accumulation in Alfalfa
Virginia Moore, Cornell University
     Automating Insect Biodiversity Metrics: Applications in Agriculture
Emily Bick, University of Wisconsin-Madison
     Phenotyping Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Root Structure Architecture Via Integrating Confident Machine Learning with ResNet-18
Brandon Weihs, USDA-ARS
     Breeding Root System Architecture for Changing Climate in Alfalfa
Zhanyou Xu, USDA-ARS
Bus Tour • Wednesday, June 26 • 12:00 pm - 8:30 pm
(included in conference fee; registration required)

     Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, Washington State, the Columbia River Basin, and the Tri-Cities! The spectacular beauty of this region with its diverse agriculture is second to none!

Our itinerary will first take us to Washington State University (WSU) Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) in Prosser, WA, to visit WSU and USDA ARS forage field research and germplasm collections sites. Next stop will be Gauntt Farms, an alfalfa and grass hay operation and exporter in Burbank, WA, followed by a visit to Wagoner Farms, an alfalfa seed farm in Touchet, WA. And, if we have timed our meeting right (we tried), we may be able to witness the spectacular site of alkali bee pollinators at this final field site stop.

The tour will begin with a box lunch as we embark on our 60-minute ride from the hotel/conference venue to the IAREC. Following the tour stops, we will enjoy dinner at Waterbrook Winery in Walla Walla.