Editorial contributions by Alexandra Schexnayder. On a national basis, alfalfa ranks fourth in terms of acreage behind corn, wheat and soybeans. Genetically, alfalfa is a more complex species than corn or soybeans because there are four copies of every chromosome compared to two in the other crops. Corn is a hybrid, so every plant in the field is, essentially, genetically identical. It's either got the gene or it doesn't.
Soybeans are a pure line.
But alfalfa and other forage crops are populations of plants, and every plant in the field is genetically different. That's taken some extra time. Still, the science has been the easy part. Monsanto obviously did a lot of research to make sure that their investment could be recovered. We'll still be in the phone book.