USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded funding to five alfalfa-related research projects through the Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage Systems Research Program (ASAFS). The ASAFS, now in its eighth year, was created to support integrated, collaborative research and technology transfer to improve the efficiency and sustainability of alfalfa forage and seed production systems. The program encourages projects that establish multi-disciplinary networks to address priority national or regional science needs of the alfalfa industry. Over the course of the eight-year program, more than $18 million has been dedicated to 54 alfalfa research projects, demonstrating both the popularity of the program and the need for alfalfa research funding. Dr. Jennifer Tucker, UGA, was awarded more than $700k for her project, “Alfalfa Nutrient Preservation, Utilization and Cycling in Sustainable Southeastern Livestock Systems”. Dr. Tucker is a native of Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and earned her PhD in 2010 with Dr. Glenn Aiken from the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.