When a new product or practice becomes available, Mike Lauritzen is one of those people who is quick to give it a try.

That's why Lauritzen was the first person that came to mind when Bill Duncan, a Southern States field service advisor, learned a year ago last fall that a limited amount of Pegasus alfalfa would be available.

"Mike was ready to plant a new field and had already ordered our popular Clean Sweep 1000™ seed," recalls Duncan, who also earned his coveted Certified Crop Advisor certification. "But Pegasus one-ups its predecessor with increased yields and disease resistance."

Based on past favorable experiences with Duncan and Southern States, Lauritzen immediately changed his order. By season's end, he had nursed a planting of Pegasus into a successful stand. Although it was a first-year planting the Pegasus held up well, even with trying weather conditions during much of the summer.

Mike Lauritzen's horses love Pegasus.

"Pegasus performed as advertised," notes Lauritzen, who farms in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley near Luray, Va. "There were leafhopper problems in the area, but they didn't seem to affect my stand of Pegasus. And I was impressed with the plant vigor; there's no stopping it once it takes hold."

In field trials, that plant vigor has translated into improved resistance to damage from repeated cuttings, says Duncan.

Bill Duncan, left, and Lauritzen check a first-year stand of Pegasus alfalfa.

Lauritzen says Pegasus is a deep-rooted plant, which is a real plus on his land. "The water table is relatively high, so I don't think moisture will be a problem with the established plants," he explains. "With this, plus the fact that it rebounds so quickly after cutting, I'm hoping to get an extra cutting each season by staying close to a 28-day cycle."

Like all Southern States alfalfa seed, Pegasus is pre-inoculated with Allegiance™ (to help control seedling diseases such as Pythium) and with Nitrogen Gold (to provide high counts of nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria for maximum alfalfa production).

Best of all from Lauritzen's viewpoint, Pegasus produces a leafy, high-quality, very digestible forage. This summer he hopes to fulfill his goal of selling premium quality hay to professional horse people in the area. He says his potential customers demand high-quality hay.

As a horse owner, he understands the local market. "Most horse people in this area are picky about the kind of hay they feed," he points out. "That's why I didn't even try to sell any hay last year. I want to make sure what I offer is top of the line."