S&W Seed Company is a leading producer of warm climate, high yield alfalfa seed varieties, including varieties that can thrive in poor, saline soils. The company also offers seed cleaning and processing at its 40-acre facility in Five Points, California. In 2011, it also began the commercial launch of its stevia business in response to the growing global demand for the all-natural, zero calorie sweetener from the food and beverage industries.

The company today announced it is sponsoring a continuing education course in association with Western Farm Press titled “Alfalfa Pest Management/Selecting the Right Variety”. The course is the first of its kind focused exclusively on alfalfa production in the western United States and is devoted to choosing the correct variety based on a number of factors, including pests and disease resistance.

Alfalfa is unique in that varieties can be bred to naturally ward off pests and diseases, a key element in today’s agriculture industry. The course discussed many elements involved in selecting the correct variety of alfalfa, as well as managing important pests and diseases through an ‘integrated pest management’ program. As with all the courses, the alfalfa course features at least 20 comprehensive questions at the end of the course.

The alfalfa course can be accessed at www.pentonag.com, where it is listed with the 27 other courses in the Farm Press/Penton Media program. The online course is approved for one hour of continuing education credit by the Departments of Agriculture in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Oregon, as well as the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the California Certified Crop Adviser. More than 8,500 agricultural professionals have registered for the Penton online agricultural courses.

For further information about the alfalfa course or the businesses of S&W Seed Company, please visit the company’s website at www.swseedco.com

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