Putting the Industry Shake‑Up to Rest: Pioneer® Genetics Find Their New Home at DLF
The alfalfa seed industry has experienced significant change in recent years, leaving many growers and agronomists asking the same question: What happened to the Pioneer® alfalfa genetics we’ve trusted for decades? The answer is straightforward—and reassuring. Those genetics have not disappeared. They have found a new and permanent home with DLF, the global leader in forage seed innovation.
A Legacy Preserved, A Future Strengthened
Pioneer® alfalfa genetics have long been considered a benchmark of performance, consistency, and agronomic reliability. With their transition to DLF, these genetics remain not only intact but positioned for greater advancement than ever before.
DLF is recognized worldwide for its deep expertise in forage and other small seed solutions. This makes DLF an ideal steward of the Pioneer alfalfa germplasm—ensuring that the varieties growers rely on continue to thrive, adapt, and improve.
Over the past 12 years, DLF breeders have applied a synergistic breeding strategy that leverages one of the most diverse alfalfa germplasm collections in the world. This long-term investment is now delivering tangible innovation: new, advanced alfalfa varieties that build on the strengths of legacy genetics. The Pioneer alfalfa genetics, for example, are present in our Forage First® 5 Series™.
Today, DLF stands at the forefront of not only alfalfa breeding and development but also forage grasses and other legumes. Our industry-leading genetic diversity allows us to continually elevate performance benchmarks and respond quickly to emerging agronomic challenges.
The Takeaway for Growers
For growers who value stability and performance in their alfalfa programs, the message is clear:
- The alfalfa genetics you trust have not disappeared—they are home, and here to stay at DLF.
- The same proven product performance is now strengthened by a global leader’s resources and innovation, with emphasis primarily on small seed forages.
- Future alfalfa varieties will continue to build on a rich heritage through advanced, diverse, and data‑driven breeding.
Pioneer® brand seed is a Trademark of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies.