NAFA administers the U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative (aka Alfalfa Checkoff Program), a farmer-funded investment in alfalfa-related research to help drive innovation and profitability in the alfalfa industry.

The U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative, implemented voluntarily by seed brand, is assessed at the rate of $1/bag of alfalfa seed. One-hundred percent of the checkoff funds will be used to support public research into alfalfa and alfalfa forage systems.

Each brand identifies their willingness to participate in the checkoff program. The role of participating brands is simply to facilitate the collection of the checkoff from farmers purchasing their alfalfa seed.