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December 2012 News

Happy Holidays

Spring Seed Supplies Limited

That strange rumbling noise you have heard over the last few months is the sound of the grass seed industry turning over on its ear. Two years ago seed was abundant in every-one's warehouse, and consumers had their pick of the cleanest, most weed-free lots in inventory. However in short order the market has dramatically flipped. With winter wheat at $9 a bushel and other commodities equally high, grass seed production has dropped to a near 10-year low. Farmers just don't want to grow grass when they can profit from more lucrative crops. Additionally, the drought that much of the country experienced negatively affected the new harvest, meaning farmers harvested less seed per acre in many cases. Long story short: Seed prices have been drifting up since late summer and will continue to do so throughout next year, at least until new seed is harvested in late summer or early fall. You can also expect "premium" quality seed to be hard to get. In fact, numerous elite varieties and clean lots are already sold out for next year. Rest assured, we have already booked much of our spring needs to ensure you will continue to receive the cleanest seed on the market. We never order any seed lots until we first examine the laboratory tests to ensure the quality.

Native Seed

Whereas we believe most native forb seed prices will be somewhat stable, warm season native grasses (i.e. little bluestem, side oats grama) will be in extremely short supply compared to most years. The drought is the main culprit here as seed yields are down considerably. Some native seed is still being cleaned as you read this, so the full impact of supply is still being determined.

In summary, if you are bidding on seed jobs over the winter or figuring out your seed budget for next year, please don't hesitate to call us so we can further update you on the seed market for next year.

On a side note: Sod supply is also low and supplies will be extremely tight next spring and early summer. In our opinion, you will likely find sod supply scarce and sod prices will likely be higher as a result next spring and early summer. We recommend you contact your sod supplier for the latest info.

For additional information please contact us.

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