Category Archives: Grass Seed Crops

Grass and forage legume seed crop production statistics for 2012

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Bill Young, OSU professor emeritus and extension agronomist in seed production, has recently updated Oregon’s grass and forage legume seed crop production statistics for the 2012 crop year.  This report provides a wealth of useful information about quantity of seed produced, crop yields, and economic value of these seed crops in Oregon. 

Here is a summary of the findings from Dr. Young:

In brief, the combined value for all grass and legume seed crops in the 2011-12 crop year ($406,251,000) increased almost 21% over the value of production in 2010-11. Oregon growers harvested 408,000 acres of grass seed crops in 2012, an increase of 34,705 acres (+9.3%) over last year. However, the estimated value of all grass seed species increased by 24.1% due to the combination of more acres and improved prices received by growers.  Legume seed crop acreage declined by almost 5% (2,118 acres) from the 2010-11 crop year, and the estimated value of this year’s production dropped by 6.6% to $35,656,000 when compared to last year’s record $36,532,000 crop.

Here is a link to the report on OSU’s Seed Crops page:

2012 Grass and Legume Seed Crop Estimates

You can follow the links on the Seed Crops page to find information about this past year’s seed crops and comparisons to previous crop years. Historical reports are also archived at this page.

Spring irrigation of tall fescue for seed production

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Here’s a new article on spring irrigation of tall fescue seed crops published in Field Crops Research.  This work was led by Krista Huettig, a former graduate student and member of my research team.

Krista Heuttig

The study reports several important findings and was the first study to demonstrate that spring irrigation increases seed yield in tall fescue.  Tall fescue seed yield responses to spring irrigation varied among the cultivars tested.  Increased number of seed in tall fescue was most responsible for the seed yield improvement observed with spring irrigation.   Strategic timing of spring irrigation to support seed filling was more important for increasing seed yield than season-long irrigation.

Click on the citation below to go to the article:

Huettig, K.D., T.G. Chastain, C. J. Garbacik, W.C. Young III, and D.J. Wysocki.  2013.  Spring irrigation of tall fescue for seed production.  Field Crops Research  144:297-304.

Perennial Ryegrass Seed Price Trends

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Thomas G. Chastain

Market conditions as well as the cost of production affect the profitability of grass seed production enterprises.  Supply and demand dictate the price of seed.  Since seed is an international commodity, the production conditions and seed yields in all regions around the world are important factors affecting seed supply. The size of the carryover stock from one year to the next can effect prices.  Low supply or high price of one species of turf grass can lead to substitution in seed mixtures with another species, lower cost or more plentiful species.

Continue reading →

Willamette Valley grass seed fields make good wildlife habitat?

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According to this story that appeared in a recent edition (November 9th) of the Oregonian newspaper, they do.  The streaked horned lark, a bird that is indigenous in the Pacific Northwest, has been proposed for listing as a threatened species under the protections of the Endangered Species Act.

Here’s a link to the article:

Streaked horned lark

But an interesting passage in the article caught my attention:

The Willamette Valley’s contingent, perhaps 900 to 1,300 birds, appears relatively stable, largely due to farms, says Hannah Anderson, with the Center for Natural Lands Management in Olympia, Wash. Farming can destroy nesting grounds. But it keeps out shopping malls and subdivisions and gives the birds a place to winter.

“If there were not grass seed and Christmas tree farms in the Willamette Valley,” Anderson says, “there may not be (streaked horned) larks.”

This news follows a story in the recent past that suggested that grass seed fields in the valley are also good fish habitat.

Who knew?

Fall irrigation improves crop stands and regrowth but not seed yield in perennial ryegrass and tall fescue seed crops

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Thomas G. Chastain

The Willamette Valley has experienced very dry late summer and early fall conditions to date and long-range projections are for more of the same coming in the middle and late parts of fall.  How dry has it been?  Rainfall for the July through September period has been 0.87 inches at Hyslop Farm or 37% of the normal 2.35 inches for the period.  Only 10 years in the past 123 years have been this dry or drier in the Willamette Valley.   In these dry years, rainfall in October has averaged 2.11 inches or 66% of normal.  When it gets this dry in July through September, dry Octobers typically follow.  Thus, no relief from the dry conditions in the near term can be expected given either the forecasts or the historical records observed in past drought periods. Continue reading →

New Oregon State University grass seed crop residue management publication

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A new publication on residue management has just been released by OSU’s grass seed production research and extension team.  The publication is titled Postharvest Residue Management for Grass Seed Production in Western Oregon (EM 9051) and is a product of many years of  field work in grass seed crops by the members of the research and extension team.

Residue management equipment used in OSU field studies. The equipment was transported to on-farm research plot sites throughout the state. (click to enlarge)

The publication summarizes the results of these field studies and adds new insights on how grass seed crop residue management influences nutrients and nutrient management decisions.  The photo above shows the rakes, flail mowers, vacuum-sweepers, propane flamer, weigh wagons (for determining seed yield), and the vehicles used to move the team’s equipment.

The publication can be obtained by following the link below:

Postharvest Residue Management for Grass Seed Production in Western Oregon EM 9051

Here’s a link to a story by Mitch Lies of the Capital Press on the research and extension team as well as their approach to the problem:

Burning decrease changed valley farming