Thomas G. Chastain
Cool-season grass seed crops – the dominant crop in the Willamette Valley, have seen a decline in acreage in recent years. The decline in grass seed acreage has largely been the result of poor economic conditions and markets for the crop (Fig. 1). Grass seed crop acreage is sensitive to general economic conditions and is reduced by recessions in the economy (marked by gray bars). When prices of wheat and other crops are favorable for economic production during periods of low grass seed prices, there is a replacement of grass seed acreage by these crops. But there now appears to be signs of a reversal of this short-term trend with a small increase in the acreage of grass seed crops grown in the Willamette Valley in 2011. The long-term trends show an increase in the acreage of grass seed crops and loss of wheat acreage.
