With that all being said, fall planting was pushed back several weeks resulting in some very weak stands of Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue. Also, western Oregon experienced a drier and warmer winter. Due to this, we expect the grass seed yields at harvest time to be below average with persistent weed issues. As is usual, the contaminants of most concern in “sod-quality” grass seed production are Poa annua and Annual Ryegrass.
Perennial Ryegrass: Perennial Ryegrass is the cool-season turfgrass that is in the shortest supply. With everyone staying home and working on their lawns during the pandemic the already short supply of Perennial Ryegrass was exhausted months ago. Te acres will be increased after the harvest this year; however, this will not help in the short term.
Perennial Ryegrass acres are up only marginally from a year ago and supply of good quality seed will be on the tight side. Pricing is trending much higher. As of this writing it is anticipated to be $0.25-$0.30 per pound higher at the farm-gate contract price. Te high price for Perennial Ryegrass will continue until the new crop of 2022. Fortunately, Perennial Ryegrass is not a big component in sod growers’ seed mixtures.
Tall Fescue: More acres of Tall Fescue were planted in the fall; however, the seed was planted late and the fall growing season was not favorable. Tall Fescue is currently the number one cool-season turfgrass in production in Oregon, however “old crop” sod-quality Tall Fescue seed is in very short supply. As of mid-May our supplies were over 90 percent exhausted.
Normally, we are able to carry over six to eight sod grade Black Beauty Tall Fescue varieties in reasonable amounts, but this year we have only four Tall Fescue varieties and these are likely to be sold out before the new crop acres become available. At this time, we predict that pricing will also be higher for sod-quality Tall Fescue and seed yields will be below normal. Te drier and warmer winter in Oregon did not help seed farmers in their quest to produce Tall Fescues that will achieve sod-quality.
Kentucky Bluegrass: Te entire Kentucky Bluegrass crop is much smaller than it was twenty-five years ago. Te rise in interest for turf-type Tall Fescues put a damper on the demand for Kentucky Bluegrass. It has become increasingly difficult to produce sod-grade seed in western Oregon due to Annual Ryegrass and Annual Bluegrass issues. Tis has meant that most of the high-quality Kentucky Bluegrass production has moved to the high desert irrigated fields in eastern Oregon and Washington.
Much of Kentucky Bluegrass is grown as a rotational crop under pivots on one-year crop rotations to ensure that the seed harvest will be the best possible. Tis means that
TPI Turf News July/August 2021 29
the supply of sod-quality seed and varietal availability can vary greatly from one year to the next. Kentucky Bluegrass production acres seem to be stable at present and are about the same as last year. However, most of the dryland acres have taken a hit with such a dry winter and spring and we don’t expect much of a seed yield. Pricing for sod-quality Kentucky Bluegrass will be stable this year, however we expect higher prices for 2022. As usual, the very best varieties are in short supply since they usually yield the least amount of seed. Tis is most likely with our new Hybrid Texas Bluegrasses which were in great demand with sod growers in 2020 and spring 2021.
Fine Fescues: Te acres of Creeping, Chewings, and Hard Fescue are stable but, due to the timing of the wildfires coming soon after harvest, most of the Fine Fescue fields were unable to be burned. Te Silverton Hills in Oregon, which is a major production region for sod-quality seed, was severely impacted by these wildfires. Much of the Hard Fescue production is grown here; achieving sod-quality is almost always a challenge even during a normal year.
We anticipate that Fine Fescue yields will be much lower than normal, and contaminants could be a problem.
Pricing will clearly increase with lack of seed yield and strong demand.
LANDMARK TURF & NATIVE SEED Provided by John Brader, Director
Turfgrass seed and sod producers face many of the same risks and challenges. Weather, pests, freight, fuel, and fertilizer costs, along with forces of supply and demand, and agronomic, logistic, labor, and fiscal management are part of our everyday business routines. Strong markets in other crops increase land rent costs, and both must plan and plant a crop that won’t be marketable for 1 to 3 years after seedling emergence. But we are both motivated and rewarded for our risks with the valued long-term relationships we share, and in the Turfgrass industry that provides for our businesses and families that we are passionate about.
Tere is no year in recent memory with similar supply shortages across all major cool-season turfgrass species. Our seed production team is reporting at this time that yield potential of the 2021 Crop is expected to be “reduced to average at best” across all North American Sod seed production regions. Reduced yields and increased weed pressure are anticipated.
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