Market Watch
For those who have waited to purchase tall fescue, creeping red fescue, and any of the other fine fescues, it appears that all the lower prices are pretty much dried up. We have seen turf-type tall fescue leap from $60 earlier in the crop year to nearly $80. Even though we have spring to get through, it is worth giving consideration to forecasting your summer (June-Aug) needs of annual, orchardgrass and tall fescue. These three crops are likely to be nearly non-existent going into harvest and a challenge to acquire, especially specific qualities, for early new-crop shipments.
And, yes, we are optimistic about spring! There was plenty of damage going into the fall and winter months, and there are still plenty of new home starts to justify projecting at least somewhat of a “normal” spring consumption. We are also seeing another year where there is nominal carryover in the pipeline. Of course, many of you will be challenged with determining the best pricing strategy to bring to the market - deciding basis replacement cost, purchase price, or somewhere in between, as well as trying to figure out what strategy your competition will be using. Whatever you decide, we hope it works and hope that you will need plenty of seed this spring. Best Wishes For a Successful Spring!!
Have You Met The New Boss?
That’s right, we’ve got a new Boss at Smith Seed Services and we’re not talking about Galen. Although he may share some of the same great characteristics of the Boss we are talking about, we won’t discuss them here! We are talking about the Big Boss, our new tetraploid annual ryegrass. Big Boss is a new selection out of Dr. Gordon Prines U. of FL program that is quickly making a name for itself in forage trials throughout the country.
Four key characteristics of Big Boss are high yields, excellent disease resistance, high regrowth potential, and improved cold tolerance. We are currently looking for distributors to market Big Boss on a semi-exclusive basis. While some markets are already spoken for, other markets are still available. You can learn more about Big Boss at www.SmithSeed.com or by contacting us directly.
Prepare the Ground for Next Year
If you have not already ordered your Persist or Takena II orchardgrass, unfortunately, it is now too late to buy either of these very exciting orchardgrasses. However, it isn’t too late to prepare your market for seed from this coming year’s harvest. These two varieties are too valuable to pass up. Get familiar with both of these varieties by learning more about them at our website, www.smithseed.com. Additionally, you can visit www.PersistOrchardgrass.com to learn specifically about Persist.