Market Watch
So how has seed movement been for the first half of harvest year 2014? According to the Oregon Seed Commission’s 2nd Quarter Assessment Reports, movement has been pretty good! The following charts reflect seed movement from Oregon growers to companies like Smith Seed Services. While these numbers do not reflect the actual market movement they provide an ‘educated guess’ at market activity. As you peruse them, see how they match to your company’s movement.
Ryegrass Seed Movement Assessed Pounds (in Millions)
| July-December | 5-Year Ave. | Increase Over Ave. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2013 | |||
| Annual, not including Gulf | 133.5 | 126.8 | 125.8 | +7.7 |
| Gulf | 67.8 | 66.6 | 75.6 | -7.8 |
| Total Annual | 201.3 | 193.4 | 201.4 | -0.1 |
| Turf Perennial | 89.3 | 81.5 | 82.5 | +6.8 |
| Forage Perennial | 4.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 | +1.6 |
Clover Seed Movement Assessed Pounds (in Millions)
| July-December | 5-Year Ave. | Increase Over Ave. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2013 | |||
| Red | 3.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | +0.9 |
| White | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | +0.4 |
| Crimson | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -0.3 |
| Other | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | -0.1 |
| Total | 11.6 | 9.3 | 10.5 | +1.1 |
Tall Fescue Seed Movement Assessed Pounds (in Millions)
| July-December | 5-Year Ave. | Increase Over Ave. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2013 | |||
| Fawn | 8.3 | 3.9 | 5.9 | +2.4 |
| Kentucky-31 | 12.6 | 4.0 | 9.3 | +3.3 |
| Other Forage | 4.9 | 3.7 | 4.4 | +0.5 |
| Total Forage | 25.8 | 11.5 | 19.6 | +6.3 |
| Turf-Type | 82.0 | 78.2 | 72.7 | +9.3 |
Orchardgrass Seed Movement Assessed Pounds (in Millions)
| July-December | 5-Year Ave. | Increase Over Ave. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2013 | |||
| All varieties | 6.8 | 5.9 | 6.1 | +.06 |
Fine Fescue Seed Movement Assessed Pounds (in Millions)
| July-December | 5-Year Ave. | Increase Over Ave. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2013 | |||
| Creeping Red | 4.5 | 5.2 | 3.8 | +0.6 |
| Chewings | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.0 | -0.8 |
What does “pH” actually stand for?
The term pH is a notation used to designate the level of acidity or alkalinity of a soil, where “p” represents the “power” or potenz (in German) and “H” represents hydrogen. The “H” is a capitalized because it is the symbol of a specific atom. So, pH is a measurement of the potential or power of hydrogen. This is at least one explanation of why Danish Chemist Sorensen designated his scale as such. Some also say that the “p” doesn’t have a specific meaning, other than referring to the fact that it is an equation and the variable needed to be called something!
Why is Potassium designated with a “K”?
Along the same lines, have you ever wondered why we refer to the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio as N-P-K and why the symbol in the period table for potassium is “K”? The answer lies in the language we speak. Potassium was apparently discovered as an element by the Englishman Sir Humphrey Dave, who named the element out of the words “pot ashes”. However the Latin word “kalium” (from the Arabic word “quali” meaning “plant ashes”) seems to have prevailed in determining the letter designation of “K”. The bigger question might be, why then don’t we just refer to it as kalium?