Crop Talk
The crop that’s getting the most interest is annual ryegrass. While it sure didn’t feel like annual ryegrass was moving very quickly through the pipeline last fall, recent assessment reports from the Oregon Ryegrass Growers Commission show a notable14% increase over last year and the highest reported fall usage since 1999. That might be one of the reasons why the grower price for 2004 crop has been on the rise for the past month with numerous buyers coming to the table to book ahead.
Oregon Ryegrass Commission Assessments (in millions of Lbs.)
1999-2003
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July-Sept | 143 | 124 | 131 | 123 | 135 |
| Oct-Dec | 81 | 73 | 64 | 57 | 70 |
| July-Dec | 224 | 197 | 195 | 180 | 205 |
| % Change from prior year | - | -12% | -1% | -8% | +14% |
Market Watch
As mentioned above, this past month has been quite active in annual ryegrass bookings for fall. The chase for good turf-type perennial ryegrass continues with most buyers having to pay more than they want or settling for a lower quality. This is likely to continue. Bluegrass and fine fescue markets appear to have solid floors, with discounts, off-grades, and other deals hard to find or offer. The winter weather pattern seems to be setting the stage for the prospect of increased turf damage over many states. Overall, movement and bookings have generally been encouraging for this time of year. It appears like there are some reasons to be encouraged!
New Products
We are pleased to announce two new products: Dryspell tall fescue blend and Dryspell Plus fescue/ ryegrass mixture.
The standard formula for Dryspell is 1/3 each Titan Ltd, Rendition, and Kittyhawk 2000. Dryspell Plus adds 15% Nexus or another of our premium ryegrasses.
These products are part of our Diamond Brand Mixtures and come complete with lots of helpful promotional and POP material including special brochures, banners, door stickers, shelf talkers, and more. Both formulas are available in 5’s, 10’s, 25’s with handles, and 50 lb. bags.
These products are ideal for both professional users and retail outlets. Contact us for all the details.
Did You Know?
We have a couple new attractive brochures for Rendition and Titan Ltd. tall fescues just in time for spring promotions. If you haven’t seen them already, let us send you one.
