Excellent Seed Movement
Throughout spring, we saw very little forward booking, and limited interest in early shipments, as many of our customers were in a conservative, minimal-inventory mode. But when the calendar flipped to July 1, everything seemed to change. Our customers started ordering for prompt shipment and haven’t stopped since then. We are happy to report seed movement over the past two months has been excellent.
Thanks to ideal weather, there were little delays for both windrowing and combining. The biggest demand has been on the last touches - seed cleaning, testing, packaging, blending, coating, load building and shipping. Some labs are still experiencing significant backlogs, and all involved in logistics have heard “where’s my truck?” more times than they wish to count. There are so many key part of our industry which are behind the scenes: hard-working folks that make sure our customers, and their dealers, and the end user gets the right seed in the right package at the right time. Hat’s off to them!
What’s Next?
A measurement of seed movement is consumption, and consumption is often dictated by weather. For the most part, weather has been a positive contributor to this season’s movement. We will be watching to see how the rest of September and October play out, especially in the regions with extended planting windows. If the weather cooperates, we expect steady movement to continue.
Another factor is pricing. While a few crops, like orchardgrass are tight and higher priced, prices feel much more stable for most crops than they were even six months ago. Adjustments made to bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue crops seem like they may be done falling. Will this lead to an increased willingness for distributors to carry more inventory? Will we see increased forward booking? Early indications are leaning that way.
Isabel - A Beautiful Bluegrass
We really like this variety. Isabel has a rich green color that is just right for combining with bluegrass varieties for sod applications, our mixing other species. Isabel matches well color-wise with our latest tall fescues, including Fairfield, Galactic and Gro-Pro, as well as our Signet and Shield perennial ryegrasses. Isabel has good early spring green-up and fine texture. Under low maintenance conditions, Isabel has demonstrated good response to drought stress. Isabel is great for home lawns, parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and anywhere one would want to walk barefoot in the grass.
Order now or book for spring. Either way make sure that Isabel is in your line-up. Learn more at smithseed.com.
