Crop Update
Harvest is in full swing. The weather has been ideal for swathing and combining. Crop reports are across the board. We are not ready to give crop summaries, but we can report that annual ryegrasses and turf tall fescues are slightly lower than average. Orchardgrass yields are concerningly low. Crimson clover harvest is coming in nicely and just in time to satisfy demand.
What does ASK mean?
If you looked at this month's price sheet, you've read the dreaded words "ASK" where you were hoping to see an actual price, specifically on tall fescue and orchardgrass. As salesmen, when we are asked a question and we don't know the answer, we are supposed to say, "I don't know, but I will find out." Well, right now, all we can say is, "I don't know, but we hope to know soon". Here’s why:
Tall Fescue - With virtually no carryover and a poor Missouri crop, demand for new crop KY-31 is strong. Seed still needs to be cleaned and tested. Meanwhile, buyer pressure continues to increase with no relief. Growers of this publicly produced, nearly 100-year-old commodity are motivated to raise their price. This has pushed turf tall fescue growers to also seek higher prices. Until we see KY-31 grower price stabilize and/or contract turf fescue grower prices get established, it will be difficult for us to publish our prices.
Orchardgrass -This one is simpler. No carryover. The cleaning process is slow. Testing is slow. We expect to have more information soon, but it still may be volatile at least through fall and maybe even through next year.
EarlyBoss Ryegrass - A Special Ops Variety
We are excited to offer increased availability of EarlyBoss tetraploid annual ryegrass. EarlyBoss is ideally suited for regions with mild winters and short cool-season growing windows. Producers desiring early-season, high-quality forage to increase livestock performance and operational efficiency should find EarlyBoss a valuable addition to their forage program.
EarlyBoss starts vegetative growth earlier and matures sooner, offering similar high-quality forage to popular later maturing varieties on a slightly advanced time line. This is especially useful when transitioning to warm-season pastures or needing good termination in preparation for spring plantings. Depending on location and planting date, EarlyBoss matures 4-12 days before medium-late maturing varieties such as Big Boss and Attain.
