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80 SEEDWORLD.COM JUNE 2015 Elevate the Value of Grasses TEN THOUSAND thats how many types of grass exist in the world and they come in a wide range of sizes. In making my point grass is common and can be found just about everywhere. Grasses provide many benefits including conserving water and helping to clean the air keeping homes cooler and serving as a source of food for people and livestock. Despite these benefits it seems that many who plant grass seed and even those who sell it dont see the value in caring for it as you would other crops such as vegetables. From my perspective there are two primary parties at play end-users and the seed industry. Lets start with the end-users. Customers have high expectations when they plant grass seed as they should but most arent willing to put in the work. Customers expect perfection with no effort instant gratification. They dont realize that it takes weeks and months to get a yard looking like the ones on television. They fail to understand that seed is a living thing that must be cared for. If you dont water and fertilize it the seedlings will shrivel up and die. In the eyes of the customer the problem is always with the seed. To help protect ourselves from claims such as this we at The CISCO Companies keep sam- ples on file for two to three years. When we send it off to the lab if it comes back with a 93 percent germina- tion rate you know the problem is not the seed. Theres also a misunderstanding that all grass varie- ties are the same. They might not recognize that some varieties such as bluegrass naturally grow slower. Additionally some people use seed in a number of dif- ferent areas that they shouldnt. As you can see there are several factors working against us. As an industry we need to do a better job of educating end-users about the benefits of grasses help them to understand that not all grasses are the same and work to deliver increased value to each customer. I realize this does not come without its chal- lenges but if we did a better job of educating consum- ers the entire industry would benefit. Ninety-nine percent of problems are related to weather or because the customer didnt follow instruc- tions. Theres this mindset that they can just throw the seed out and walk away. We have to change that. Farmers too have not been as diligent in caring for the seed once its been planted. However in the past five to 10 years farmers have become more business minded which has changed their buying approach. Now theyre looking to purchase more quality prod- ucts. Weve found that like many other products if a customer pays a premium he is more likely to take better care of it. Think of how you might treat a brand new car fresh out of the factory versus an old beater. Youve got to take care of it and not just the first year. Avoid Selling Cheap Seed When it comes to the industry its clear that new products hitting the market are driven by end-users. As of late theres been quite a bit of research on farm seed. Weve also been working on new clovers and orchardgrass. Two of those end-users are the dairy and horse industries which have consolidated but they demand better products. Look at the corn and soybean sectors. Companies have invested billions of dollars they are not going to sell seed on the cheap. For the system to work every- body has to make money. Over the years its been a tragedy that companies have been reluctant to add value to grass seed because someone else with some- thing similar will undercut you or the fear of not being able to get a return on your investment. The grass seed industry is extremely competitive and in general we all have similar products. The thinking within our industry is that if I sell for a quarter cheaper I might sell a million pounds more. Its about moving quantity not quality. This too is a mind- set that needs to change. Grass seed has value and we as an industry must learn to sell its attributes whether it grows better in a specific climate or it has no weed seed. How much value does that add A 10 percent margin increase could mean a lot. Weve tried to create value here with our products providing better seed. We even help retailers market it. Ive been in the business for 25 years and I would love to see the seed industry supply more high qual- ity seed. If we as an industry can add value to grass seed and change this mindset weve been stuck in for decades we will all rise with the tide. SW DAVID PEARL Ownerpartner of The CISCO Companies Customers expect perfection with no effort ... They fail to understand that seed is a living thing that must be cared for. David Pearl