Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8454 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2016 Designed to apply over-treatments, powder applications or primary treatments, the U-Batch™ Treater has the ability to upgrade every bag of seed you sell, providing you an even higher rate of return. With a seed capacity from 100 lbs. all the way up to 2,500 lbs., U-Batch treats almost any type of seed and is ideal for blending cover crops. With U-Batch your productivity and potential for income is unrestricted. Engineered with a compact footprint, this may easily be the most profitable 64 square feet of your operation. Contact us today at 866.729.1623 or visit us online at www.USCLLC.com UNLOCKTHEMOSTPROFITABLE 64SQUAREFEET OFYOUROPERATION 2320 124th Road • Sabetha, Kansas 66534 Ph. 866.729.1623 • www.USCLLC.com Designed to apply over-treatments, powder applications or primary treatments, the U-Batch™ Treater has the ability to upgrade every bag of seed you sell, providing you an even higher rate of return. With a seed capacity from 100 lbs. all the way up to 2,500 lbs., U-Batch treats almost any type of seed and is ideal for blending cover crops. With U-Batch your productivity and potential for income is unrestricted. Engineered with a compact footprint, this may easily be the most profitable 64 square “The globe has changed and climates are changing. Is it real- istic to be trying to recreate a landscape that existed hundreds of years ago?” DeMarchi says. That’s where the expertise of professional native seed pro- ducers can be relied upon, she believes. “A lot of companies in the native seed business have been doing this work for decades,” DeMarchi says. “They have a good understanding of the environments they’re working in and, in terms of restoration goals, know what will work in those settings.” Providing ecotype seed in those wildfire emergency situa- tions has its challenges, but when it comes to planned projects, some companies are well positioned to meet that need. S&S Seeds, located in Carpinteria, offers more than 1,000 species of grasses, wildflowers and shrubs native to California. “S&S Seeds is way ahead of the curve to provide local types of ecotypes,” Agnew says. “They work with pipeline companies and utilities years in advance of projects to collect plant materials at those sites,” Agnew says. He notes the impact industry had on the environment is really what launched the native plant industry that exists today. The Surface Mining Reclamation Act of 1977 “forced states to force mining companies to use native plant materials. Before that, 80 percent of the plants were introduced species. Now, 80 percent are natives,” he explains. Besides the geographic issues that can result from having dozens of ecoregions per state, there is a broad divide when it comes to land ownership. “It’s apples to oranges when you compare native standards from the middle part of the U.S. to the West, where 60-plus percent of western land is owned by the federal government,” he adds. Finding a Solution Agnew says the number of players in the field makes things complicated, especially when no one state or federal agency has taken the lead at present. DeMarchi notes the Bureau of Land Management is one of the largest buyers of native seed, but much of the research conducted on native species is done by plant centers and laboratories operated by the USDA. “Now the National Seed Strategy is challenged is to bring these entities together and show some unity and vision for where this industry is going,” Agnew says. “There needs to be a plan for these companies to buy into. “We’re an industry that’s evolving and we believe that the customer is always right. The seed industry will find a way to find what our customers want.” DeMarchi notes that everyone who deals in native seed can benefit from continued dialogue with federal agencies. The nature of the market, dictated by regions, makes the industry somewhat disjointed — but that doesn’t have to be a barrier. “For most conservation projects, there’s a strong desire to have local control and local specifications,” she says. “That part will never go away. What we’ve urged with the BLM is that if they can give us a better idea of what they want for the future, our members can better plan for that. We are many steps away from having a standard.” SW