52 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2017 KNOWN AS THE “Grass Seed Capital of the World,” Oregon’s Willamette Valley is home to more than 1,500 grass seed farmers, who in turn employ about 10,000 Oregonians on their farms —fueling a $1 billion annual economy in the state. But at least one segment is changing as the industry adjusts to accommodate unstable weather patterns, the evolution of consci- entious consumer demand and government regulation. In 2016, Oregon harvested 95,130 acres of perennial ryegrass, down from the 192,950 acres harvested in 2005. While speculation varies as to what the exact reason for the decline is, the numbers don’t lie. Depending on price, a grower needs to yield between 1,500 pounds at the very bottom end, to a more likely 2,000 pounds of clean perennial ryegrass seed per acre to be profitable. During the volatile weather pattern the Willamette Valley has experienced the past decade, growers have struggled to produce these yields. “Just the past couple of years were super dry, and then this year (2017 growing season) was the wettest in 75 years,” says Nicole Anderson, an Oregon State University Extension field crop specialist. “We also had several windows of extremely hot weather that occurred during flowering and seed fill. “The yields just haven’t been here for the last several years, and a lot of the producers are feeling that.” Willamette Valley perennial ryegrass grower Garth Mulkey agrees that weather hasn’t been a friend to grass seed producers in the Valley in recent years. “This year, the perennial ryegrass yield on my farm and the farms around me was off about 20 percent,” he says. “There were two factors that caused yield loss: one was a near record wet February and March, and the other factor was a three-day stretch of 95 degree weather. “When our crops are pollinating, three days of that kind of heat will take 10 percent pretty quick.” Bruce Ruddenklau, chairman of the Oregon Grass Seed Bargaining Association (OGSBA), blames demand for the falling acres. Those in the industry share why perennial ryegrass seed production is moving out of the Willamette Valley. Laura Handke @Hankx3 Perennial Ryegrass Acres Decline Bruce and Helle Ruddenklau test the moisture content of perennial ryegrass in one of their Willamette Valley fields before swathing. PHOTO: MARY STEWART, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION.