OCTOBER 2018 SEEDWORLD.COM / 45 Meyer says some companies, such as Columbia River Seed, have figured out how to grow tall fescue as an annual crop. They plant a circle in August and harvest it the following July. Then they plow it up and plant something new, whereas some will keep a circle in production for six to eight years. They’ve been able to get tremendous yields, Meyer says. Due to pressure from other higher value crops, grass seed production has been shifting outside the traditional area. Madris and Mountain View, Ore., have made investments and grass seed production continues to expand outside of Willamette Valley. Meyer says that filberts, commonly known as hazelnuts, have been taking acres away from grass seed production in Willamette Valley. The state is known globally for the quality of its hazelnuts, which is in high demand due to the popularity of spreads such as Nutella. “They’re just being planted everywhere here,” says DLF’s Myers, noting that once those acres are planted, they’re out of production for 15 years. According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, with about 8,000 acres of hazelnut trees being planted each year, the industry is in expansion mode. It’s this competition for acres that’s driving farmers’ stance on yield as it relates to grass seed production. Kuenzi explains that competition for acreage is one reason why the seed industry has been moving away from “elite” type varieties of grass that perform well but just don’t produce seed well. “The competition for ground is so intense right now that growers just aren’t willing to take a risk on varieties that have not proven to be very good producers,” he says. This is one of the reasons why we are seeing increasing grass seed acres moving into Minnesota, North Dakota and up into Canada, Meyer says. Here, they are planting ryegrass into a wheat crop, and the wheat kind of acts as a cover crop. What’s Next? New grass seed developments are probably going to come from traits, predicts Glenn Jacklin, production manager of Simplot — Jacklin Seed Co. This may be in the form of drought tolerance, growth or herbicide resistance. “This has not hit the turfgrass seed industry yet, but GMO and trade introduction has obviously impacted wheat and corn and made huge advancements there in science and research,” he says. “So it would seem that would eventually come to our industry. “There are a few companies, including ourselves, who are looking in that direction, but nobody has really jumped into the GMO arena or trait introduction.” If the advancement is drought tolerance or heat tolerance, then there will be less watering and it could benefit landscap- ers. Jacklin says he’s got eight varieties like that now, including a bluegrass that is low mow. “If you get a trait like that in a variety of grass, obviously that will be desirable to the consumer,” Jacklin says. “This could also save landscapers time on customers’ properties, enabling them to get to more properties in a day. And if you have to mow less, that will have a positive impact on the environment with less CO2 emissions.” SW