88 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2018 Much Ado About Cover Crops commodity prices and the availability of cost share funds all intertwine to inject uncertainty into the equa- tion and place pressure on the decision of how much risk to accept with the promise of potential reward. These are good challenges to have, and I believe that La Crosse Seed, and entities like us, are up to the task of ensuring supplies of cover crop seed are available to meet the anticipated demand. If our seed industry, and agriculture really, is to meet the lofty targets of planting hundreds of millions of acres of cover crops on our nation’s farmlands, we need to take a serious look at the inherent challenges those adop- tion figures represent and opportunities to address them proactively to keep the curve headed in the right direction. A recent analysis from the University of Illinois Department of Agriculture and Consumer Economics published this year suggests that “14 days is also an estimate of the number of suitable field days needed to plant the entire U.S. corn crop.” Granted, there are sig- nificant advantages currently in both the supply infra- structure and planting power needed to establish the 90-plus million acres of corn in such a tight window. However, the model exists, and I would submit that we can learn from, and use, the corn and soybean model to better equip our industry to cover as many acres as efficiently as possible. I appreciate the opportunity to share some insight on our experience with cover crops. Now back to the battle! SW AT THE TIME OF WRITING, our business is under siege. No, we’re not under attack from a competitor (though we’re certainly vying for business against formi- dable opponents), nor are we fighting off a hostile take- over. Instead, we find ourselves under siege in a good way ... kind of. We have customers, a lot of customers, asking for — and in some cases screaming for— seed to provide to their farmers, who want to plant cover crops. During the past five years, demand for cover crops has grown exponentially, and the category has now become the highest volume segment of the various types of seed we offer. Despite the best laid plans, fore- casts and tons of work the good folks at La Crosse Seed have put in to ensure a smooth season, we find ourselves dealing with seed shortages, freight availability chal- lenges and a taxed production team to get as much seed out as we possibly can to satisfy our customers. Cover crop seed, just like the widgets you might have learned about in a basic economics class, is sub- ject to the laws of supply and demand. Let’s explore a few of the current and near-term challenges (a.k.a. opportunities) servicing cover crop seed needs entails. First, supply challenges revolve primarily around ensuring sufficient volumes of small grain species, used either alone or in a mix, are available. This year in par- ticular, the industry has seen significant strains on the supply of oats and winter rye. In recent years, carryover seed from spring or the previous fall’s sales served as a buffer to ease into the cover crop season. However, it appears that moving into the future, carry stocks will be minimal, necessitat- ing more deliberate planning for all involved in supply- ing cover crop seed. Beyond small grains, legumes, such as crimson clover and vetch, and brassicas, such as Tillage Radish and purple top turnips, have rocketed in popularity — again requiring years of advance planning to ensure sufficient volumes. Second, demand for cover crop seed, and specifi- cally the uncertainty of the “sustainability of demand,” is a key opportunity to address. Companies such as ours face the harrowing task of making an edu- cated guess about how much seed will actually be demanded by farmers. Factors such as weather, DAN FOOR Chief Executive Officer of La Crosse Seed “If our seed industry, and agriculture really, is to meet the lofty targets of planting hundreds of millions of acres of cover crops on our nation’s farmlands, we need to take a serious look at the inherent challenges ...”