USA Grass and Legume Seed Data: 2007 USA Census of Agriculture

Summary:

• Number of farms growing grass/legume seed dropped significantly from 2002 to 2007 (2002 = 10,300 farms reporting, 2007 = 6,040)
• Total grass and legume acres down 17.1% from 2002. Total USA acres were at 1.178 million acres (2002 total USA acres @ 1.422 million). However, much of this can be attributed to the large acre decrease in Missouri (K-31 tall fescue crop) which showed a decrease in 179,000 acres.

  Majority of grass and legume seed continues to be grown in Oregon (mainly ryegrasses, tall fescue – 556,800 acres), Missouri, (mainly tall fescue, 176,000 ac), Washington (mainly bluegrass, alfalfa – 81,000 acres), Idaho (mainly bluegrass, alfalfa – 71,000 acres) and California (mainly alfalfa, Bermuda grass – 69,000 acres) Note: 2006 was a very dry year in Missouri, resulting in many Missouri farmers taking their K-31 tall fescue crops off as hay (hay shortage) instead of leaving the crop for seed. Tall fescue seed prices were also down.

  2007 US Census of Agriculture

• Fescues’ occupied 32.8% of total US grass and legume seed acres (386,000 acres, mainly in Missouri and Oregon).
• The ryegrasses (annual and perennial) occupied 26.1% of total US grass and legume seed acres (307.000 acres)
• Kentucky bluegrass seed acres are the 3^rd most widely grown grass/legume seed crop (151,000 acres, 12.8 % of acres) followed by alfalfa seed (121,000 acres, 10.3% of total acres)

• The number one seed crop grown in the USA in 2007 was the ryegrasses, totaling 504 million lbs.
• This was followed by fescue seed (tall fescue and others), totaling 303 million lbs
• No. 3 on the production list is Kentucky Bluegrass, at 86.9 million lbs

• California continues to be the largest state growing alfalfa seed, with 36,600 acres being used to produce a 19 million lb crop. This is up over 9000 acres from the 2002 census
• Washington State is second at 17,000 acres producing 10.8 million lbs of seed
• Alfalfa seed acres in Idaho dropped by 4400, but acres increased in Wyoming by 6,500.
• Overall, alfalfa seed acres were up by over 10,000 acres from the previous census
• Seed acres in Wyoming has boomed from 4,050 acres (2002) to over 10,500 (2007)

Crops - Brome grass

• Due to the dryness in the US Midwest in 2007, US smooth brome grass seed production (Kansas) was down significantly, with total US acres falling to 5,300 (2006) from the 2002 total of 16,000 acres. Total USA production was down by 3.7 million lbs (2002 census production @ 5.000 million lbs) to 1.3 million lbs.

• Total 2006 USA fescue seed production was down by 20 million lbs, with Missouri’s production down by 34 million (2002 vs. 2007 census). However, 2006 was a drought year in Missouri.
• Oregon’s’ fescue crop, primarily tall fescue, was up by 22 million lbs, but the number of growers was down by over 100 (807 growers in 2002, 693 in 2007)

• Total USA acres remain stable, (2007 = 151,000 acres, 2002 = 148,000 acres)
• Idaho (52,700 acres), Washington State (52,300 acres) and Oregon (21,700 acres) remain the primary production areas. Acres in Minnesota remained steady at 24,000 acres (2002 = 22,000 acres)
• Kentucky bluegrass continues to be the no. one seed crop grown in Washington St., occupying 65% of its grass/legume seed acres.

• Red clover seed acres were down over 50% (2007 = 21,000 acres, 2002 = 44,000 acres)
• Production primarily in Oregon (2007 USA total production = 8.2 million lbs, Oregon = 5.7 million lbs)
• Red clover remains one of the most widely grown seed crops, found grown for seed in over 23 states

• Production of timothy seed has fallen dramatically from 2002 to 2007 (2002 acres = 16,300, production = 4.3 million lbs., 2007 = 3,900 acres, 1.5 million lbs)
• Minnesota production has fallen from 10,300 acres (2002) to 1,800 acres (2007), producing 545,000 lbs of seed
• Idaho became the number one timothy growing area in 2007 (1,300 acres, 827,000 lbs)

Almost all USA production found in Oregon (2007 total production = 504 million lbs, Oregon = 490 million lbs) 2007 ryegrass seed production up over 45 million lbs from 2002 census 28 states reported growers harvesting ryegrass seed Minnesota ryegrass seed production increasing substantially. 2002 = 2 growers, 2007 = 56 growers producing 8.9 million lbs of seed.

Annual ryegrass plant

Other comments:

• Alaska has 7 grass/legume seed growers, totaling 337 acres
• The states of Maryland and Maine each reported only 1 grower
• The US grass and legume seed farmer has 195 acres of seed crop, with the highest average in Oregon (443 ac’s). Missouri, despite its position as the number 2 grass/legume seed production state in the USA, only averages 93 acres/grower.
• Birds-foot trefoil acres fell from 4,676 acres (2002) to just over 1000 cares in 2007.
• The wheat grasses continue to be grown in the northern States, primarily Montana, South Dakota and Washington. (88% of the acres)
• Excluding forage type tall fescue seed, Orchard grass continues to be the main forage grass seed grown (21,000 acres), with smooth brome grass (5,200 acres) and timothy (3800 acres) well behind. Wheatgrass acres are at 21,000 as well, but a lot of this seed is going into reclamation projects. Forage type tall fescue is not broken out from the “fescue” data, but Missouri, which grows primarily the forage type K-31, grew over 170,000 acres of this crop. However, K-31 is a dual purpose grass, with a lot of the harvested seed entering the turf seed marketplace.
• Almost all the bent grass seed (golf greens) grown in the USA is done in Oregon (and Tiger Woods thanks Oregon for this!)
• The 2012 US census of Agriculture occurred in December of 2012, and data collected will not be released until 2014