The Dynamics of Native Seed Production L & H Seeds, Inc. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

L & H Seeds, Inc. Production by Herrman Northwest, Inc.

The Dynamics of Native Seed Production

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Company Overview

 Herrman Northwest, Inc.  L & H Seeds, Inc.

 Production history  Seed production, cleaning and processing, mixing and sales  Breeder and Foundation seed production for WSCIA

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 Planting

 Field selection; weeds, crop history, isolation requirements  Stock seed selection  Cleaning and inspection of planting equipment

 Field Scouting

 Weekly inspections  Chemical applications and cultural practices  Rogueing crew

Quality Control Program

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 Harvest

 Methods are individual to crop to ensure high quality  Cleaning and inspection of harvest equipment

 Seed cleaning and processing

 Cleaning and inspection of equipment  Three separate cleaning lines, gravity deck, spirals and color sorter  All seed lots are tested at certified seed laboratories

Quality Control Program

Northern Basin and Range Basin Wildrye Leymus cinereus Deschutes Basin Idaho Fescue Festuca Idahoensis

Crooked River National Grassland Bottlebrush Squirreltail Elymus elymoides White Pass Blue Wildrye Elymus glaucus

Astragalus filipes Yakima Western Yarrow Achillea millefolium Aridlands Western Prairie Clover Dalea ornata Maple Grove Linum lewisii

Photo by Derek J. Tilley, USDA NRCS

Appar Blue Flax Linum perenne Dry River Basalt Milkvetch

Combining Swathing Metal bins for small lots Mechanical harvest of whole plant

Small lot seed cleaning Large scale seed cleaning Seed blending & Mixing Seed Drying

 Stock Seed

 Wild collected seed

 Blended Seed lots

 Harvest

 Evaluation for production potential

 Production practices  Harvest and cleaning ease  Can it provide the amount and quality of seed needed for restoration projects?

 Seed Zones

 New research to determine seed zones by species  Example: Blue Mountains

 4 preliminary seed zones for Mountain Brome

 Allocation of production resources  Scale of production  Risk and reward

 Information Sharing

 Technical guides

 Establishment  Cultural practices  Harvesting

 Reporting on experiments and trials

 Making connections  Communication

 Herbicides

 Lack of registered herbicides for use with native grasses and forbs  Third Party Labeling

 Working with Corey Ransom  A united voice = Results

 Increased production costs will limit production

 Crop Rotation

 Reality Check: Fall 2010

 Increased demand for CRP species  Emphasis on creating habitat for native pollinators

 Result

 Shift in the allocation of land and resources

 Commodity price increase

 Limits the pool of native seed growers

 Low risk, low input, high pay off

 Increased competition for land

 High rents

 Contracts

 Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Contracts

 Small scale production of local source ID seed

 Large scale fire event

 Fixed period of time

 Investment in land and resources

 Established, healthy productive field

 Market on your own  Rotate out

 Working with a Co-op

 Berta Youtie

 Personal contact  Open conversation

 Background information on species  Advise on production and harvesting

 Flexibility

 Contracts can vary

 By the acre- entire crop  By the pound- specific amount

 Bottom Line

 Screening for traits that lend themselves to agronomic production  Improved communication through out the industry  Agreement on seed transfer zones  Herbicide research and labeling  Contracts that consider investment and risk  Consideration of exterior influences

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Paul Herrman PaulH@lhseeds.com 509-234-4433 Stacey Plummer StaceyP@lhseeds.com