INDUSTRY TRENDS
Photo provided by DLF North America
had people tending to their home lawns and buying seed in large numbers . As golf and other sports returned , it added to demand that left the industry with no carryover as we waited for the fall crop to arrive . In addition , the 2021 turfgrass crop was extremely impacted by weather . Rainfall totals were the lowest on record and some areas set record high temperatures exceeding 117 degrees Fahrenheit . The combination of drought and high heat limited yields in crops across the board .
The shortage of seed and strong demand is driving up prices to grass seed growers as they have a lot of options to choose from to take over acreage . The competition of other crops , as well as hazelnuts , are making it more expensive for growers to continue growing grass seed .
All of this , combined with shipping industry problems and labor issues , will likely continue to keep prices high as demand is still strong . It will take time to build up carryovers and supply .
The sports field manager is seeing these pressures , not only in their budgets , but also in their maintenance
programs . Seed coatings are becoming an increasingly important option to consider , not only to extend supply , but also to add some benefits to the seed to assist in germination and establishment . It may also be time to consider alternative options like annual or intermediate ryegrasses instead of perennial ryegrass , or more drought- and traffic-tolerant options like tall fescue in other parts of the country .
It is important to have these conversations with your seed suppliers , as one thing is for sure – there will be no shortage in games being played and pressure on the sports field managers to keep the fields in perfect conditions at all times .
– Matt Duncan , pro turf account manager , DLF North America
SiteOne
There have been issues like severe drought in the Pacific Northwest during the last growing season and fertilizer shortages directly impacting sports turf . Seed is an elastic commodity , so we do see prices increase as supply diminishes . We anticipate the seed supply to remain very tight through the spring and then become more available after the summer 2022 crop is harvested , but we don ’ t think it will look normal anytime soon . Sports field managers should remain close to their distributor and sales reps . Ask them about what they ’ re seeing and what supplier partners are doing to stay ahead of this . SiteOne is working with customers to educate them on alternative products like enhanced efficiency fertilizers and soil stimulants to improve results with decreased seeding rates and make fertilizers work harder for them .
– Brian Rowan , VP of category management – agronomics , SiteOne . SFM
Photo provided by DLF North America Photo provided by SiteOne sportsfieldmanagementonline . com December 2021 | SportsField Management
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