Welcome to the New Year
We welcome the beginning of a new year together with our customers and industry friends. While there are always plenty of challenges and unforeseen circumstances ahead, we do anticipate the potential for a positive and profitable spring. Compared to last spring, many prices are lower, which should be more appealing to consumers as well as distributors. Plus, distributors are carrying significantly less inventory, specifically less high-priced inventory. We anticipate a very active selling and early shipping season. And we thank you in advance for letting us be a part of your plans for 2024. Let’s go!
A New Intermediate Ryegrass
As mentioned in our last newsletter, Halsey intermediate ryegrass is now available. Halsey is a “Lolium x hybridum”, otherwise known as an intermediate ryegrass. It is an improvement over BestFor Plus, characterized by long and wide leaves, excellent forage quality, late maturity, and high yields. Halsey also offers the potential for extended growth beyond short-lived annual ryegrasses. This extension can be useful for boosting worn-out pastures, providing high yielding nutritious feed for winter damaged lands, and other short-term forage needs. Under proper management, and in a cool-season region, Halsey can express this extended longevity when planted in the spring as well as in the fall.
We’ve trialed Halsey in both northern and southern states, and under different planting times. Halsey consistently rates very high for forage yield, especially later in the season. It also has shown an ability to provide abundant forage for multiple seasons and excellent regrowth. Halsey has demonstrated the ability to survive northern winters in multiple states. Best of all, Halsey’s tetraploidy and late-maturity characteristics enhance its forage quality, making it ideal for high-demand livestock such as dairy and lactating livestock for both direct consumption as well as stored feed. We’ve got plenty of trial data at www.SmithSeed.com. Look for it under our forage grass section.
New Berseem -Just in Time for Spring
While much still remains to learn about berseem clover, we are excited to announce the arrival of Lightning, our first proprietary variety. As its name implies, Lightning berseem provides explosively fast growth in early spring, excellent regrowth and abundant biomass/forage.
As a multipurpose clover, Lightning can be safely grazed by all livestock, mechanically harvested (multiple times) for hay or silage, or chemically terminated for soil regeneration and nitrogen recycling. Additionally, Lightning’s tasty foliage and attractive flowers makes it an ideal component in wildlife and pollinator mixes.
With breeding roots as far south as Texas and extensive testing in the Northern US, Lightning berseem has shown wide adaptation, favoring heavier soil and non-acid soil. Depending on location, it can be planted in the fall for spring production, or in late spring for summer harvest. Lightning has been tested and performed very well in PA, MI, OH, IN, TN, LA, and MS.
We have compiled much of this information at LightningBerseem.com. Peruse the data and be sure to contact your sales rep to get some coming your way this spring.