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CRP causing rise in grass seed pricesMadisontomer at the price it would take to sell it to him.Farmers participating in the Conservation Reserve Program may Find a surprise when they go to their local dealer to purchase grass seeds to plant the required cover crop.They are likely to find that some of the favorite types are just not available and if they are lucky enough to find precisely what they are looking for. they may find the cost rather high.The obvious reason for the shortage of grass seeds has been the tremendous national response to the CRP’s fourth-round signup. More than 10.572.402 acres will be planted with the cover grasses in the nation. A total of 94.852 bids were accepted according to Richard E. Lyng. secretary of agriculture.That basically is the synopsis of the situation according to four state seed wholesalers and retailers.It is a combination of a poor crop of seeds in some of the main producing sections of the nation because of drought conditions a year ago and that the demand brought on by the tremendous participation in the CRP.The supply naturally dictates the price, according to suppliers. At least one said he is not looking anyplace for bromegrass because there is just none to be found. And if he did find some, he said he probably would not want to buy it because he would’t want to pass that expensive seed on to his cus-In Wisconsin, more than184.000 erodible acres were accepted in the piogram on 4,096 accepted bids out of 4.400 submitted bids. It was by far the largest signup of any of the four rounds by Wisconsin farmers. The amount of payments according to the state ASCS office will be $12,175,000. The one time com bonus payment of $2 a bushel for each com base acre in the program will add another $16,184,000 to payments for state farmers not to grow crops.With the recent enrollent of184,000 acres, the Wisconsin total in the CRP is now at 255,8900 acres, state officials said.Wisconsin has from 1.5 to 1.8 million eligible acres for the program.MARCH 30-APRIL 5, 1987No more gloom — arbutus in bloom.All Fools Dav April 1 First edition of Mother Goose's Melodies published in Boston by Thomas Fleet, April 1, 1719 Average length of days for the week, 12 hours, 45 minutes Pony Express mail service began between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif, April 3, I860 John Tyler became 10th president of the U.S. on the death of William 1 lenrv I larrison, April 4, 1841 Hear Reason, or she will make you feel her./t Ask the Old Farmer: 1 recently acquired a toothpick holder that is very discolored It was clear crystal at one \ time, but was buried in a dirt cellar floor. What can I useto clean it up? P R , Juno, Texas.Try king we holder in a solution of ammonia and water fora couple of hours, then wash and rinse If that divsn’t do the job, soak it in vinegar with tea leaves added, then wash and rinse. You could also try the same procedure using acetone. Home Hints: Plant morning glories in pior soil; rich si..! produces luxurious leaf growth but few flowersThe Wisconsin participation is not causing the problem with the need for grass seeds because nationally. program enrollment is nearing the 20 million-acre mark.“Forage grass seeds as needed for the Conservation Reserve Program are available but the supply of certain items like bromegrass are very scare or are so expensive that the cost cannot be justified, said John Jung of Randolph and chair of the seed committee of the Wisconsin Seed. Feed and Farm Supply Association.Weather Data (March 23-29)COUNTIESHILo! pADAMS6?IS \1 i.oBARRONUKXU.52BROWN66lt;24BUFFALObU12.5?BURNETT11II.07CALUMET6913.lieCHIPPEWAun11.11CLARKMCOLUMBIAUuIS.UlCRAWFORDu?l.lDANE6?IS/./DODGE6911.5?DOOR6211.11DUNNlo11.30EAU CLAIRE6?10FONDDU LAC6LJl1lt;67MILWAUKEESt30.06MONROE6V231.3OCONTO632U,/6OUTAGAMIE6921.WOZAUKEE6o\*o.6?PEPIN6 U\*3.11PIERCE63IS.51POLK701 (oPORTAGEU221.3PRICE6720.osRACINE5137.69RICHLAND6730ROCK6?20.26RUSKNA.—ST. CROIX6617SAUK673.99SAWYER7320.11SHAWANO64UKHe said the problem came not only from the extraordinary demand this spring but also because of the poor harvest conditions last fall and these factors have created a relatively expensive seed in relation to the normal price.“There is a good deal of concern about the situation by seed dealers when you consider the prices and the hazards of inventory if there is any significant lessening of the situation in another year,” Mr. Jung said.“I’d say at the present time, bromegrass is sold out for all practical purposes of the quality that we would be allowed to sell in this state,” said Ray Reisdorf of Old Seed Co. of Sun Prairie.“The only availability may be at some retail dealer who had a little left from early in the season. Nationally, it is sold out.” he said.He said he’s found ample supplies of some other grasses that can be used in the required cover formula. Among these substitutes are timothy, orchardgrass, clovers and alfalfa.Switch grass like bromegrass will be difficult to find and will be expensive, Mr. Reisdorf said. Those are two of the more popular cover grasses, he said, because they are perennials and will last a long time once planted.The price has advanced on timothy, probably by 50 percent, while legumes have not advanced that much. Mr. Reisdorf said because those seeds have been pretty well purchased already.dealers by putting them between a rock and a hard place and creates confusion since the program can be changed overnight.pound higher but has sort of flattened out.He said there should be an ample supply of birdsfoot treefoil available. Most of those seeds are grown in Minnesota, Wisconsin. Michigan and New York. However, he said there appears to be little demand for those seeds at this time.Part of the problem with the supply and cost of seeds, according to Dennis Liepke of the Blue Chip Seed Co. headquartered at Abbotsford, is that the government program can change so quickly, in fact he said in a matter of hours.He said the dealer can’t respond to the needs that quickly and could be caught with an inventory that would amount to the loss of thousands of dollars on one semiload.“The true facts have not been realized yet by Wisconsin farmers,” he said. “The feuling of the fire is still taking place” he added. “We arc still trying to comprehend what has occured.” he said.“We have no historical pattern to go on. Nobody has done a program like this before.” he said.One of the changes in the program took place just Friday when the ASCS said that in addition to the 11 acceptable seed mixtures for cover crops, farmers would have to plant a companion crop of oats, one bushel per acre on light soils and two bushels per acre on heavier soils. The SCS will make the determination on the soil classification.Mr. Liepke said that one of his operations in Decorah. Iowa, “blew the books apart” with grass and seed street sales through Friday. Iowa is second to Texas in the number of acres enrolled in the CRP. “At Iowa we've sold our position on brome and orchardgrass, “ he said.The prices of seeds have been going up steadily, said Glen Bignell owner of the Farmers Machine Company at Durand.One of the reasons for the dramatic increase in seed prices in Wisconsin, he said is because of the large enrollent in the CRP program this time around in the state.Last fall, he said, bromegrass was 80 cents a pound, now it is $4.50 a pound when it can be found.Timothy seed, for instance, that was 75 cents a pound one week went up to 99 cents in a week and in someplaces in the Iowa market, it is now up to $1.50 to $1.60 a pound.The buying rate has changed drastically, too, he said. For instance where he would sell a 100-pound bag or two. he now sells in greater quanities. For example, he had one person call and say he’d like to purchase 3.000 pounds of grass seed.Orchardgrass also went up 20 cents a pound in a week and replacement costs could reach $1.50, he said.Alfalfa seed. Mr. Liepke said moved up to about 20 cents aMr. Bignell said he stopped buying some seeds when the price got so high. “When I quit selling bromegrass. it was being booked to customers at $3.50 a pound.” Dealers recommended checking with ASCS officials for correct mixtures.—Arnie HoffmanTreaty critics ccWausauCritics of the 19th-century treaties cited by Indian tribes in winning 20th-century court rulings have proposed a nationwide campaign against what they called the injustice “of Native American claims.”About 500 people attended the convention sponsored by Wisconsin-based Protect Americans' Riehts Resources.Delegates from 12 states concluded a two-day convention Sunday by signing a resolution in protest of the commercial gains they say are being awarded unfairly to Indian reservations.PARR was organized after the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled in 1983 that six Chippewa tribes retained rights in treaties to hunt. fish, trap and harvest wild grain in northern Wisconsin.James Mitchell of Jemez Springs, N.M.. a spokesman for the Jemez River Basin Water Users Coalition, complained about federal water-diversion suits against landowners on behalf of Indians.This is causing problems for“I say a sad day in America has arrived on this 200th anniversary of our Constitution, a day which allows a special class of citizens to have rights far exceeding all others without obligation or responsibility to America,” Mr. Mitchell said.The organization says the ruling discriminates against non-Chippewa who have to obey state game laws. It says Congress should rewrite or abrogate treaties that have caused problems in about 40 states.About 20 people picketed the convention site Saturday in support of the Chippewas.One of the demonstration leaders, Walter Bresette of the Red Cliff band of Chippewa, called the convention sponsors “fear mongers. They are engaged in intimidation tactics.”PARR Chairman Larry Peterson
Newspaper Details
Country Today
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US
Wed, Apr 01, 1987
Page 2
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University O.
IA, USA 11 Mar 2024
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