VEGREVILLE, Alta. – There is a growing demand for native plant seed, but the market of some varieties can be easily flooded, says a spokesperson for a forage seed company.
“It’s very easy to flood the market if you overproduce some varieties,” said Scott Ingledew of Prairie Seeds Ltd.
There’s always good demand for green needle grass or june grass, but even a few tonnes of snowy fleabane or wooly cinquefoil can flood the market for years.
Ingledew estimates about 20,000 acres of native crops are used each year in Canada. The conservation group Ducks Unlimited accounts for about half the acres, while the oil and gas industry uses the rest in reclamation projects.
The most important factor for good quality seed is that it be free of weeds; not only typical agricultural weeds, but invasive grasses like bromegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and crested wheatgrass.
