Pinching pennies can come at a cost for producers who opt for common seed rather than certified seed when planting forages, says a Manitoba Agriculture range and pasture management specialist.
Although common seed is less expensive, the downside is the potential for poorer productivity, Jane Thornton said at a recent Manitoba Grazing School in Brandon.
Thornton noted that a producer who buys lower grade seed risks poorer germination and seedling vigour. There is also a greater risk of contamination with weed seeds.
Those kinds of problems affect forage establishment and overall productivity during the lifetime of the crop.
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As well, she said producers who plant common seed have no guarantee that the forage they grow will be hardy enough for the Canadian Prairies. In the case of birdsfoot trefoil, for example, varieties are imported from around the world but only two are hardy enough for Manitoba.
“Do you think that when you buy birdsfoot trefoil you’re getting one of the hardy ones? You have no clue. None whatsoever.”
The price difference between common seed and certified forage seed often is between 15 to 45 cents per pound, which Thornton said can easily be offset through greater productivity achieved with certified seed.
“During the lifetime of the stand, you only need an additional 200 pounds (of forage) per acre to justify an increase of $2 per lb. (for seed).”
Seed costs typically are less than 14 percent of the total establishment costs for forages, Thornton said, and yet “a lot of people really cheap out here. I don’t think there’s any reason not to buy good, good quality seed.”
