Australia Faces Grass Seed Shortage

DONALD - Jul 3/01 - STAT -- Last year's dry conditions across Western Australia and other parts of the country has resulted in local shortages of grass seed for use in pastures, according to Western Australia's agriculture department pasture systems development officer Keith Devenish.

He noted Cadiz serradella seed has sold out for the fourth year in a row and the extra demand for sub-clover had seen Dalkeith and Nungarin varieties exhausted by early May.

"Even medic seed has been in high demand, a situation that we have not seen for at least 10 years," he said. "The demand is being driven by farmers recognizing the value in pasture improvement as a result of the department's research findings, the wide range of newly developed species and higher sheep and wool prices."

Devenish said although there was good interest in lucerne, yellow serradella, biserrula and balansa seed, farmers had to make sure they had the correct paddock rotation and soil type before they selected which pasture variety to grow.

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