Zealand Grass Seed Catching On Fast

Zealand Grass Seed Catching On Fast CROPS Miscellaneous 15-5-26 Forage grasses are to New Zealand what the automobile and electronics are to Japan - national economic treasures. We're not talking just ordinary grass here. We're talking state-of-the-art varieties developed by the New Zealand government to feed the country's 40 million cows and 70 million sheep which support the biggest share of the small country's economy and, in turn, its 4 million people. New Zealand's reputation for high quality grasses is worldwide. The country sells hundreds of tons of grass seed yearly to farmers in Great Britain, continental Europe, South America and Australia. Until recently, however, these golden grasses were not available in the U.S. That prompted a Washington state farmer to start his own seed import business. "I just couldn't find the seed on the local or national market and couldn't interest any seed company in taking steps to import these fantastic forage grasses. So I took the ball and ran with it myself," says John Kaye of Modem Agri-Products. He says response from farmers so far "has been overwhelming". The three most popular grass varieties the company imports are "Ellett" perennial ryegrass, "Wana" orchard grass, and "Matua" prairie grass. Kaye explains that the majority of New Zealand pastures are made up of perennial ryegrass and clover, with Ellett being the number one ryegrass choice. Ellett is a profuse tillering, very productive bunch-type grass. Spectacular results have already been attained planting Ellett in Washing-ton, Oregon and Idaho, according to Kaye. The renowned Carnation Research Dairy Farm in Carnation, Wash., planted Ellett and recently reported record-high yields. Many private dairy farms in the Pacific Northwest are discovering Ellett as well. Randy Kortus of Lynden, Wash., a world-class Holstein breeder, uses Ellett. One of his cows recently set a production record and Kortus credits Ellett with at least part of that achievement. Kaye notes that Ellett is the perfect pasture grass for farmers living in temperate climate regions who can irrigate during the summer. Wana orchard grass originated from a seedline collected in Spain. As a result, it is particularly drought-tolerant. Its dense tillering gives it a unique ability to persist and produce under hard continuous grazing, says Kaye, and its fine long leaves make it more palatable than most orchard grasses. Wana is ideal for non-irrigated pastures grazed by sheep and beef. It will thrive in any area where orchard grass does well. It's a perfect companion for alfalfa, according to Oregon State University researchers who have tested and recommended it. Matua prairie grass is, according to Kaye, the "most exciting new perennial cool sea-son forage grass of the decade." The results of extensive tests conducted by Pennsylvania State University's Dr. G. Jung and Dr. Pete Ballerstedt of Oregon State University indicate that Matua is both drought and cold tolerant and, with proper management, can be a very high-yielding forage, out-producing both ryegrass and orchard grass. It's very palatable and can be rotationally grazed or cut for hay and silage. Its premier U.S. planting was in Kentucky last year and it provided superb forage even during the blistering heat of this past summer, according to Kaye. "Because of their production capacity, persistence and nutritional value, we think every livestock farmer should be looking at these imported forage grasses," says Kaye. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Kaye, Modern Agri-Products, 3770 Aldergrove Rd., Femdale, Wash. 98248 (ph 206 366-4343; fax 206 366-4344). (Kimberly Somers is editor of Ag/Northwest, a monthly newspaper published in Mount Vernon, Wash.)

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