Albany Democrat-Herald

Although New Zealand’s grass seed industry is only about one-tenth the size of Oregon’s, growers face many of the same problems, agronomist Phil Rolston told about 60 mid-valley farmers last week during a workshop sponsored by OSU Extension-Linn County at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center.

Rolston is a research agronomist and Herbage Seed Program leader with AgResearch in New Zealand.

“Most of our perennial ryegrass is grown as a one-year crop,” Rolston said. “It is sown in the fall and harvested about 10 months later.”

Virtually all of New Zealand’s grass seed is grown on about 40,000 acres on the south end of the south island.

Although the grass seed industry in New Zealand has witnessed many improvements in recent decades, Rolston said growers still face issues concerning wastage, losing as much as 20 percent of their potential crop, up to 600 pounds per acre. The majority of yield loss occurs during cutting and swathing, Rolston said.

Much of the perennial ryegrass seed is used for forage production compared to Oregon’s turf markets. The key growing area in New Zealand lies around the 45th parallel, much the same as Oregon.

Like their American counterparts, New Zealand growers are facing economic pressures from the dairy industry and growers of alternative crops such as potatoes and onions. Irrigated farmland costs about 9,000 U.S. dollars per acre, Rolston said. Soils are mostly silt loams that run from 2 to 5 feet deep, over gravel. Most soils are well-drained.

The average rainfall in the grass growing region is about 24 inches, with the most rain nn about 10 inches nn coming in December. Late season frosts can occur in about one in three years and temperatures can rise to more than 90 degrees during seed fill period, which can reduce yields significantly.

The average grass seed farm is between 400 and 500 acres, Rolston said. Young dairy cattle and sheep winter graze the fields. Rotational crops include potatoes, wheat, barley, clover and vegetable seeds.

Grass seed yields average about 1,700 pounds per acre and the straw is baled during harvest. New Zealand’s main seed markets are Australia and Japan.

Rolston, who did his graduate work at OSU, said that just like Oregon, nitrogen is a major expense for New Zealand growers, adding that overuse costs producers significant yields.

Rolston is working with a program called Ryegrass 3000, which has set goals of increasing yields to 2,700 pounds per acre. The process would include effective use of nitrogen, better harvesting techniques and plant growth regulators to keep the crop standing through harvest.

By 2013, New Zealand grass seed producers will have to reduce their carbon footprint nn the amount of carbon dioxide expended by their operations nn or purchase carbon credits, Rolston told mid-valley growers.

The system kicks in for New Zealand foresters by 2011.