The North
American forage seed market has shrunk significantly over the
past decade. Some players have already withdrawn, and more
consolidations and/or closures will continue until the
industry fits the market. There are some real environmental
opportunities, which will require a political will for their
manifestation, but that will eventually occur.
The turf grass market is a dynamic
one and once the ABT repercussions are digested one would hope
this market and production too will meet the real needs. This
sector too will likely reduce in numbers. New varieties will
turn over very rapidly and it will become increasingly
important to establish unique products in the market. "Me-too"
varieties become commodities and cannot support their
marketing costs. Costs of operations of sports
facilities will become important criteria; recently a
well-known golf course industry member chose dwarf blues over
bent for fairways. He reckons that bents have a 3x maintenance
cost over the blues.
Developing products to meet the
agronomic, as well as the budgetary needs of the consumer will
become important again.
