HARVEST IS AROUND THE CORNER

 

The 2017 crop is looking like it will help with the surplus in the perennial ryegrass market. The dry fall weather followed by heavy rains made planting new fields difficult. Early fall planting was the key to successful establishment this year.  These weather patterns combined with ever increasing slug population, weakened the existing grass stands and injured new plantings. This winter, seedling fields were damaged by frost and record rainfall, which stunted plant growth coming into the spring season. Cool wet weather has delayed fertilizer and herbicide applications. The cool, wet spring may push harvest back by a few weeks, but it is a little early to tell. This could be a change from the past few years, where harvest has been a few weeks ahead of schedule. Although the weather patterns have been difficult, we look forward to clear skies and healthy crops