Seeds -- (ID 3598259 © Stanisa Martinovic Dreamstime.com)

By Alice McFarlane

Seed shortages add to farmer concerns for next growing season

Oct 26, 2021 | 3:36 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB. — The dry conditions on the prairies have hurt seed production. Short supplies of seed and the rapid escalation of grain prices should have farmers rushing to line-up their planting seed supply earlier than usual.

Saskatchewan Seed Growers’ president, Mike Shewchuk said demand for seed is expected to be greater than normal.

He said producers who might have planned to use their own product as seed may have had a complete crop failure or all of their production may have been committed under contracts.

“For some crops and some varieties, producers may be disappointed if they wait until closer to spring.

Seed growers will have to decide how much of their certified seed production to hold for sale as seed and how much to sell into the commodity market. Many commodity prices are at or near record highs, but there’s no guarantee prices won’t decline by spring.

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Shewchuk said like other farmers, seed growers have to make marketing decisions aimed at maximizing returns.

SeCan is a network of independent seed companies across Canada. It sources genetics from plant breeding institutions in Canada and around the world and deliver them to seed growers who grow, process, and sell to local customers.

These growers sell a wide range of seed in Western Canada primarily wheat, barley, oats, flax, soybeans, and some forage crops.

SeCan Western business manager Todd Hyra said producers need to consider their crop rotations and lock up supply. He recommends getting in touch with their local seed grower and make some commitments as soon as possible.

“Talking to our members I would estimate that barley, oats, and peas are going to be among the crops that are shorter earlier. Durum and flax in some areas will be short. Wheat is okay at present but it’s like dominoes. Once one thing sells out then it’s the next one down the line.”

Hyra said when customers go to their seed growers, they should be prepared for some sticker shock.

“When you look at crops like flax, traditionally our seed price would have been probably $20 to $23. This year, the commodity is $45, $46 and I’ve heard as high as $47 per bushel, so that means the seed price is going to be higher than that, to compensate for the royalty and the extra work that went into it.”

Hyra said seed growers are geared towards meeting their customers needs but if the customers don’t come, that seed will get released as grain into the market to take advantage of the current commodity prices.

While the information on seed suppliers is current, the variety performance information on the site does not yet include results from the 2021 trials. However, performance data does not change dramatically from one year to the next.