Willamette Valley is one of state’s top grass-seed producers

It’s well known that few local residents know a lot about the grass-seed industry in the Willamette Valley.

There are lush carpets of native red and tall fescues and annual and perennial ryegrasses and even Kentucky bluegrass growing throughout the valley, covering the hillsides and creeping along the Interstate 5 corridor. That’s because grass-seed production acreage covers about a quarter of the valley and accounts for about 40 percent of its crop-growing acreage.

According to the Oregon Seed Council, grass seed is grown on approximately 400,000 acres in Oregon and 90 percent of it, or about 360,000 acres, is grown right here in the Willamette Valley. Roughly 50 percent of Willamette Valley farmland is planted in grass-seed. So when a ballplayer steps onto a school infield or a duffer takes a swing from a tee box at a local golf course, they have the state’s grass-seed industry to thank for the lushness of the lawns under their feet.

Oregon’s world-renowned grass-seed industry is made up of between 1,200 and 1,400 farm families, 50 seed companies, and dozens of other support industries. It’s estimated that the grass-seed industry employs up to 10,000 Oregonians, and it funnels many millions of dollars into the local economy annually.

The OSC reports that most of these grass-seed farming families run full-time, professional farms and that many of the families go back multiple generations. There are plenty of farms in Linn, Benton, and Marion counties, and locals even refer to Linn County as the Grass Seed Capital of the World. Other counties producing grass seed include Jackson, Union, Morrow and Umatilla. Many national and international seed companies are right here in the Willamette Valley.

Many residential lawns and commercial properties here in the valley are likely made up from grass seed grown on land in the valley.

Oregon is one of the few places in the world where farmers are able to harvest seed directly out of the field and place it directly into storage, says the OSC. Seed harvested in other parts of the world contains more moisture and it must be artificially dried before it can be stored, which reduces its quality, especially since excess moisture makes the seed more prone to fungus.

Oregon’s unique combination of mild, wet winters and dry, warm summers makes it an ideal location for growing cool-season grasses. The state revels in its reputation for superior quality cool-season grass seed. Willamette Valley farmers also care about the land and are considered working environmentalists, says the nonprofit Oregon Seed Council organization. These working families have a strong connection with the land they farm and are constantly looking for ways to improve their farming practices.

In many places throughout the Willamette Valley, the soil is not suitable for other crops. Having grass-seed grown as a crop prevents the land from being otherwise developed for commercial purposes or graded for multiple housing subdivisions.

The OSC says that having nearly a half million acres planted in grass seed also is good for Oregon’s legendary clean water. Grass has filtering/metabolizing properties, and because of this, it helps keep nitrates (in fertilizer) out of Oregon’s waterways. Grass is also adept at reducing erosion and keeping sediment out of the same waterways.    

In 2009, the industry produced about 600 million pounds of cool-season grass seed. Only about 1 to 2 percent of the seed grown here is used in Oregon. Between 15 and 20 percent of it is exported outside of the United States, especially to Pacific Rim markets including China and Japan.

There are many types of grass seed grown in the Willamette Valley and Oregon, which according to the Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, is the No. 1 producer of cool-season forage and turf grass seed. Much of the state’s grass seed grown in the Willamette Valley is used for home lawns, athletic fields, and golf courses. Forage grass seed planted here is used for pastures, roadsides, and erosion prevention.

Grass seed, one of the state’s top commodities; generates about $1 billion of annual economic activity in the state.Coping with pests such as geese and slugs (who eat the grass and roots and leave nothing but mud and a poor crop) is a routine part of growing the seed and is a fact of life all farmers face.

They get their swamp buggies (with huge balloon-like tires that can move across wet fields), tractors, trucks, and combines ready for their appropriate seasons, and they prepare for harvesting, windrowing (drying grass in the sun before harvest) and seed shattering (dispersing the seed) in late summer.

To some, mowing a lawn might seem like a chore because grass grows so well here. But to a grass-seed farmer, picking up dried windrows and taking harvested seed to a warehouse for cleaning and storage is what it is all about. Long may it grow and wave.