A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON FUTURE TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN HERBAGE SEED MARKETS
Some history. Already in the late 1800 grass and clover seed was exported from Holland to various European countries and the USA. In 1908, Mr. Josephus Theodore Barenbrug, who founded the Barenbrug company in 1904, wrote a book “Money in grasses” especially written for customers in the American market. The book shows interesting information how the herbage seed market did develop in Holland. I quote Mr. J.Th. Barenbrug who wrote this in 1908 (!): for several generations and long before a more systematic growing of Natural Grass-seeds was either started or even thought of, it was the habit of the poorer classes, to go out in the summer and collect wherever such was permitted, either in meadows or in woods or fields, and in accordance with the successive terms at which the various kinds do come to maturity, the different grass-seeds, the agricultural or other value of which was either known or intimated to them through the various agents whose hand these seeds had to pass through before they reached the foreign wholesale-dealers and cleaner.
From this primitive start, many seed companies in Holland, but at the same time in Germany and Denmark started their activities in the grass seed trade in the late 1800 and early 1900. Most of them family owned companies. In the continuous demand for a better farm output, the seed industry realised that new techniques where necessary. Not only for improving production and processing systems the seed, but also the genetical quality. The first steps in breeding were made. As a result of that, the first Dutch grass seed varieties were registered on the official Dutch variety list in the late 1930. The great breakthrough was directly after World War II where all over Europe, but also in the USA, Canada and New Zealand the herbage seed industry developed into a serious business. With, like in other industrial sectors, huge improvements and changes. From the handpicked seed with a yield of a few kilos a day to huge combine harvesters with a capacity of over 3.000 kg/hour. From simple manure to application of artificial fertlizers. From hand-seeding to GPS controlled machine drilling. From hand-cleaning and bagging to computer-controlled seed cleaners and robot-palletizers.