TOPIC: Seeds

Really good to get this head's up. I spoke to one of my seed suppliers who said he was planning a modest price hike, though nowhere close to a doubling or tripling. He doesn't want to lose loyal customers that buy from him every year. If his seed ends up a lot cheaper than others, one idea was to limit the size of order in an effort to prevent reselling. That seems to make sense to me.

Thanks Mike for joining this forum. We would love to have your insight regularly! The seeds you sold me looked good.

Right. Just because the word is that wholesale prices might nearly triple...doesn't mean the seed dealers (myself included) intend to triple prices to our customers. However, neither can we justify selling seed for less than it costs us.

I was also thinking double or triple seed prices seems very much out of line. I can't imagine seed selling for over $200.00 per pound. Even though at those rediculous prices, seed actually would be considered reasonably priced considering only 3 or 4 cents per seed verses the final selling price of $5.00 or more a root when a good quality root is grown. I am thinking the large growers are in a panik and worried that they might actually have to buy seed rather than use their own seed. And they probably are not use to their budget figuring in seed cost. And also their income loss if they normally sold some of their seed to their neighbors. So they already are making up prices ahead of time that seem way out of line. Because they are trying to re cover their loss of a normal income. We may find out next fall that certain areas had good production of seed and there is more seed available than first thought. But too many growers are saying the same exact thing that seed production was closer to half of what they normally produce. And large growers need their seed to continue their full time operation. Since I am not an artificial shade grower, the one thing I misses is the question of why not plant double this year when seed prices are reasonable. The answer is they only have material for a certain amount of land for their shade cloth. They would have to go out and buy more shade cloth in order to plant double. So they are stuck buying seed at who knows what price it may be. And when they buy up all the seed, it leaves us woods growers without much seed to purchase. And the price hikes.
I agree with what buyers are saying. Loyal seed dealers should not take advantage of the shortage if they have produced close to the normal amount of seed. That would just make them rich. But on the other hand, a grower who produces only half the normal amount of seed, it would cost them half of their normal income that they normally make selling seed at the exact same price. The buyer would come out exactly the same and the seller would take half the loss. Maybe a fair split in the middle makes the most sense. Where the seller marks the seed up, but not a drastic price increase. Where the seller can gain some of the cost on seed loss and the buyer pays a little more which also causes the buyer to share some of the loss. That seems more fair and honest to both. Mike