Forage Seed Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Livestock is among the world’s largest users of land resources, with grazing land and cropland dedicated to the production of feed representing nearly 80% of the total agricultural land. According to FAO, feed crops are grown in 1/3rd of the total cropland, while the total land area occupied by pasture is equivalent to 26% of the ice-free terrestrial surface. Around 80% of the world’s grazing lands are open lands, i.e., pastures devoid of forests or dense human settlements. Pastures have always been and will continue to be, a source of forages and nutrients for dairy cattle, including heifers, dry cows, and the milking herd. Livestock is a major factor responsible for the growth of global agriculture. The world food economy is being increasingly driven by the shift in diet and food consumption patterns toward livestock products. There has been an increased dependency of livestock animals on feed and forage resources. Furthermore, changes in production and quality of feed crop and forages potentially impacts the livestock. The growth in livestock production is likely to create a demand for better forage crops, as people are extremely concerned about the quality of meat they consume. The growth in the demand for forage crops can only be supported with better quality forage seeds.

Currently, North America is the largest forage seed market. Alfalfa is the largest traded seed among all the categories, and in the United States alone, it accounted for a share of 27% of the market value in 2018. Currently, the United States occupies the largest market share (48%). Favorable weather conditions and an ever-increasing domestic and international demand are driving the growth in the North American forage seed market. Weather in the North American region is a major reason behind the decline of demand in the forage seed market. To counter this effect, in December 2017, Grassland Oregon, a seed company based in Salem, Oregon, launched FIXatioN Balansa and Frosty Berseem clovers, making them available to producers in Canada. Both varieties are capable of withstanding temperatures as cold as -26°C and -5°C, respectively.