News Release
September 12, 2008

Wyoming seed growers can now list products online through extension site

Wyoming seed producers now have a way to connect with potential buyers via the online Wyoming Hay/Seed List through the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service.

The list is a way producers can develop potential markets, said Mike Moore, manager of the Wyoming Seed Certification Service.

“The original Wyoming Hay List was developed to assist hay producers in marketing their products,” said Moore, located in Powell. “It wasn’t much of a stretch to see the same concept could work for seed crops.”

The Wyoming Hay/Seed List is at http://ces.uwyo.edu/haylist/default.htm.

Producers provide information that showcases the quality of a seed lot and allows potential buyers to determine if that quality fits their needs. A person listing seed will provide contact and other information required by the Wyoming State Seed Law on seed labels, such as the percentage of pure seed, weed seed content, other crop seed content, inert matter content and the germination percentage, said Moore.

“There is also an area to put notes related to the listing, such as the best time to contact the seller or any comments about the seed being offered,” he said.

The greatest potential benefit of the site will be developing relationships with customers not obvious to a producer.

“Wyoming is capable of producing some fairly diverse seed crops that have uses in the Intermountain West,” said Moore. “When producers explore specialty markets, their first question should be, ‘Can I produce a marketable crop?’ The second question should be, ‘What is my market?’”

Producers of specialty seed crops found having more than one customer or more than one use for a seed crop will provide for a more consistent market, said Moore.  One example is wildflowers, which can be specified in government bids used to revegetate burned or disturbed areas.

“That is a good market, but government entities may not purchase seed every year depending upon fire events or budget constraints,” noted Moore. “If other customers can be developed for those wildflower seeds, such as the Wyoming Department of Transportation or nursery and horticultural uses, demand will increase and be more consistent from year to year. The Wyoming Hay/Seed List can serve as one way to develop those markets as buyers search the Web to locate seed.”

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Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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