A look at 2025 seed supplies

The author is a former senior vice president of distribution for DLF North America.

Forage seed supplies for spring plantings look to be in generally good shape.

Lower production levels will cause conventional alfalfa to have tighter availability across the spectrum of fall dormancies, but seed prices are expected to be stable to slightly higher. With Corteva’s exit from the alfalfa market this year, certain varieties of the brands previously offered through them will likely have much tighter than normal supply. In addition, the availability of traited varieties, especially HarvXtra products, will be challenged. Producers are encouraged to secure their alfalfa seed needs early.

After a year of incredibly tight supply for red clover and white clover, supplies of common types will be more in line with demand and prices generally softer; however, improved varieties will still be tight. Forage sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass hybrid seed supplies should also be more normal after a challenging 2024 crop.

Similar to the format shared in previous outlooks, the table to the right outlines the supply picture for most popular forage species. Common (C) and improved (I) varietal differences are noted in parenthesis, and maturities are separated if there are differences in the outlook for the species. If there is no designation, the supply rating applies to both common and improved options as well as all maturities for that species. Those species listed as “Extremely tight” indicates that their seed will likely sell out at some point in the season.

As always, check with your local seed supplier for specific variety availability.