An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for Their Supply Final Report (2023) / Chapter Skim
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From page 78... ...
https://agri.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/agrinvgov/Content/ Plant/Seed_Certification/FINALStrategy_with%20memo_4_24_20_small.pdf (accessed February 10, 2023)
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From page 79... ...
The chapter closes with suppliers' views on the challenges to expanding the supply of native seeds and native plants. BUSINESS ACTIVITIES OF FIRMS -- PRODUCTS OFFERED As discussed, the Committee's goal for the supplier survey was to focus on businesses that sell native seed and/or plants, either exclusively or as part of their broader offerings.
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. Because the intent of the survey was to learn about the experiences of suppliers of native seeds and plants, respondents who said that they do not sell natives of either seed or plants were deemed ineligible and not asked further questions about their business.
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requirements" than FIGURE 7-4 Types of seed sold by native seed suppliers.
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The set of bars on the far right of the graph shows that seeds of native trees make up 100 percent of the total native seed sales of about 8 percent of suppliers. FIGURE 7-6 Types of native seed sold by suppliers in relation to total native seed sales.
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From page 83... ...
for the supplier responses to the question about what percentage of their total native seed sales were represented by each category were as follows: native grass seed, M=37, Mdn=30; native forbs seed, M=32, Mdn=25; native shrub seed, M=9, Mdn=2; native tree seed, M=17, Mdn=0; other native seed, M=5, Mdn=0. Similarly, suppliers of native plants (as opposed to native seed)
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From page 84... ...
As states, municipalities, tribes, and the federal government often contract out seeding work, the importance of contractors in sales may obscure the true "buyers" of seed for seeding projects. Business Activities of Suppliers -- Communications Suppliers were asked about possible methods for communicating with potential buyers about what their business offers (Figure 7-9)
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Business Activities -- Contracting Arrangements The survey asked suppliers whether they used certain types of contracting arrangements: • "Bids on consolidated seed buys," which are responses to public procurement requests made by government agencies; • "Spot market sales of available seed or plants," which are exchanges between buyers and sellers that do not specify any conditions of sale or production; • "Marketing contracts," which specify the type, price, quantity, and delivery date of seed or plants and guarantee a purchaser for that seed or plants; and guarantee a purchaser for that seed or plant materials; and • "Production contracts" which share some production costs and/or production risks by providing flexibility in the quantity delivered and/or delivery date. Figure 7-10a shows that about 23% of all suppliers bid on consolidated seed buys.
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From page 86... ...
of firms in the category of highest annual sales revenue ($5 million or more) bid on consolidated seed buys versus suppliers with mid-size or smaller revenues (26% and 13%)
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From page 87... ...
However, approximately three out of four or more respondents in all sales revenue categories said that price guarantee, purchase guaranteed for predetermined quantity, delivery timeline, and prior positive expertise with the buyer were somewhat or very important characteristics. When suppliers were asked about the timing of signing a contract relative to when they would start to produce native seeds or plant material for sale, about half (47%)
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From page 88... ...
The first two sets of bars in Figure 7-12 should be interpreted with caution, as suppliers were asked about "foundation seed" as a proxy for any seed used as starting material for production; however, the term has specific meaning with respect to seed certification. Business Activities of Suppliers -- Anticipating Demand Suppliers were asked about the role different types of information play in how they anticipate future demand for native seed or plants in order to plan ahead.
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The broad range of responses in the "Other" category reflected suppliers' interest in monitoring developments and opportunities related to native seed and plants both locally and nationally. Notably, the Conservation Reserve Program administered by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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Given the large share of suppliers who responded that the quantity of native seed or plant materials left unmarketed FIGURE 7-15a Impact of lack of storage on the quantity of seed suppliers can sell, by storage type.
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Generally, larger suppliers and suppliers in the West were more likely to describe most of these FIGURE 7-16a Challenges faced by suppliers of native seed and plant materials.
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wild-collect more seed; (2) grow more native plants with the goal of producing and selling native seed; and (3)
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Table 7-1 provides a summary of the types of barriers that were described by the respondents and the number of respondents that mentioned this barrier. Because access to land is a barrier TABLE 7-1 Supplier Perspectives on Major Barriers and Disincentives to Wild-Collecting Native Seed Barrier Count Access to land 62 Availability of seed on the land 26 Labor 22 Depletion of the resource 17 Cost 13 Time 12 Markets 10 Knowledge 10 Environmental factors 7 Ethical reasons 6 Quality of seed 6 Resources available 4 Other 2
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Table 7-2 provides a high-level summary of the types of barriers TABLE 7-2 Supplier Perspectives on Major Barriers and Disincentives to Growing Native Plants with the Goal of Producing and Selling Native Seed Barrier Count Markets 24 Seed/plant viability 14 Cost 14 Availability 8 Space 8 Environmental factors 7 Labor 6 Knowledge 6 Time 5 Resources 4 Zoning Requirements 3 Permits 3 Other 3
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From page 95... ...
So, the dominant category of barrier to greater native seed supply appears to be the market-driven confluence of uncertain demand, high production costs, and availability of native plants as an input to the production process. In response to the question "If you were to anticipate higher demand, would your business be able to expand to grow and sell more plant materials?
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From page 96... ...
Similar to the types of barriers that surfaced in the responses about growing native plants with the goal of producing and selling native seed, the characteristics of the market were seen as the top barrier to growing and selling plants as well. Twenty-nine cited reasons categorized as "markets," 10 cited "cost," and 8 cited "availability." SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES The survey asked suppliers to provide suggestions that might help address the challenges they have encountered as suppliers of native seeds or plant materials.
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From page 97... ...
Even more broadly, suppliers suggested, a more thriving seed industry could emerge if agencies and their contractors, and the general public, had a better understanding of the importance of native plant species. Multiple suppliers commented on the need for improved access to native seed collection sources on public lands, calling for a more streamlined permit process, protection of important source areas, and even the potential use of successfully restored sites for seed collection.
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From page 98... ...
. Conclusion 7-9: Some suppliers suggested that a more thriving seed industry could emerge if agencies and their contractors, and the general public, had a better understanding of the importance of native plant species.
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