News Release

Native Seedsters, Inc. Publishes Comprehensive Index of Harvestability of U.S. Native Grasses.

Billings, MT March, 2011 Native Seedsters, Inc. (NSI) produced a dichotomous key for native grass plants, inflorescence and seed morphologies and a comprehensive database of 195 native grasses of economic interest in the continental United States. Morphological features of these grasses affect their seed harvestability and consequently their market availability and seed prices.  The results of this morphology study can be used by the seed industry to predetermine the relative harvestability of a crop and its potential for harvest with a Native Seedster.

The Arbuckle Native Seedster is designed to harvest seeds of difficult-to-harvest grasses, forbs and shrubs. The innovative design uses a combination of counter-rotating combs and a brush to pluck the seed from the inflorescence. Grasses that do not ripen uniformly and those with divergent or twisted awns, and hairy seed appendages are generally difficult to efficiently harvest with the standard combine.

One of the principal means of restoring native plant communities is planting of adapted native grass, forb, and shrub species. Major barriers to this effort are the high costs of seeds adapted to planting sites and limited availability of many desirable species.  The high market value of some native seed is a result of one or more of the following factors; scarcity of the plant (either small component of native communities or relatively few commercial production acres), low inherent productivity, low seed harvest efficiency, and difficulty in harvesting and conditioning.

The Montana Board of Research & Commercialization Technology, of the Montana Department of Commerce awarded Native Seedsters, Inc. a grant to study the effects of the Morphology and Physiology of Native Grass Seed on harvestability, with focus on the Arbuckle Native Seedster.

For additional information on the Seed Morphology of Native Grass Seed, please contact Lee or Maggie Arbuckle at info@nativeseedsters.net.  Visit www.nativeseedsters.com to view the morphological study.

ABOUT Native Seedsters, Inc.  Native Seedsters, Inc. is a harvest technology firm that designs, manufactures and markets the Arbuckle Native Seedster (the Seedster).  Four models of the Seedster FH are offered.  With the support of USDA grants the Seedster was developed to harvest the seed of those native grasses that are particularly difficult to harvest, such as switchgrass, green needlegrass, needleandthread, big bluestem, miscanthus, indiangrass and little bluestem.  Harvesters are being developed to harvest seed of wildflowers, camelina, and specialty crops.  Native Seedsters serves a nationwide market from its base in Billings, MT.