Imperial Seed Partners With Production Farmers All Around The Globe.

With over 100 years of cumulative experience in forage and turf seed Imperial specializes in seed multiplication across Western Canada. Via customers and production partners operating across the globe, Imperial procures the highest quality breeder and foundation seed and contracts the multiplication of this seed at the farm level in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and beyond. Central to Imperial’s seed production aims, are the cultivation and continuation of long-term relationships with our growers. In many cases, Imperial has been working closely with the same farm operations and growers across multiple generations.

Imperial boasts a Seed Production team that travels extensively across all seed production areas and provides boots-on-the-ground field support from planting to harvest - including fertility, weed, disease and pest scouting, product recommendations, swath and harvest timing, on-farm storage, and post-harvest management. Our staff are available around the clock and work tirelessly to ensure growers have all the tools and agronomic support necessary to optimize and maximize their seed production yields.

Imperial Seed contracts the multiplication of biennial and perennial forage and turf species, with crop kinds suited to a variety of operations and farm practices. Cash cropping provides excellent net returns, while also adding supplemental income through avenues such as hay, feed and fall grazing.

Our seed production species provide a range of benefits including:

  • Increased soil health,

  • Improved organic matter

  • Nitrogen fixation

  • Reduced erosion

  • Salinity tolerance and reclamation

  • Excess moisture tolerance and filtration

  • Early harvest

  • Year-round soil cover

All harvested seed is shipped to our processing plant in Winnipeg MB, where it undergoes cleaning for export or domestic use. Fields are inspected by independent bodies in order to achieve pedigree status as Foundation, Registered or Certified seed. Seed is cleaned to the specified contract standards by our processing lines and staff whose dedication and experience ensure timely turnover of all contracted production.

Species Available For Contracts

Alfalfa

  • Alfalfa is a long lived perennial legume that fixes its own nitrogen. It is a commonly used forage in many parts of the world. Alfalfa is adaptive to most soil types and does well in poorer soils that other crops will not. It does not perform well in fields that are prone to waterlogging. Alfalfa has a deep taproot that can find moisture in dry conditions. These deep roots lead to better water infiltration and build up organic matter in the soil.

    Leafcutter bees are highly recommended to benefit this crop.

  • Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract can influence field selection in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are Canada thistle, dandelions, cockles, cleavers, clovers, canola, lamb’s quarters, pigweed, and kochia.

    Seeding: Alfalfa should be seeded in a clean field free of perennial weeds. Seeding alfalfa by itself is ideal for best establishment and weed control. If using a companion crop, seed companion at 2/3 of the normal rate and reduce nitrogen levels. Wheat and flax work well as companion crops. When selecting a wheat variety, choose one that stands well and is early maturing. Companion crop lodging will affect establishment. Canola should be avoided as a companion crop due to quality concerns.

    Seeding depth: ½ - ¾ inch, Do not exceed 1 inch.

    Seeding rate: 1 to 2 lb/acre (0.5 to 1 kg/acre)

    Fertilizer: Alfalfa seed should be inoculated to ensure maximum nitrogen fixation. Other nutrient levels are best addressed in the year of seeding. Adequate phosphate levels will improve nitrogen fixation. Other nutrients can be topped up pending tissue samples.

    Pollination: Leafcutter bees are required to maximize seed yield potential for alfalfa seed. The general recommendation is 3 gallons per acre.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Fungicide: The use of fungicide is highly recommended. Consult field staff for information.

    Harvest: Harvest typically occurs mid-September and into October. Alfalfa seed is generally desiccated and straight cut combined. Aeration is required.

Perennial Ryegrass

  • Perennial ryegrass is a bunchgrass with a relatively shallow, fibrous root system and is typically treated as a biennial. It grows to a height of approximately 2 feet (60 cm). All North American turf seed varieties contain endophytes which can be hazardous to livestock. European varieties are endophyte-free and the by-product can be safely fed to livestock. Both European and North American varieties are available. Please consult our field staff for more details on endophytes.

  • Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium Perenne)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract influence the field selection, in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are quackgrass, wild oats, foxtail, and other coarse and native grasses. Broadleaved weeds of concern include cleavers, cockles, canola, dock and thistles.

    Seeding: Recommended companion crops include wheat (should be cross-seeded in a separate pass) or LibertyLink canola (in same row, same pass). With certain cereal species such as oats, it may be recommended to reduce seeding rate of companion by 1/3. Barley is not recommended. Perennial ryegrass can also be seeded alone in fall between mid-August to the first week of September.

    Seeding depth: ½ inch to ¾ inch. Cannot exceed 1”.

    Seeding rate: 8 lb/acre Fertilizer: 120 to 150 lbs of Nitrogen/acre required for seed production. 40 lbs/ac of Phosphate should be applied in fall prior to harvest year. Fall fertility is highly recommended to ensure nutrients are accessible when plant breaks dormancy. K and S requirements are similar to wheat and should be based on soil samples. Plant Growth Should be applied at 2nd node stage to reduce stem height.

    Regulator: Provides easier swathing and will increase yield.

    Fungicide: The use of fungicide is highly recommended. Consult field staff for information.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Harvest: The field is ready to swath in the last week of July or first week of August - roughly 25 days after flowering. The seed is ready to combine 6 to 10 days after swathing. Aeration of seed is required. The seed is safe for storage at 12% moisture or lower. Resources such as moisture charts and combine settings are available via field staff.

Timothy

  • Timothy adapts well to a variety of soil types. As it is a shallow rooted bunchgrass, it performs best with regular rainfall and good fertility. Timothy has excellent winter hardiness and does well on wetter soils.

  • Timothy (Phleum Pratense)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract influence the field selection, in terms of weed issues. The main weed issue to consider is foxtail and millet. Broadleaved weeds that should be controlled include redroot pigweed, cockles, cinquefoil, cleavers, alsike and red clover, and Canada thistle.

    Seeding: Flax is an ideal companion crop. Wheat can also be used at a reduced seeding rate. When selecting a wheat variety, choose one that stands well and is early maturing. Companion crop lodging will affect establishment.

    Seeding depth: up to ½ inch

    Seeding rate: 1-2 lb/acre (0.5-1 kg/acre)

    Fertilizer: 90 to 110 lbs of Nitrogen/acre required for each year of seed production. 40 lbs/ac of Phosphate should be applied in fall prior to production years. Fall fertility is highly recommended prior to each year of production. K and S requirements are similar to wheat and should be based on soil samples.

    Weed Control: No grassy herbicide options are available. However, there are many broadleaf herbicides available for timothy seed production. Consult our field staff for options.

    Harvest: Swathing of Timothy seed begins early to mid-August. Swath timing is important to ensure maturity while minimizing shatter losses. Combining can start from 5 to 10 days after swathing. Timothy seed is easily threshed. Aeration is required for storage. Seed is safe to store at 12% moisture or less. Resources such as moisture charts and combine settings are available via field staff.

Meadow Fescue

  • Meadow fescue is a perennial bunchgrass. It develops a relatively deep root system and has good tolerance to excessive moisture. The by-product has good feed value. Post-harvest regrowth, which has excellent feed value, should be removed via grazing or cutting for hay. There are no endophytes bred into this species. Seed production fields are best kept for 3 to 5 years of harvest.

  • Meadow Fescue (Festuca Pratensis)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract influence the field selection, in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are quackgrass, wild oats, foxtail, and other coarse or native grasses. Broadleaved weeds of concern include cleavers, canola, cockles, dock and thistles.

    Seeding: Meadow fescue establishes best without a companion crop. If using a companion crop, we recommend wheat (cross-seeded in a separate pass), LibertyLink canola (seeded in same row, same pass), or flax, which is ideal. In the case of wheat or oats, we recommend reducing seeding rate of the companion crop by 1/3. Barley is not recommended as a companion crop.

    Seeding depth: ½ inch. Cannot exceed 1 inch.

    Seeding rate: 4 to 5 lb/acre (1.75 to 2.25 kg/acre). Row spacing of 10 to 12 inches is ideal to provide sufficient rooting room, thus enhancing tillering and seed yield potential.

    Fertilizer: 70 to 90 lbs of Nitrogen/acre required for each year of seed production. 40 lbs/ac of Phosphate should be applied in fall prior to production years. Fall fertility is highly recommended prior to each year of production to ensure nutrients are accessible when plant breaks dormancy. K and S requirements are similar to wheat and should be based on soil samples.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Fungicide: The use of fungicide is highly recommended. Consult field staff for information.

    Harvest: The field is typically ready to swath mid to late July. The seed is ready for combining 6 to 10 days after swathing. Aeration is required. The seed is safe for storage at 12% moisture or lower. Resources such as moisture charts and combine settings are available via field staff.

Tall Fescue

  • Tall fescue is a deep-rooted, perennial bunch grass that is harvested for 2-3 years. It develops a relatively deep root system and has strong salinity tolerance. Most varieties contain endophytes that could be hazardous to livestock. Please consult our field staff for more details on endophytes. Tall fescue can be established in the spring with a companion crop but is best established by itself in the spring or summer.

  • Tall Fescue (Festuca Arundinacea)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract influence the field selection, in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are quackgrass, wild oats, foxtail, and other coarse grasses. Broadleaved weeds of concern include cleavers, canola, cockles, dock and thistles.

    Seeding: Tall fescue establishes best without a companion crop. If using a companion crop, we recommend wheat (cross-seeded in a separate pass), LibertyLink canola (same row, same pass), or flax, which is ideal. In the case of wheat or oats, we recommend reducing seeding rate of the companion crop by 1/3. Barley is not recommended as a companion crop.

    Seeding depth: ½ to ¾ inch. Cannot exceed 1 inch.

    Seeding rate: 6-8 lb/ac (2.75-3.7 kg/ac)

    Fertilizer: 90 to 110 lbs of Nitrogen/acre required for each year of production. 40 lbs/ac of Phosphate should be applied in fall prior to production years. Fall fertility is highly recommended prior to each year of production to ensure nutrients are accessible when plant breaks dormancy. K and S requirements are similar to wheat and should be based on soil samples.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Fungicide: The use of fungicide is highly recommended. Consult field staff for information.

    Harvest: The field is typically ready to swath in late July to early August, roughly 25 days after flowering. The seed is ready for combining 6 to 10 days after swathing. Aeration is required. The seed is safe for storage at 12% moisture or lower. Resources such as moisture charts and combine settings are available via field staff.

Birdsfoot Trefoil

  • Birdsfoot Trefoil is a perennial legume. It is often used as a non-bloat substitute for alfalfa. Trefoil is adaptive to most soil types and does well in poorer soils that other crops will not. It is tolerant to waterlogged soils. Trefoil has a well-developed taproot with numerous branches. Trefoil has an indeterminate growth habit meaning that flowers and seed pods may be in varying stages of development at any given time.

  • Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus Corniculatus)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract influence the field selection, in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are clovers, cockles, cleavers, canola, alfalfa, lamb’s quarters, red-root pigweed, dandelions and Canada thistle.

    Seeding: Trefoil is best seeded without a companion crop. If using a companion crop, seed companion at 2/3 the normal rate and reduce nitrogen levels. Wheat and flax work well as companion crops. When selecting a wheat variety, choose one that stands well and is early maturing. Companion crop lodging will affect establishment. Canola should be avoided as a companion due to quality concerns.

    Seeding depth: ½ inch

    Seeding rate: 2-3 lb/acre (1 – 1.5 kg/acre)

    Fertilizer: Birdsfoot Trefoil seed should be inoculated to ensure maximum nitrogen fixation. Other nutrient levels are best addressed in the year of seeding. Adequate phosphate levels will improve nitrogen fixation. Other nutrient needs can be addressed via soil or tissue sampling.

    Pollination: Honey bees are required to maximize seed yield potential for Birds-foot Trefoil. The general recommendation is 2 strong colonies per acre.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Harvest: Harvest typically occurs in mid-August. The crop can either be desiccated and straight combined or swathed when 75-80% of the seed heads are mature. The crop must be closely watched during harvest time due to risk of pod shatter.

Red Clover

  • Red clover can be split into diploid and tetraploid types. Tetraploids, like the diploids from which they originated, may be of the early flowering double-cut, or late flowering single-cut types. However, they often flower later, than corresponding diploids and usually have coarser stems, larger leaves, larger flowers and slightly larger seed. With respect to seed production, diploids are generally higher yielding than tetraploids, so tetraploids often carry a price premium.

  • Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense)

    Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract can influence field selection in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are alfalfa, Canada thistle, cockles, cleavers, volunteer canola and the presence of other clover species.

    Seeding: Red clover is best seeded by itself. If using a companion crop, seed the companion crop at 2/3 the normal rate and reduce nitrogen levels. Wheat and flax work well as companion crops. When selecting a wheat variety, choose one that stands well and is early maturing. Companion crop lodging is a concern in getting a proper establishment.

    Seeding depth: ½ inch

    Seeding rate: 3 to 4 lb/acre (1.35 to 1.8 kg/acre)

    Fertilizer: Red clover seed should be inoculated to ensure maximum nitrogen fixation. Other nutrient levels are best addressed in the year of seeding. Adequate Phosphate levels will improve nitrogen fixation.

    Pollination: Honey bees are required to maximize seed yield potential for red clover. The general recommendation is 2 strong colonies per acre.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Harvest: Harvest typically occurs late September and into October. The crop can either be desiccated and straight combined or swathed when 75-80% of the seed heads are mature.

Alsike Clover

  • Alsike clover is a short-lived perennial (1 year of seed production) and is well suited to most soils. Alsike can handle excess moisture. It does tolerate more acid and alkalinity than red clover.

  • Contract Quality: The quality specs of the contract influence the field selection, in terms of weed issues. Some weed issues to consider are other clover species, alfalfa, cockles, cleavers, canola, lamb’s quarters, redroot pigweed, and Canada thistle.

    Seeding: Alsike clover is best seeded by itself. If using a companion crop, seed companion at 2/3 the normal rate and reduce nitrogen levels. Wheat and flax work well as companion crops. When selecting a wheat variety, choose one that stands well and is early maturing. Companion crop lodging will affect establishment.

    Seeding depth: up to ½ inch

    Seeding rate: 3-4 lb/acre (1.5-2 kg/acre) Fertilizer: Alsike clover seed should be inoculated to ensure maximum nitrogen fixation. Other nutrient levels are best addressed in the year of seeding. Adequate Phosphate levels will improve nitrogen fixation.

    Pollination: Honey bees are required to maximize seed yield potential for alsike clover. The recommendation is 2 strong colonies per acre.

    Weed Control: Consult our field staff for herbicide options.

    Harvest: Harvest typically occurs in late August to early September. The crop can either be desiccated and straight combined or swathed when 75-80% of the seed heads are mature.

Other Species Available

Consult field staff for

additional opportunities.

Interested In Becoming a Seed Grower?

Click Here