Manitoba has historically produced some 60,000 acres of timothy seed annually, but this has dropped to below 30,000 acres in recent years due to dramatically lowered seed prices. A new development in western Canada is the production of timothy hay for export sale, primarily to Japan. Approximately 900 tonnes of export quality hay was harvested in Manitoba in 1996. The product is only of the highest quality timothy hay which is double compacted to enable economical shipping. New compacting plants are being established across Manitoba to process the timothy hay for export markets.
Producers now have the option of growing timothy hay for export sale.
This industry is seen as a major area of growth as export demand is filled. The result could have an effect on timothy seed markets and prices. When conditions limit the harvest of timothy for hay, some stands may be harvested for seed. This could result in increases in production of common timothy seed and affect timothy seed supplies. The production of quality timothy seed for export market needs remains a prime interest.