As an introduction, we will provide some background information on native grass seed production. An ecovar is a type or kind of forage variety. We will describe how ecovars are different from the traditional types of forage varieties which you are more familiar with and we will briefly outline some of the work that is being conducted across western Canada to develop ecovars of native grass species. There is an increasing interest in using native grass species. Individuals from many different sectors are turning to native grass species to meet some of their production needs.
Many different groups make use of the native prairie that remains today.
Grasses of the native prairie provide food and shelter for many wildlife species as well as aesthetic appeal for society. In agriculture, the native prairie is a valuable grazing resource but in the past, much of it was broken and seeded to annual crops or introduced forage species. Breaking native prairie for agriculture uses has declined over the years and in many circles there is an interest in restoring land to a native prairie state. While it is probably impossible to completely restore land to a native prairie, a step in that direction is to use native species in restoration or revegetation strategies. In agriculture, reseeding to native species provides the rancher or farmer with supplemental grazing options.