A study of direct combine harvesting of selected grass and legume seeds

The first and foremost incentive for this study lies in the value of the seed which is lost each year. The average yield of crimson clover is 110 pounds per acre, of a potential yield of 500 pounds per acre. This results in a loss of approximately three million dollars which might have been realized by Tennessee farmers with better harvesting practices. A major portion of the 1.5 million dollars of orchardgrass seed imported from Denmark in 1953 was planted in Tennessee. The entire Southeast produces over one-half of the United States’ supply of lespedeza, crimson clover, and tall fescue (15).¹ Increased local production of high quality seed can result in a substantial saving and also provide better locally adapted seed (6).