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Experience key to Vista Seed Partners

Mom, daughters say the time was right to jump into business

SHEDD — Christie McDowell and her daughters did a little “soul searching” before they decided that the opportunity was right for them to start a business.

Together, Christie and daughters Mandi Mack and Marissa McDowell decided to trust their skills and take the leap to open Vista Seed Partners in Shedd. They will be supplying custom and proprietary turf grass and forage products to customers across the country.

“It was the opportune time,” Christie said. “We have the experience.”

Christie has been an executive in the seed industry for 30 years, has served as president of the Oregon Seed Association (only the second woman to hold that post) and is active in numerous state and national seed organizations.

Her daughters combine for another 20-plus years in the industry.

“We’ve been through the changes and we believe the seed industry is improving,” Christie said. “The timing was right for us.”

Three women running a seed company isn’t very common. But Christie says their experience opens plenty of doors.

“It’s a little unusual,” Marissa said. “We were all born and raised right here, though, and people are more interested in the fact that we know the business. They want a reliable partner who can help them grow their product. We’re very service oriented.”

The company opened its doors Sept. 8 at 30140 Highway 99E, at the edge of Shedd. It is in the same building the housed Willamette Seed for many years.

The new owners went to work remodeling the 1,700-square-foot interior, gutting most of it and making it a home for their business. Construction is still in progress, but should be complete in another week.

“We have been moving around inside while it is getting finished,” said Marissa, who is involved mostly in the sales end of the company.

All three work in sales, with Christie in charge of production and purchasing and Mandi involved in the marketing end.

There are seven full-time employees who make up the technical team. Jerry Pepin, turf specialist, who is a leading expert on trufgrass breeding, Christie said. He will provide customer counseling and lead product development.

The company didn’t waste time getting down to business. It has been selling and shipping seeds since day one of business.

“We have good relationships with local farmers and warehouses,” Christie said. “Our warehouses are located here in Shedd and Tangent.”

The location has helped in getting Vista established. It’s easily accessible from either direction on 99E.

Although open only a month, business has been steady, according to Christie. She said they have created long-term partnerships with growers and distributors.

“So far things have pleasantly surprised us,” Christie said. “Between the three of us, we don’t rely on regional sales. We follow the relationship no matter where it may be across the country.”

Information on Vista Seed Partners, which has operating hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, is available on the company website at www.vistaseedpartners.com or by calling 800-975-6939.

The original article published on the Albany-Democrat Herald can be found here. 

CHS and Thomas Ag Services launch seed distribution and private label seed program

TANGENT, ORE.; Oct. 21, 2014 – CHS Inc., leading U.S. farmer-owned cooperative and a global agriculture and energy business, and Thomas Ag Services, LLC, today announce an agreement to develop a new CHS private label and commodity seed program for CHS retail service centers.

The program will benefit from the production, marketing and agronomic services of Thomas Ag Services combined with the production, blending, packaging, distribution and agronomic services of CHS in Tangent, Ore. It will offer CHS locations and other ag retailers a diverse line of private-label seed products and commodity seed including forage, cover crop, turf, wildlife food plot and native grasses. The products will be supported by regional product specialists and promoted through print and digital marketing.

Suppliers, including growers, currently working with CHS and Thomas Ag Services are expected to benefit from the additional value of this private label program.

“We’re excited to be able to offer these quality products and services through the CHS system, while adding value for the farmers we serve,” said Kevin Rogers, General Manager, Madras-based retail location of CHS. “Cooperatives and their producers are always looking for a more cost-effective and reliable supply of seed products.”

“The timing of this program couldn’t be better with tighter supplies of quality seed mixtures, especially in forage and cover crop,” said Mike Thomas, CEO, Thomas Ag Services.  “Our team is excited and prepared to support a successful CHS distributor operations and private label seed program.”

About Thomas Ag Services
Thomas Ag Services, LLC (thomasagconsult.com) is a leading seed production, marketing, procurement, and agronomic consulting and services company. Thomas Ag Services works with companies of all sizes, farmer producers, plant breeders, production companies, distributors, and retailers to help them reach their business goals.

About CHS
CHS Inc. (chsinc.com) is a leading global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, grains and foods, CHS is committed to helping its customers, farmer-owners and other stakeholders grow their businesses through its domestic and global operations. CHS, a Fortune 100 company, supplies energy, crop nutrients, grain marketing services, animal feed, food and food ingredients, along with business solutions including insurance, financial and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex® brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products.

See the full press release here.

Pennington Seed Becomes the Official Lawn Care Company of The New York Yankees

The iconic team will utilize the portfolio of Pennington grass seed products to maintain the field at Yankee Stadium starting in the 2014 season.

MADISON, Ga., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — To mark the beginning of the 2014 baseball season
and to kickoff the spring growing season, Pennington Seed, Inc., today announced it has finalized an
agreement to become the official lawn care company of the New York Yankees. As part of the multi-
year partnership, Pennington will develop and provide a portfolio of grass seed products to support
the unique aesthetic, functional and maintenance needs of the iconic field at Yankee Stadium.

The New York Yankees sought Pennington to address the rigorous demands and continuous wear placed on their field. The Yankees grounds crew selected Pennington grass seed for its best-in-class aesthetic appeal and durability, as well as for its ease of maintenance. In addition, the partnership includes field days for professionals and local in-store promotions.

“We’re proud that the dedicated turf professionals of Yankee Stadium and the New York Yankees turned to Pennington to deliver the highest quality seed for their field,” said Jeff Crow, vice president of marketing at Central Garden & Pet Company, the parent company of Pennington Seed. “Whether being used to maintain the field at Yankee Stadium or to repair or establish your own yard, Pennington products are designed to establish thicker, fuller grass that can withstand the rigors of regular use, while using up to 30 percent less water versus ordinary seed.”

From 81 home games to concerts and other events, the multi-function field at Yankee Stadium is continuously used throughout the year.

“We are very excited to begin a relationship with Pennington. We hope that utilizing Pennington grass seed products at Yankee Stadium, along with the in-Stadium signage, expands its brand awareness,” said Michael J. Tusiani, New York Yankees Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales and Sponsorships.

Pennington offers a variety of grass seed mixes and blends to suit the needs of every homeowner. Pennington grass seed is available at home improvement stores and select independent retailers nationwide, including throughout the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For additional information about Pennington Seed, please visit www.penningtonseed.com or go towww.facebook.com/PenningtonSeed.

About Pennington Seed
Founded in 1945 by Brooks Pennington, Sr., Pennington Seed, Inc. had humble beginnings as a small feed and seed store located in Madison, Ga., where the company is still headquartered today. Since the company’s founding, Pennington Seed has grown into one of the largest manufacturers, producers and distributors of lawn & garden and turf care products in the world, with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, observation nurseries and quality control labs located across the country.

Pennington Seed is owned by the Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Central Garden & Pet Company (Nasdaq: CENT, CENTA), a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supply markets. To learn more about Pennington Seed, visitwww.penningtonseed.com. For additional information on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company’s SEC filings, visit www.central.com.

The original article published on Yahoo can be found here. 

OSU Department of Crop and Soil Science gets new leader

By MITCH LIES

Jay Noller, shown outside the Oregon State University Crop Science Building, has been selected as the new head of university’s Department of Crop and Soil Science. Noller has been with the department since 2000 and has served as an associate head of the department since 2008. Jay Noller has been chosen to lead Oregon State University’s Department of Crop and Soil Science. He has been at the university since 2000.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State University has selected a long-time College of Agricultural Sciences soils professor to head its Department of Crop and Soil Science.

Jay Noller, 55, replaces Russ Karow, who is retiring after 14 years in the position.

Noller, who served as associated head of the department for the past six years, said he is embracing the opportunity to administer on a full-time basis.

“This is where my personal energy was going,” Noller said, “just facilitating my colleagues. Now I get to do it full time.

“I see this as an opportunity to lift a heavy load for my colleagues, because I am thrilled with what they are doing,” he said.

Noller has been at OSU since 2000 and a full professor since 2012. He started in his new position Oct. 1.

Noller’s background includes a five-year stint as a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and a second five-year stint as co-founder of William Lettis and Associates, now Fugro Worldwide, a firm specializing in geoscience services.

Noller also spent four year as an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and was a teaching assistant at the University at Colorado in Boulder, where he obtained his Ph.D.

He obtained his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from California State University in Los Angeles, both also in geology.

His research has been focused primarily on the long-term effects of human interaction with soil. He recently had a two volume book published looking at paleo agricultural systems in the Eastern Mediterranean with a central question of how long humans can farm a plot of land.

“In the places I’ve looked at, like in Syria, it’s been 15,000 years that people are still cropping the same field, the same plot of land, and (that land) is not too unlike our soils that we have in places around Oregon. So I am very optimistic about Oregon agriculture.”

Noller was chosen from a field of on- and off-campus candidates by a selection committee that included stakeholders and faculty and staff.

“Jay has tremendous experience with Oregon State University,” College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Dan Arp said. “He knows the university well, he knows the college well, and, most importantly, knows the department well.

“He also has strong scholarly interests and accomplishments that are important to the department and bring important strengths to the position,” Arp said.

Arp said the selection committee did not consider Noller’s lack of direct experience in extension as a liability.

“Jay understands the importance of all the pieces of the mission of the college, from the education mission to the research mission and the extension, outreach and engagement mission,” Arp said.

“He has a good understanding of all of those pieces and how they fit together and how they integrate across the department’s mission,” Arp said.

The original article published on Capital Press can be found here.

Oregon shines in national Census of Agriculture

By Tracy Loew, Statesman Journal

Hood River leads the nation in pear production. Clackamas County harvests the most Christmas trees in the country. And Umatilla County grows the most green peas nationwide.

In fact, Oregon counties show up 113 times in theCensus of Agriculture’s top 50 lists.

“There are more than 3,000 counties nationwide, and for us to show up in the top 50 in so many categories is a great testimony to the industry we have in Oregon, said Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture completes the census every five years. Data for 2012 was recently released.

Marion County is an agricultural powerhouse, with 10 commodities ranking in the top 50 nationwide.

Overall, Marion County ranks No. 36 nationally in total crop value and No. 71 in total agricultural production.

There were 2,567 farms in Marion County in 2012, down 73 from the previous census in 2007. The number of acres also fell, from 307,647 to 286,194, or 7 percent.

Oregon also is tied for sixth nationwide for the number of organic farms.

Lane County leads the way with 60 organic growers, followed by Clackamas with 53, Yamhill, Linn and Jackson with 36 each, and Marion with 35.

The annual market values of organic products in Oregon increased from $88 million to $194 million between 2007 and 2012, according to census figures.

“We’ve seen strong growth in specialty food processors using local organic ingredients in their products,” said Lindsay Eng, ODA’s director for market access and certification program.

The original article published on the Statesman Journal can be found here. 

Oregon Ag Ranks Near The Top Nationally

070814 Wheat HarvestSALEM, OR — The diversity of Oregon agriculture is on display, as several counties rank at or near the top nationally in the production of various crops and livestock.  While there are more than 3,000 counties nationally, the latest Census of Agriculture numbers show Oregon’s 36 counties stack up quite well in specific production.

“There are numbers here that show top 50 production for Willamette Valley counties, for Eastern Oregon counties, for Central Oregon counties, for coastal counties. Oregon has something to be proud of in terms of national rankings throughout the state.”

Land-use specialist Jim Johnson said some of the state’s counties actually lead the entire nation.

“Clackamas County is the number one Christmas tree county in the country. Hood River County, number one pear producer in the United States. Linn County, the grass seed capital of the world. Everybody has seen the billboard going down Interstate 5. The numbers reflect it, Linn County is the number one grass seed county in the country.”

The original article published on My Central Oregon can be found here. 

Mid-Willamette Valley’s grass seed harvest delivers good but not stellar yields for farmers

Oregon Daily Life oregon grass seed harvest
A combine makes a final pass on a grass seed field west of Red Bridge Road southeast of Albany on July 31, 2014. (AP)

ALBANY — The grass seed harvest in the mid-Willamette Valley is wrapping up, and local farmers have begun combining wheat and clover fields.

Clare Sullivan, the new seed crops specialist in the Linn County office of the Oregon State University Extension Service, said most farmers she has talked to report a good — but not stellar — yields.

“I haven’t heard much grumbling about yields, so they must not be too bad,” Sullivan said.

Spotty rainfall two weeks ago affected harvest variably throughout the mid-valley.

“The southern part of the valley got about one-quarter of an inch, and it delayed harvest two or three days,” Sullivan said, “but some areas got a lot more rain, and farmers didn’t get back into the fields for a week.”

Yields seem to be average to slightly above average, Sullivan said.

Some wheat has already been harvested, Sullivan said.

“There was some concern the rain might cause sprout, but I was talking with a field rep and he hadn’t found any.”

Tangent area farmer Dennis Glaser said that his crews were wrapping up grass seed and had started on wheat and clover.

“Our tall fescue did reasonably well, probably a little better than I had anticipated after the dry June,” Glaser said. “There wasn’t a lot of ground moisture to carry crops through.”

Glaser said his perennial ryegrass yields are off about 20 percent from last year, in terms of bulk weight and he didn’t grow any annual ryegrass.

“The wheat looks good, probably about equal with last year, perhaps a little better,” he said. “I’m happy so far with the wheat.”

Wheat prices had been holding above $7 per bushel, but a bumper crop of corn in the Midwest has pushed the price of corn down to about $3.50 per bushel. Wheat prices follow corn prices and have dropped to about $6.75 in Portland.

“Everything’s predicated on corn yield and prices,” Glaser said of the global marketplace.

Nick Bowers farms near Harrisburg and is a partner in KB Seed Solutions.

grass seed oregon
Seed grass grows in an Oregon field in 2007.Tom Brandt/Flickr
“I’m finishing up grass seed today,” Bowers said Tuesday morning. “I have all annual ryegrass. The yields have been pretty good, but prices are down a bit. We hope yields balances out the price differences.”

Bowers said the recent rainfall’s effect on yields probably varied mostly based on soil types.

“Yields were probably hurt on the sandy, river bottom fields,” Bowers said.

Bowers said overall seed purchases appear to be a bit sluggish, but he says orders depend a great deal on weather patterns in the south and eastern portions of the country.

“Customers have also begun waiting because they know they can get orders within a week,” Bowers said. “They’re not ordering until they absolutely need it.”

Bowers said he plans to start harvesting clover today and says he never predicts clover yields until it’s in the bin.

“You just never know until you get it in,” he said.

Bruce Pokarney of the state Department of Agriculture said farmers in the northern parts of the valley finished their grass seed harvest at least two weeks ago and have begun burning stubble.

Although field burning was banned about five years ago for virtually all of the mid-valley, Pokarney said it remains allowed on about 15,000 acres in the north valley.

“Farmers will end up burning about 12,000 to 13,000 acres this year,” Pokarney said.

At its peak, mid-valley farmers burned 250,000 acres of grass seed stubble annually. In 1988, a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 5 was caused in part by low visibility due to smoke and seven persons died. Over the next 10 years, the number of acres burned decreased to 65,000 acres and in 2009, field burning was banned except for a limited area in the northeastern area of the Willamette Valley, primarily in Marion County, on highly-erodible lands.

The original article published in The Register Guard on 8/9/14 can be found here.

Russia ban won’t hurt Oregon growers

By Colton Totland, Statesman Journal

Oregon will largely avoid repercussions of the one-year agriculture embargo imposed by Russia on Wednesday, despite being an important exporter of such goods in several countries across the world.

While the ban announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin ends roughly $1.6 billion in trade with the U.S., it affects just 1 percent of all American agriculture exports, and an even smaller percentage of exports from Oregon.

What’s more, the ban comes at a time of record agricultural exports for producers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A May report forecasts the U.S. — already the world’s largest provider of farm-related products — as exporting $149.5 billion in goods by the end of the fiscal year, a 6 percent increase over 2013.

The product most restricted by the embargo — poultry, which amounted to $300 million of the trade with Russia last year, according to the USDA — don’t come from Oregon. Agricultural producers in the state sent just $4.5 million in products to Russia in 2013, mostly pears, seeds and beef.

“Bottom line: Russia is not a very big customer of Oregon ag products at this time,” said Bruce Pokarney of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

RELATED STORY: Show your ag love: Farmers market postage stamps

Oregon is a prominent trade partner in other parts of the world, however. The state exported $2.6 billion in goods in 2012, according to Business Oregon, about one-third of its overall production. Many of the state’s key trade partners, such as Japan, South Korea and nations in the South Pacific, rely on Oregon for their food production needs.

“There are so many markets around the world that are highly developed and yet resource poor,” said Allan Christian, a senior trade specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Stationed in Portland, Christian works with Oregon agriculture businesses looking to export to international markets.

“These nations are reliant on imports for agricultural products to feed the population. They need everything from raw commodities to processed foods and beverages,” he said.

Several of those nations are long-standing trade partners of Oregon, Christian said, particularly Japan.

“Japan has been a well-developed business partner of Oregon for a very long time. You’re seeing the result of relationships that have developed over decades,” he said.

When it comes to the trade with Russia, Christian said it hardly registers.

“Undoubtedly, we’re exporting some there. But I’m just not aware of it,” he said.

For Christian, the bigger concern for Oregon trade is technology exports to Russia, namely processor giant Intel and medical equipment companies such as A-dec. He said while it wouldn’t be disastrous for Oregon manufacturers, an embargo on these goods by Russia could begin to impact the Oregon economy.

“Russia is not a crucial trade partner for Oregon in any area, but still — if they do broaden the embargo — that could begin to affect Oregon more seriously,” Christian said.

The original article published in The Register Guard on 8/8/14 can be found here. 

Grass seed harvest looks good

ALBANY — The grass seed harvest in the mid-Willamette Valley is wrapping up, and local farmers have begun combining wheat and clover fields.

Clare Sullivan, the new seed crops specialist in the Linn County office of the OSU Extension Service, said most farmers she has talked to report a good — but not stellar — yields.

“I haven’t heard much grumbling about yields, so they must not be too bad,” Sullivan said.

Spotty rainfall two weeks ago affected harvest variably throughout the mid-valley.

“The southern part of the valley got about one-quarter of an inch, and it delayed harvest two or three days,” Sullivan said. “But some areas got a lot more rain, and farmers didn’t get back into the fields for a week.”

Yields seem to be average to slightly above average, Sullivan said.

Some wheat has already been harvested, Sullivan said.

“There was some concern the rain might cause sprout, but I was talking with a field rep and he hadn’t found any.”

Tangent area farmer Dennis Glaser said that his crews were wrapping up grass seed and had started on wheat and clover.

“Our tall fescue did reasonably well, probably a little better than I had anticipated after the dry June,” Glaser said. “There wasn’t a lot of ground moisture to carry crops through.”

Glaser said his perennial ryegrass yields are off about 20 percent from last year, in terms of bulk weight, and he didn’t grow any annual ryegrass.

“The wheat looks good, probably about equal with last year, perhaps a little better,” he said. “I’m happy so far with the wheat.”

Wheat prices had been holding above $7 per bushel, but a bumper crop of corn in the Midwest has pushed the price of corn down to about $3.50 per bushel. Wheat prices follow corn prices and have dropped to about $6.75 in Portland.

“Everything’s predicated on corn yield and prices,” Glaser said of the global marketplace.

Nick Bowers farms near Harris­burg and is a partner in KB Seed Solutions.

“I’m finishing up grass seed today,” Bowers said Tuesday morning. “I have all annual ryegrass. The yields have been pretty good, but prices are down a bit. We hope yields balances out the price differences.”

Bowers said the recent rainfall’s effect on yields probably varied mostly based on soil types. “Yields were probably hurt on the sandy, river bottom fields,” he said.

Bowers said overall seed purchases appear to be a bit sluggish, but he says orders depend a great deal on weather patterns in the south and eastern portions of the country.

“Customers have also begun waiting because they know they can get orders within a week,” Bowers said. “They’re not ordering until they absolutely need it.”

Bowers said he planned to start harvesting clover this week and he never predicts clover yields until it’s in the bin. “You just never know until you get it in,” he said.

Bruce Pokarney of the state Department of Agriculture said farmers in the northern parts of the valley finished their grass seed harvest at least two weeks ago and have begun burning stubble.

Although field burning was banned about five years ago for virtually all of the mid-valley, Pokarney said it remains allowed on about 15,000 acres in the north valley. “Farmers will end up burning about 12,000 to 13,000 acres this year,” Pokarney said.

At its peak, mid-valley farmers burned 250,000 acres of grass seed stubble annually. In 1988, a multivehicle accident on Interstate 5 was caused in part by low visibility due to smoke and seven persons died. Over the next 10 years, the number of acres burned decreased to 65,000 acres and in 2009, field burning was banned except for a limited area in the northeastern area of the Willamette Valley, primarily in Marion County, on highly erodible lands.

The original article published in The Register Guard on 8/7/14 can be found here. 

Oregon grass seed harvest winds down

By Eric Mortenson
Capital Press

Oregon’s grass seed industry finds stability after some rocky years during the recession.

Oregon’s grass seed harvest will wrap up within the next week or so and appears on pace to continue the industry’s recovery after the recession slammed the housing market.

Roger Beyer, executive director of the Oregon Seed Council, said seed yield is average to slightly above average. Seed quality will be determined as the cleaning process begins.

Oregon leads the nation in production of multiple varieties of grass seed, which is used for lawns, parks, pastures and sports field. Grass seed was Oregon’s sixth most valuable commodity in 2012, worth about $411 million.

Farmers are harvesting about 129,000 acres of annual ryegrass this summer, up slightly from 2013. Perennial ryegrass acreage is 112,000 acres, tall fescue turf planting cover about 118,000 acres.

While the acreage planted in grass seed is significant, it has dropped from the days when Oregon farmers planted 180,000 to 190,000 acres in annual ryegrass alone. Demand for grass seed dropped when the recession hit in 2009, and has only recovered in the past couple years.

“The acreage will never get back to where it was because permanent replacement crops have gone in,” especially hazelnuts and blueberries, Beyer said.

Wheat and clover were planted in former grass seed fields during the lean years, but those are rotational crops which allow a return to grass seed, he said.

The original article published in Capital Press on 8/6/14 can be found here.