Oregon Wholesale Seed Company offers contract production to other companies that look to place production in our local area. Working with our family’s facilities and experience we are able to offer these services for crops that can be grown in our area. We have the capabilities to process, package and ship varying quantities.
We are experienced in:
- Grass Seed Production, Processing and Packaging
- Flower Seed Production, Processing and Packaging
- Grain Production, Processing and Packaging
- Vegetable Production, Processing and Packaging
- Brassicas, Radish, Swiss Chard and Others Production, Processing and Packaging
We also offer seed processing services and if you are interested in learning more about seed processing and cleaning please visit our www.trianglefarmseeds.com site.
Native Seed Production
Oregon Wholesale Seed Company in the last five years has done a lot of research into Native Seed Production and is currently working with Triangle Farms, Inc. in identifying, collecting and growing out many native seeds that are found in the Northwest.
There has been very little information on production of native species west of the cascades. We hope that in the future to be able to offer larger quantities of native grasses and forbs. It is our goal to bring these products into the market place as a viable alternative to conventional crops in applications where they would be much more practicable to use. Such as highways, forest lands, parks and recreation or private lands to name a few applications.
Due to the amount of seed available, research and site specifics of these seeds and the costs associated with this type of production makes it very difficult to compete with the conventional seeds that are presently offered. In time we should be able to offer a larger selection of species suited for wetlands, wetland prairies, oak savannas and conifer forests of the Northwest. We currently offer contract production to government and businesses that need site specific seed grown for projects where there is a need for increase of seed they have collected. We offer production from small beds to large acreage production providing research data in production of these species.
If you are working with any of the following agencies or would just like a quote on a grow-out for seed please contact us. The following is a list of businesses that have used our seed or the species of seed we produce.
- Large Business and Private Land Owners
- US Forest Service
- Fish and Wildlife
- Ducks Unlimited
- BLM
- Parks and Recreation
- Cities – Public Works Projects
- Nature Conservancy
We also specialize in processing and packaging very small amounts to large amounts of seed. We have provided seed cleaning for several agencies specializing in hand collected forbs and grasses. Please visit our www.trianglefarmseeds.com site for more information on this.
Seed Production Procedure
We normally plant seed in the fall through early spring that you collect and supply us from your source. If we have seed from an area you need we can supply the seed for the planting. We do on some occasions collect seed.
Most plantings will produce you seed for 3 to 4 years depending on the species but it can take two years to start producing seed. It is important that you plan your order before August 15 by contacting us.
We need to be notified of the plant species, quantity of seed, the size of the area you wish to plant propagation and desired quantities needed. Seed collected should be tested for purity and viability such as a TZ to insure the seed is viable to plant and the correct seed was collected free of contaminants.
Based on our experience we will select a site on our farm that best suits your seed based on the information you give us, and the knowledge we have of the species we are planting. If we have several of the same species we will plant in different locations to keep the isolation between some plantings in order to keep your species from crossing with others if needed.
We prepare the soil as needed to plant. Seed is planted with a planter that allows us to cultivate as much needed to keep the area clean of weeds. The fields are monitored through the winter to watch for damage from weather and pests. In the later part of February and March these plants come out of dormancy and start to grow. It is very important to monitor these crops closely through to harvest. This is a critical growing time when plants need careful monitoring for disease, pests, weeds and seed maturing.
Fields have to be maintained well through harvest. Since there are several harvest methods we must consider which method would be the most efficient and will produce the maximum amount of seed.
When the seed is harvested it is received into the seed processing plant where it is weighed, cataloged in and checked for moisture. If the moisture needs to be reduced we have a forced air facility where heat can be added as needed. Once the seed is checked and at the proper moisture it is stored until it is processed to remove empty seed, straw, inert and other contaminants.
After the seed is processed it is weighed back and sampled for purity and viability according to your preference.
Once seed meets your previous agreed specifications it is ready for your use.
