About
Lewis Seed Co. was founded in 1997 by Monte Lewis, a prominent farmer with more than 30 years of seed-growing experience in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Lewis Seed’s original office and warehouse was located on the farm where most of the seed was being conditioned and stored.
In June of 2008, Lewis Seed completed construction of its current facility, which can warehouse approximately 2.5 million pounds of seed.
The Lewis Seed Advantage
Lewis Seed has been built on the idea innovation – taking a proactive approach to improving supplier processes and improving the effectiveness of turf, forage and cover crop products. The company’s entire supply chain is built on increasing efficiency, so reasonable prices and high-quality seed can be passed all the way down to the consumer. Furthermore, Lewis Seed is actively working with plant breeders, seed distributors and consumers to provide increasingly better products and develop products that meet specific challenges.
- Lewis Seed is a grower-based company, which allows for direct control of seed production.
- The farm alone produce more than 5,000 acres of seed crops and provides up to 5 million pounds of additional seed storage.
- The company is small enough to be flexible and adaptable, yet large enough to fill any customer’s orders.
Research
Lewis Seed works with the finest independent and university plant breeders from around the world. Turf and forage varieties are constantly being reviewed and tested. Furthermore, Lewis Seed was one of the first seed production companies to test the effectiveness of various species and varieties for use as a cover crop. Annual ryegrass testing in the Midwest began in 2005 as part of a collaborative effort with the University of Illinois Extension Service. Testing continues with various broadleaf species.
Development – Turf
Products in the turf development pipeline include:
- Creeper: a new generation strong creeper with dark color
- Turf-type Annual Ryegrass: finer leaf, dark green color and screened for salt tolerance
- Kentucky Bluegrass: improved turf varieties
- Turf-type Perennial Ryegrass: One variety with better cold tolerance and a variety with creeping characteristics
Development – Forage
Products in the forage development pipeline:
- Diploid Annual Ryegrass: excellent rust resistance, with high forage yield
- Clovers: improved red and white clovers, with higher forage yields and increased persistence
- Forage Tall Fescue: increased cold tolerance
- Kentucky Bluegrass: improved forage variety for better forage yields