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CaI/West Seeds
Woodland, California
Co-op service: Cal/West Seeds has built a reputation on professional research, production and marketing enhancing its position as a leader in the forage seed industry. It supplies the highest quality seeds to customers around the world. It's proud to have been one of the first in the seed industry to establish a private forage research program in 1959.
Co-op leadership: Paul Frey was recently appointed president and chief executive officer after serving for the past eight years as vice president of marketing.
Co-op's history and changes: Cal/West Seeds was formed in 1969 from the merger of Calapproved Seed Growers, Modesto, and Caladino Farm Seeds' Inc., Artois. It was said that, "The two were virtually stepping over each other in seed production, sales and in the recruitment of seed growing members." Today, Cal/West has 550 member growers in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. It ranks as the largest member-owned seed production cooperative in the United States. It is headed up by a nine-member board of directors, composed of member-growers and four operating officers.
Services members expect: Whether its alfalfa (over 70 varieties), any number of clovers or sudangrasses, Cal/West produces and markets a full line of forage seed. The company's major research efforts center on the development and production of proprietary alfalfa varieties for marketing to customers throughout the world. Each product has been developed or adapted to fit the specific geographic needs of farmers. Research and marketing efforts are freestanding programs independent of any partnership or joint ventures. The research objective is to remain committed to meeting customer needs for improved germplasm and to continue positioning for future growth. Aggressive, cutting-edge breeding programs are focused on developing varieties that have the genetic potential to maximize farm profitability. Investment in biotechnology research will position Cal/West Seeds to develop transgenic varieties with enhancements in yield, quality, pest resistance and herbicide resistance.
How does the co-op operate? It markets products throughout the world via seed companies that sell directly to farmers. Cal/West's products are sold in nearly every state and around the globe, to customers who understand, appreciate and demand the highest standards of seed quality. The marketing rights for proprietary products developed by Cal/West research are licensed to companies that sell them under their own brand name within their marketing region. Publicly developed varieties are sold to wholesale customers on a containerlot, trucklot or carlot basis. In addition, Cal/West provides contract production of varieties for customers around the world. Whatever the market, the goal remains the same: provide the very finest in seed quality, packaged with care and delivered according to each customer's exact specifications.
Where its facilities are located: California seed conditioning facilities are located in Artois, Galt, Tranquillity and Woodland, Calif Two other conditioning facilities are located in Othello and Touchet, Wash. In addition to its seed conditioning facility, Woodland includes the cooperative's headquarters, research headquarters, an oil seed conditioning and storage plant, and a 21,400-ton bulk safflower elevator complex. The cooperative maintains an extensive greenhouse, trial grounds and office in West Salem, Wis. Cal/West's research and conditioning facilities are rated among the best in the forage seed industry.
A co-op fact: The success of Cal/West's quality control program rests on its ability to make everyone in the organization - from the grower and the agronomist, to the registered seed technologist - feel responsible for the quality of the seed shipped to customers. Grower-members maintain an ownership position in the cooperative. Quality means more to growers as they have an important stake in the success and reputation of the organization. To growers, producing quality seed in the field helps guarantee Cal/West's leadership role in the forage seed industry.
To learn more:
Cal/West Seeds
P.O. Box 1428
Woodland, CA 95776
Phone: 530-666-3331; fax 530-666-5317;
www.calwestseeds.com