Walking certified seed fields.
/I have had the honor of working at the Pendleton Grain Growers, Inc cooperative over the past three years. This is where I have learned about the grain business. From seed all the way to exporting. A lot of time and effort goes into the baked goods you purchase at the store and my current day job has me at ground zero for this process.
I work at the McKennon Seed Cleaning Plant where we work with breeders, proprietary seed vendors, and growers to produce and sell clean certified seed to our membership and customers. Who in return plant the seeds to be grown into large crops and harvested to be sold commercially. There are a lot of local families whose livelihood depends on these crops being successful annually. Again we are at the beginning of this process and work hard to make sure the quality of seed being planted is the best around.
Part of the process of growing seed wheat is walking the fields to inspect how it is growing. Making sure we are getting a good stand and to identify and problems or off type plants growing so that we can have them removed. This attention to detail is paramount and must be carried out on foot. You learn a lot about the wheat growing as you are walking through it in 100 degree plus weather.
I plan on using the experience gained over the years at the seed plant to guarantee we are putting the best possible product into our spirits. Enjoy the photos as it was a lot of hard work to take them.
