Hall, New York
December 2, 2008
 Seedway
is celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2008, with special
recognition given to its vegetable seed business unit which has
been evolving since the early 20th century.
Seedway, prior to 1971, operated as Robson Quality Seeds, which
originated with the Robson family in Hall, NY in 1923. The
company bred and produced vegetable seed on local farms in Hall.
When the company name was changed to Seedway in 1971, a modest
sweet corn development program was established, as well as a
partnership with Bejo Zaden of The Netherlands. Seedway is the
exclusive Northeastern U.S. distributor.
In 1992, under Agway, Inc. ownership, the decades-old Agway
vegetable seed business was merged with the Seedway vegetable
seed business under Seedway management.
Agway’s vegetable seed business resulted from the merger of the
GLF and Eastern States Cooperative businesses in 1964. Agway
packet seed first appeared in the Northeast in that year.
Seedway continues to provide that product line to Agway
franchise retailers in the Northeast and in some Midwestern
states.
The Hershey Trial Farm, located in Hershey, PA, became part of
Seedway’s vegetable seed program in 1993 and continues today as
one of the premier vegetable demonstration and trial facilities
in the eastern U.S.
Seedway purchased Burpee’s commercial vegetable seed business
from the Ball Corporation in 1996. Sequentially, Seedway
purchased the S&M (1997), Agrisales (2004), Mixon Seed and
Chesmore Seed (2007) vegetable seed businesses.
The Lakeland, FL trial facility, owned and managed by Tony Rice,
came under Seedway management with the acquisition of Agrisales.
This premier location trial ground offers two seasons, winter
and late-spring product evaluations for Seedway’s sales force
and the Company’s growing North American customer base.
Seedway vendors appreciate the ability to demonstrate their new
varieties and prerelease test materials in both Hershey, PA and
Lakeland, FL.
In 2006 Seedway entered an agreement with Golden Sun Marketing
in which Golden Sun and Seedway collaborate to develop product
marketing opportunities through retail channels. The agreement
includes the development of additional relationships with
retailers, brokers, and growers, and the establishment of
trademarked, market-specific vegetable products.
Seedway proudly distributes the Bejo Seeds, Rogers Brand, Harris
Moran, Sakata, Enza, Western, Hollar, IFS, BHN, Crookham, and US
Agriseed brands, and many exclusive varieties in the entire area
east of the Rocky Mountains and Ontario, Canada. Seminis Brand
is distributed in the Northeast and some upper Midwest
territory.
Seedway produces a commercial catalog and a catalog for organic
vegetable producers. The Seedway website offers online ordering
of its entire vegetable seed product line. Seedway fields 22
salespeople and agents who represent the company throughout the
eastern US and Canada.
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Headquartered in Hall, NY,
Seedway, LLC maintains locations in Trumansburg and Mecklenburg,
NY, Shoreham, VT, Mifflinburg, Mechanicsburg, York, Emmaus and
Elizabethtown in PA and Lakeland, FL. A full-line seed company,
marketing farm, turf and vegetable seed from the Rocky Mountains
to the east coast and Ontario, Canada, Seedway, LLC is a
subsidiary of GROWMARK, Inc., Bloomington, IL. |
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