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Story and photos by Kris Crookham, Crookham Company
Despite some smoke from wildfires in late summer, it was a good year for growing onion seed in southwest Idaho. This pocket of the Pacific Northwest is the fifth largest seed growing region in the world. It is a powerhouse in agricultural revenue and in maintaining a steady source of seed for the world.
“A good seed crop here means a steady source of seed for many regions around the world and is tied into our national food security,” says George Crookham, CEO of Crookham Company.
Because this region has been growing seed for generations, the seed growers understand the inputs needed and the process involved. For onion seed, this is an 18-month commitment of seed-to-seed work between the growers and Crookham Company.
“Soil, weeds, Mother Nature, it’s always a balancing act and we work closely with our grower partners to ensure the best crop for the season,” says Rob Proksch, lead of production. “We anticipated we had a good crop on our hands and notified the harvest and conditioning teams. Early quality control reports are indicating we were correct.”
“We were excited for the challenge, and it was incredible to see full trailer after full trailer roll in day after day. The onion umbels were also full of seed and nearly every dryer was full. We had worked with our team, production, research and IT to streamline the process over the years, so we were ready,” says Austin Hildebrandt, Crookham’s seed conditioning manager. “The culture of communication and the systems to back it up are key.”
Lyndon Johnson, the development lead in onions for Crookham, agrees.
“We are known for breeding for a grower-friendly and consumer-ready product, but we also breed for our seed production program. We need to keep our promise to growers on seed availability, and we do this through progressive research. A hybrid must meet or exceed our expectations at every step of this progression. There is no beginning or end here; it’s cyclical with multiple inputs, so the interaction between departments is key,” Johnson says. “We also gauge the quality at every step to make sure those systems are doing what they are designed to do. We want our partner seed growers to succeed, and a good yield benefits everyone in the cycle.”
Aaron Trent, lead sales manager, adds that the new certifications with the Crookham Company lab also play a role in the process.
“This is our commitment to a data-driven improvement process. The USDA certification and the Canadian certificates are a seal of approval in providing high quality results for our customers,” Trent says.
The seed growers in southwest Idaho have been here for generations. They know the land, the soil and their crops, while also learning to adjust to some new weather. It’s a privilege to be able to celebrate their expertise, hard work and a good season with them.
