LAMAR, Mo. — An Oregon-based seed company has decided to build a new seed coating plant in Missouri which is expected to create 38 new jobs in the southwest region.
The Missouri Department of Economic Development announced on Wednesday that Smith Seed Services has selected Lamar, Missouri, as the location of its new Midwest seed coating plant.
“We are thrilled to welcome Smith Seed Services to Lamar, Missouri,” Gov. Mike Parson said. “This company chose our state because of the great community in Lamar, the strong agricultural industry in Missouri, and our central location which allows them to reach key customers in the Midwest. We look forward to supporting their continued growth for many years to come.”
“Our motto is: Service is our last name, but our first priority, and we are excited for this opportunity to offer better service to our customers with a Missouri seed coating facility,” Galen Troyer, General Manager of Smith Seed Services, said. “We look forward to a long and successful relationship with our Midwest customers, the City of Lamar and the state of Missouri.”
Smith Seed Services, a worldwide wholesale supplier of turfgrass and forage seeds, is headquartered in Halsey, Oregon, and was first started in the mid-1950s. They are an industry leader in the seed business with a solid reputation for superior quality and service. This new facility is expected to create 38 new jobs in the region.
“Missouri is the global leader in agtech, and it is great to see that ecosystem gain another strong leader in the industry,” Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership, said. “Economic development in Missouri is a team sport, and these new jobs would not have happened without the involvement of the Barton County Chamber of Commerce, the City of Lamar, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and of course the great team at Smith Seed Services.”
Smith Seed Services expects to break ground on the new facility in August 2018, with hiring beginning in late 2018 and operations commencing in mid-2019.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
