Regional Growers Share Experiences

East

Calvin Ernst
Ernst Conservation Seeds
(800) 873-3321
calvin@ernstseed.com

Ernst Conservation Seeds (ECS) is a private partnership consisting of Calvin and Marcia Ernst with their children, Andy, Michael, and Robin, dedicated to the production of see dan soil bioengineering materials for environmental restoration. ECS has some 50 employees and 1800 acres of production in Northwest Pennsylvania.

Calvin Ernst during start-up of his native seed business in the Northeast.

I feel that native seed production in the eastern United States is generally less developed than the rest of the Nation. However, for generations, the collection and marketing by several nurseries of native tree and shrub seed has been a high quality industry, selling local ecotypes with site-specific information.

Historically, native species were disturbed by early European settlers. The early removal of forest lands and over-grazing destroyed much of the natural open areas by Native Americans. Many of the original native plants were replaced by traditional plants from other countries.

Enter the Plant Materials Center with their recognition of native plants having production and environmental value. At Ernst, we first saw the advantage of native plants for mine reclamation when we started growing Tioga Deertongue released by Big Flats Plant Material Center. This was followed by Shelter Switchgrass and Niagara Big Bluestem for reclamation and wildlife habitat work. Our business changed drastically when we realized that nonnative Crownvetch was being considered invasive in many situations. Can you imagine being called by the National Park Service, in charge of the Washington Monument, and being asked how to get rid of Crownvetch, the plant you have spent a lifetime producing?

We now grow natives for wetland restoration, roadside stabilization and beauty, along with wildlife food and cover. It is easy to promote a milkweed when you explain that it is necessary for the survival of Monarch butterflies.

Some species we grow for specific conservation efforts, while other species meet a wide range of applications. We now grow over 200 species native to the eastern United States and Canada. Our sales grow faster than our production. There is a great demand for high quality seed of known origin.

Midwest

Ron Bowen
Prairie Restorations, Inc.
(763) 631-9425
Prairie@sherbtel.net

Ron Bowen, Founder and President of Prairie Restorations, Inc. (PRI), has been developing his company since 1971. The business is driven by a simple mission: To provide high quality, diverse and ecologically appropriate native plant materials and restoration services for reconstructed and remnant landscapes. The work is broad based and has required a serious commitment of time and energy.

At the current time, PRI operates out of four locations, all in Minnesota. The vast majority of customers and project sites are located within 300 miles of Minneapolis. Basically there are two work groups within the company. The products group includes plant and seed production, and the services group includes installation and management services. Most of the plants are produced as seedlings in cell-paks (500,000 annually) while the seed comes from managed farm fields (250 acres). Sales are generally split about 50/50 between the public and private sector and the work is carried out by a permanent staff of 25.

The native plant/seed/services business has been challenging for many reasons. Doing the job right requires a substantial capital outlay. Costs for setting up a seed and plant production center can easily exceed $1,000,000. Staffing it and keeping everything going can cost at least another $1,000,000 annually. Finding and developing a customer base is always a challenge. Education is the name of the game because once people know of the native option, they normally find it to be appealing.

Getting this work done requires innovation and persistence. PRI uses modified combines for harvesting seed and fairly standard air-screen separators for cleaning it. Approximately 75% of the forb seed is still collected by hand, one seed head at a time. The greenhouse seedlings are all hand transplanted, one plant at a time. Restoration activities include spraying, burning, soil tillage, seeding, mulching, etc. The business currently owns 14 John Deere tractors, 8 vintage Gleaner combines, 30 or more trucks and a high assortment of other miscellaneous equipment.

30 years ago this work needed, and today still needs, to be done. This is hard but gratifying work that should be driven by a commitment to native plant communities, but will benefit by skills in such areas as communications and personnel management, plant and seed knowledge, mechanical skills and plant community management skills. Such is the nature of small business - you simply need to wear many hats.

South

Bill Nieman
Native American Seed
(800) 728-4043
www.seedsource.com

When the seed of the bluebonnet is ripe, a man has a 3 to 5 day window to gather before the pods twist open, throwing the seeds to the earth.....

Timing is everything! The conference opened at the same time bluebonnet seed ripened and Bill had to make a choice between sharing his experience with the conference or making a living. His choice resulted in a faxed presentation, read in part to the audience because it underscored the realities of the business along with his commitment to the business. Here are some excerpts.

There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to natives. We have all the information we need. Seems like we have been talking about the loss of native habitat for more than a hundred years. Way back in 1880, at the Abilene grass station, a rangeland scientist pleaded that a great loss of prairie species was at the hand of man and his cheap food policy. The lack of land stewardship continues today. Not because of missing technology or information; but because of the lack of will power. The will to perform individual acts of restraint. ..... The will to be a leaver instead of a taker....the will to go forth and actually do something to lend a helping hand. How will you touch the earth today?

I will, with the grace of God, likely produce several tons of bluebonnets, but what about the 249 other species of the blackland prairie? Who can even name them? Then if I came to you with them all in a mixture, would you buy and at what price? In the seed world, who could even test them?

Then there is the "globally imperiled" coastal prairie, even harder to find. Texas has nine other ecoregions in need of protection and restoration. Perhaps the next conference could focus on: "producing behaviorally qualified citizens to receive, nurture and care for native habitats."

West

Tim W. Meikle
Director of Research & Development
Bitterroot Restoration, Inc.
(406) 961-4991

Bitterroot Restoration, Inc. (BRI) was founded in 1986 to provide comprehensive restoration services to managers of disturbed lands. We constructed our first greenhouse to propagate site-adapted native plants from seed collected in eastern Montana at Peabody Western's Big Sky and Western Energy's Rosebud Mines. Since this time, we have expanded from our home office in Corvallis, Montana to an additional production facility near Sacramento, California and consulting office in San Diego, California.

BRI owner, Patrick Burke, explains seedling production to Phil Johnson, Montana DOT, in 1995.

Our current production capability is approximately 2 million seedlings annually. We have successfully propagated over 300 species of grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, shrubs, and trees. We continue to refine our growing and implementation techniques through an active research and development program and have developed Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with the Corps of Engineers and US Department of Agriculture.

BRI provides a full range of services, including restoration planning, native plant propagation and implementation to mining companies, the National Park Service, Federal Highway Administration, and other public and private land managers. Our projects range throughout the western United States and Canada. We have successfully completed prominent Federal Highway Administration projects such as the El-Portal Road reconstruction in Yosemite National Park, California and Losttrail Pass Scenic Byway on the Montana-Idaho border.

Our staff has grown to 40 permanent staff with an additional 65 seasonal employees. Our staff includes experienced professionals from the fields of plant and restoration ecology, forestry, botany, plant physiology, resource conservation, range management, horticulture, recreation management, landscape architecture, soils science, biology and geology. Our broad range of disciplines demonstrates our commitment to restoration as a comprehensive and interdisciplinary practice.

Our team applies their understanding of ecological principles and knowledge of individual site characteristics to guide a client's restoration efforts. This ecological approach leads to the restoration of natural processes and self-sustaining plant communities which, in turn, benefits the local community and reduces maintenance costs for our clients.