PRATUM CO-OP CELEBRATES 75 YEARS Compiled by Suz Trusty
Pratum Co-op was formed in 1946 by a handful of growers just east of Salem, Oregon, in a small community called Pratum. The vision was to purchase, store, and market the members’ grain and legume crops. As Oregon farm production swung to turfgrasses, Pratum didn’t just adapt to the evolving market, but lead the way. The core of the company’s 75 years of successful operation is reflected in its mission statement, posted on the homepage of its website (https://pratumcoop.com/), “An agricultural coop dedicated to innovative solutions, excellent service, and long-term relationships.”
farms is still in existence as such today, though many other original member farms are still involved but have merged and/or otherwise changed ownership over the years. In 1946, the crops raised on the members’ farms were wheat, oats, barley, vetches, and winter peas and, primarily in the north valley, cannery crops such as beans and corn. In the mid-1950s, many farmers added more wheat and some turfgrasses to their crop rotation program. In the latter 1950s, Pratum invested in seed cleaners to process highland bentgrass, Cascade chewings fescue, and Pennlawn creeping fescue for farmers in the area. When the price of wheat dropped in the early 1980s, more growers turned to turfgrasses, primarily tall fescues and perennial ryegrasses. Troy says, “The co-op’s growers had very clean fields because of crop rotation, and they farm some of the best soils in the valley. Most had irrigation systems in place. It was the ideal fit for turfgrass production.”
Mountain View Seeds is Founded Pratum Co-op is celebrating 75 years; it was established in 1946. This photo was taken around 1960.
The Mountain Views Seeds office of Pratum Co-op as it looks in 2021.
Today Pratum Co-op has four business units which are Agronomy, Energy, Seed Processing, and Seed Marketing. The seed marketing is handled through Mountain View Seeds, and now, with Pratum’s latest acquisition, also Landmark Seed Company. Troy Kuenzi says, “I’m the sixth president of Pratum Coop. My Dad, Bob Kuenzi, became the manager in 1970. We grew up on a farm in the area and Dad was a hobby farmer as well as a full-time businessman. He was working for a competitor when the co-op offered him the position. Dad ran the business for 33 years. He was a big reason why Mountain View Seeds was started.” Since Pratum is a co-op, you must be a grower to be a member and it’s the members who have input in how the company operates. Only one of the founding member 54
Back in the 1990s, when Agribiotech (ABT) was acquiring seed companies, Bob Kuenzi, as manager of Pratum Co-op, was looking for opportunities to broaden the business. He explored the potential of turfgrasses as another option farmer members could grow on contract— with the seed they would produce going to the co-op for processing—and determined it would be a good fit. Troy says, “At that time, Todd Bond and I were working at Willamette Seed Company in Albany, Oregon, and they were purchased by ABT. My Dad reached out to us, and he posed the question: ‘Are you interested in starting a seed company at This photo shows the original Mountain Pratum?’ The network View Seeds team. The photo was taken of co-op member around 2000. Pictured in the front from left to right are Debbie Jackson, Robert growers was already Kuenzi, Todd Bond, and Troy Kuenzi. in place to raise our Pictured in the back are Curt Scharer, seed. They already had John Hubbard, Stacy Kuenzi, and Larry Hooper. tremendous production east of Salem, so we would have an inhouse production mechanism to tap into. And we knew we would have access to an amazingly clean quality of seed. We said yes to that opportunity and Mountain View Seeds was founded in 1998.”
TPI Turf News September/October 2021
