Gene Werner accidentally started a seed company in the late 1960’s when he planted a field of Birdsfoot Trefoil (a novel forage then and now) for his cattle to graze and bees to collect nectar on. Since Birdsfoot Trefoil was such a novelty he had a difficult time finding seed. The bright yellow field attracted attention of other farmers interested in the crop who then asked Gene if he could collect seed for them to plant their own pastures. Gene purchased a small cleaning mill, then a larger seed cleaning mill and began custom cleaning Red Clover, Phalaris grass, Switchgrass, Sweet Clover, and Crown Vetch for area farmers before moving into growing and cleaning seed for his budding retail seed business.
From the beginning Werner Seed has been built on offering quality seed at reasonable prices, selling University proven varieties adapted to our area, giving honest agronomically sound advice, and working hard to earn our customers business and trust. Today we still grow and process our own Certified Oat, Soybean, and Wheat seed working through the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association. Additionally, we grow or directly source from growers and process Barley, Rye, Red Clover, Alfalfa, and other crops when possible and do our own mixing, inoculating, and packaging giving us the ability to keep costs down and ensure the best quality.
With our dedication to customer service we are willing to weigh out small amounts of seed, do custom seed mixes, find crop species that we don’t carry, and provide recommendations and general knowledge about choosing the right seeds and tips for making your seeding a success.