Friday, March 5, 2021
CapitalPress.com
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Berger keeps family, business in focus
By BENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press
In a bustling family business,
relationships can easily fall by the
wayside.
With seed planting, cleaning, bag-
ging, storing and shipping, Becky
Berger, owner and CEO of Berger
International Seed, is as intentional
about growing strong family relation-
ships as she is about the business.
“We formed a family council,”
Berger said. “Twice a year we sit down
with a consultant and work through
family and business issues.
“I’ve got children that are in the
farming business and children that
Berger International
Becky Berger of Berger International farms 3,200 acres
in three counties. Known for producing some of the
finest grass seed in the world, the farm also offers cus-
tom seed cleaning and produces red clover seed, grass
straw, hazelnuts, red clover silage and hayage.
“Having open market grass can be
a very good thing or not,” Berger said.
“You have to be able to sit on it so it’s
riskier for sure. It’s been a good thing
for us overall and we’re building a rep-
utation for providing quality seeds.”
Their seed processing plant in
Carlton, Ore., allows them to control
the cleaning process and the timing,
affording greater responsiveness to
buyers.
In addition to grass seed, the farm
offers custom seed cleaning.
Berger has planted 250 acres of
hazelnuts over the last five years. She
likes the crop because, while expen-
sive to plant, the orchards lend them-
selves well to adjustments if the price
drops.
“It’s also a very friendly industry
where people come around you and
really help you learn,” she said.
In addition to the Hazelnut Mar-
keting Board, Berger serves on the
Oregon Seed Council, Oregon State
University’s Austin Family Business
Program Advisory Board and the Ore-
gon Tall Fescue Commission.
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are not,” Berger said. “I want to make
sure my values are passed on to them
— and keeping this business going is
very important to me.”
Berger has worked in the turf grass
seed business since marrying into the
Berger Seed family 45 years ago. After
her husband, Keith, was diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis at 30, he suf-
fered a gradual decline until his death
in 2011.
Berger kept taking on more and
more responsibility and by the time
her father-in-law and husband both
passed away, she ran the show with
her brother-in-law, whom she eventu-
ally bought out.
Berger International spans 3,200
acres in three counties. While the bulk
of the land is in tall fescue — Berger is
known for producing some of the fin-
est grass seed in the world — the farm
also produces wheat, red clover and
hazelnuts.
The company owns two proprietary
tall fescue varieties — Xtreme Green
and Integrity — and has a third vari-
ety coming online. It sells a substan-
tial amount into China and is celebrat-
ing the first European sale.
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