b'DLFAlbany,OregonSneak a peek inside DLFs new Seed Enhancement & Operations Facility in Albany, OregonBy Madeleine Baerg, Director of ContentIt seems in every conversation Ive had lately about forage and turf seed, someone has mentioned one particular company and one particular buildDLFs new seed enhancement and operations facility in Albany, Oregon. And no wonder. At 141,000 square feet and two years in the planning, DLFs primary production and wholesale distribution site for North America has got people in the Willamette Valleythe grass seed capital of the worldand beyond talking. So, I decided to go check it out for myself. I ended up spending a whole day with the DLF team and if theres one word that sums up the feeling I got from them, its jazzed. Theyre genu-inely and authentically excited about what this new space will allow them to deliver to the forage and turf seed sector.Its clear almost as soon as you step in the door that what makes this facility notable isnt measured in size or throughput, though its big in both by forage and turf seed standards. What I heard consistently from the whole DLF team, from Brian Jaasko, DLFs SVP North American Supply Chain & Operations to Fabian Ruiz Gonzalez, the warehouse manager, is that this build is about more than consolidating DLFs Oregon operations into a single building, and more than building a bigger box to house higher capacity equip-ment. Its about creating a physical space that enables service. If youre as curious as I was to check out DLFs new seed enhance-ment facility, come on inside DLFS NEW ALBANY,Oregon siteing and re-bagging line the DLF teamand turf seeds). Along the facilitys side wall, officially opened this past August. Itscalls T-Rex. T-Rex can seamlessly switchan on-site bank of offices allow the integra-biggest claim to fame is its state-of-the- between blending and rebagging to con- tion of the processing line with customer art seed enhancement line, which pro- tinuously produce, package and palletizeservice, purchasing and management. duces 10,000 pounds of enhanced seedup to 44,000 pounds of seedenoughWeve got this incredible team that per hour. Fully automated and touch- to fill a truckloadalmost hourly.was spread out in different facilities now screen controlled, the seed enhance- This facility versus where we were atogether under one roof, which allows ment line allows ultra-precise applicationyear ago can put out about three timesus to really push forward on our goals, of inoculants, biologicals, biostimulantsthe capacity. Thats important becauseJaasko says. DLF is the global leader in and seed protection recipes. (We dontour customers are very vulnerable to theturf and forage. We have to make it our call it seed coating because it really isweather in their businesses, so when theyresponsibility to set the bar for innova-about more than that, Susanna Sieke,say they need seed, weve got to get it totion and operational excellence for the DLF North Americas Director of Seedthem right now, Jaasko says. industry, since those directly impact our Enhancements, says. Were setting seedThe plant also features a quality controlcustomers success.up to thrive in ways that go beyond con- lab and a tag room, plus 85,000 squareAs the new DLF facility was coming ventional seed treatments.)feet of storage for raw materials andto life, critical work happened offsite on Next to the seed enhancement line is afinished goods (it truly feels like walkinganother piece of their delivery puzzle: high-speed and fully automated blend- through the Costco warehouse of forageDLFs team of researchers developed a 50/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2024'