Central Oregonian

Sowing seeds of community service

At a recent awards banquet, Bend Mayor Jeff Eager awarded RBS the “Best Small Business” Inclusive Employment Award for contributions to their community

November 12, 2012

Round Butte Seed (RBS) was started by a group of Culver-area farmers back in 1961. Since that time, the company has grown from being primarily a grass and red clover seed supplier to an all-around feed, pet, and home and garden resource center.

With stores in Prineville, Culver, Bend, and Christmas Valley, farmers, ranchers, landscapers, and backyard gardeners throughout Central Oregon have had a local resource with knowledgeable experts within easy driving distance.

But RBS’ solid reputation is not solely the result of stocking all things agricultural. The company has also been quietly contributing through community service for many years.

Recently RBS’ community service efforts were brought to light.

Last month, in Bend, at the Employment First of Deschutes County “Workforce Inclusion: Supporting Excellence” award banquet, Bend Mayor Jeff Eager awarded RBS the “Best Small Business” Inclusive Employment award for their positive contributions to the Central Oregon community.

RBS’ Bend store has had a long-standing relationship with Abilitree, a local non-profit that provides meaningful employment to people with disabilities. Abilitree workers bag small packages of grass seed, wildflowers, and other items for RBS.

The Prineville store, located at 1225 N.W. Gardner Road, has also been humbly supporting the community since it opened in 2007. “We’re a different type of store than Bend in that we do more large-scale agricultural business. So, our community service efforts involve supporting the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H,” said Katie Hulett, Prineville store manager.

RBS’ Prineville store staff is ever-present at the Crook County Fair, the various rodeos, and at agricultural education events.

“We like to support the community through donations, buying animals at the Crook County Fair,volunteering our time at agricultural events, and using our in-house representatives to educate students and customers,” explained Hulett.

Hulett likes to emphasize that the Prineville RBS store is not simply a feed store for farmers and ranchers.

“We’re an all-around feed, home and garden, and pet supply store and we pride ourselves on our knowledge and customer service. We’ve got the on-site knowledge to help you with any challenge.”

All four RBS stores carry grass, wildflower, vegetable seed, bird seed, fertilizers, sprays, livestock feed, veterinary supplies, bird feeders, and landscaping supplies. Licensed consultants are on-site for crop, pasture, turf, habitat restoration, soil sampling, custom spraying and fertilizer application questions.