Pick family sells Pickseed
Danish company acquires venerable grass seed company that’s a landmark in Lindsay
LINDSAY — Pickseed, the $100-million family-owned seed producer headquartered in Lindsay whose grass cushions the fairways of the famous Augusta National Golf Course, will soon be flying the Danish flag.
Competitor DLF-Trifolium, a Denmark company and world leader in grass seed production, has purchased the 66-year-old company that employs about 50 full-timers in Lindsay in addition to seasonal workers.
Pickseed was founded in 1947 by Otto Pick and later run by his wife Marie. His two sons Tom, who lives in Bethany, and Martin, who lives in Cavan, have since owned the company for more than 50 years.
Today it’s one of the world’s largest developers, producers and distributors of turfgrass with much of its use geared towards golf courses and athletic fields including the home of The Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia and the 2010 FIFA World Cup facilities in South Africa.
In Canada, the company focuses more on seed production for farmers including forage seed (wheat and hybrid corn) and consumer turfgrass products marketed under brand names like CIL and Vigoro.
Pickseed employs 150 people in its eight locations including offices, warehouses, plants, research and distribution facilities across Canada and Oregon.
The company headquarters moved to Lindsay in 1992 from Richmond Hill.
Tom Pick said it was a difficult decision to sell his family’s business, but said the Pickseed company and brands are in good hands.
“We’re happy that it’s going to an organization that is well financed. It has been in business since 1906. They understand agriculture and they share a lot of the same values and culture that we (do),” he said.
“That was very i mportant to my brother and I when we decided to sell the company … finding a company that would respect the way we have done business over the years and build on that.”
Tom said he expects no layoffs at the Lindsay operations. DLFTrifolium is the largest company in its industry and if anything will help Pickseed to grow, he said.
“We’re confident they value the Pickseed brand. It’s something they want to promote. Our business is growing all the time so we hope (staffing) will increase,” he said. “They have a very large breeding program. They are much larger than we are and they spend a lot more on research. I think we will have the availability of more depth of research. That will supplement the product lines that we currently have.”
The deal, slated to close at the end of August, will see DLF-Trifolium Group purchase Pickseed Canada and Pickseed USA, including Seed Research of Oregon.
“Pickseed is a true turfgrass and forage crop seeds company, and it has a strong organization with dedicated employees. We have a common understanding of the products and everything entailed in this segment of the seeds industry,” DLF-Trifolium CEO Truels Damsgaard said in a press release.
“We are looking forward to developing the Pickseed busi- ness in North America and to further develop a strong platform to promote DLF-Trifolium forage products in Canada and to bring the Pickseed product potential through the DLF-Trifolium global network.”
Pickseed president and CEO Robert Clark, who has been with the company for 14 years, will continue to lead the company. As for the Pick brothers, the two plan to tackle new challenges, but Tom was mum on details.
“We’re not retiring. We have other activities we’d like to get involved in, nothing specific,” he said.
“It is emotional to sell the company. I think it’ll continue to be. We have still been in the office most days. In the next month or so when the deal closes, I guess we’ll be moving out.”