DLF opening centers in Oregon, Ontario

DLF is expanding in North American with dedicated product knowledge centers in Philomath, Oregon, and Port Hope, Ontario, effective July 1. The centers are designed to enhance DLF’s product education, field trials and technical support capabilities.

“There are many great activities happening in Philomath and Port Hope today, and we want those activities to continue,” DLF NA EVP Neil Douglas said “Our vision for these centers is to prominently feature everything the DLF portfolio has to offer, from bentgrass to alfalfa to new innovations in seed enhancement. These locations are important to demonstrate the value of our product innovation, training customers and staff, and for collaborating with key industry partners.”

The Willamette Valley, close to many of DLF’s key U.S. grower partners, is an area the company plans to continue investing in. The Philomath and Port Hope PKCs will remain the host sites for DLF’s seed camps and ongoing customer education activities. DLF’s new seed enhancement and operations facility in Albany, Oregon, serves as the U.S. headquarters.

The company will also consolidate two independent research stations in the Pacific Northwest — in Philomath, Oregon, and Touchet, Washington — into a single, robust, multi-species breeding station located in Touchet.

“Unifying our programs will enhance collaboration, knowledge-sharing and trial quality across DLF’s forage and turf species,” DLF EVP and chief scientific officer Derek Bartlem said. “A single well-staffed station will strengthen our R&D activities and ensure we continue to deliver new high-quality forage and turf products, while at the same time provide long-term career growth opportunities for our employees.”

Both breeding stations currently operate independently, with a focus on different species and at minimum critical mass. This unified breeding location complements DLF’s additional Midwest breeding station in West Salem, Wisconsin.