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Founded in 1987 in Brookings, family-owned Millborn Seeds has helped grow millions of bushels of food, ground cover, and seeds while continuing to expand as a business. Today, the company offers more than 1,200 species of seed solutions to farmers, ranchers, and landowners across North America.
Product expert Justin Fruechte knows that working with so many seed blends requires careful attention. When customers order from Millborn, they also receive a consultation on product combinations designed to fit their needs.
“We start on the ground, working with farmers to grow the seed,” Justin says. “As the distributor, we have a diverse customer base that touches almost every state. We give basic advice and work up to consulting for complex operations, and we want to make sure all the advice we give is spot on.”
Guided growth
In fields across the country, many factors affect soil including climate, crop usage, and minerals. Millborn guides farmers and conservation landowners on how to grow certain crops and other seed species to maximize efficiency. Justin and other members of the team work with customers to create custom blends.
“The seed mixes we sell aren’t for the most popular crop rotations,” Justin says. “A farmer may only plant them once or twice in their lifetime, so it requires a bit more consultation than an annual crop system.”
Expanding together
Millborn continues to expand and acquire other companies, with locations in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Canada. As their operations spread, the need for reliable technology became almost as important as quality seed. In recent years, the company has partnered with Golden West Technologies to support its growth.
Justin says they benefit from Golden West’s highly skilled technicians who can resolve issues whenever needed. Millborn relies on co-managed services to serve as an IT department and assist with new user setup.
“We have people who spend half their time in the office and half in the field with customers,” Justin says. “They need accessible technology, and with Golden West, syncing that up is better than it has ever been.”
Seamless technology
Since partnering with Golden West Technologies, Justin explains, many small but frustrating issues have disappeared. For him and the rest of the team, that support is exactly what they need to keep the business running smoothly.
Similar to how Millborn creates personalized plans for its customers, Golden West Technologies can work with every client to ensure their needs are met, designing a custom plan for them. Justin says working with Golden West was an easy decision because they were a perfect fit for the size of the company.
“It feels like you’re an extension of the Golden West Technologies team,” Justin says. “They are right there, one call away, all the time. Their remote support is just as good as having someone in the building working on our network internally.”