What Albert Lea Seed does

Albert Lea Seed is a fourth-generation, family-owned independent farm seed company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Albert Lea, Minnesota. It processes and distributes organic and conventional non-GMO farm seed through three brands: the core Albert Lea Seed house, Blue River Organic Seed (acquired from Farmers Business Network in July 2022, which made the company the largest organic field seed supplier in the U.S.), and Viking Non-GMO Seed. Its product portfolio spans corn (hybrid, open-pollinated, sweet), soybeans, alfalfa, small grains, forages, cover crop mixtures, wildflowers and native grasses for conservation and CRP plantings, turf, and wildlife food plots, supported by ancillary inputs such as inoculants, bioinsecticides, and organic-compliant seed treatments including the proprietary RiseUp line.

The company operates a 100,000-square-foot warehouse with 350,000-bushel grain storage at its Albert Lea headquarters and a second warehouse in Ames, Iowa. It runs three seed-processing lines simultaneously and is a USDA Certified Organic Processor, with OMRI-listed offerings and Blue River products carrying tiered GMO-free purity guarantees (UltraPure 99.9%, Pure 99.0%, Select 98.0%). Underlying technology is concentrated in physical seed conditioning, handling, and quality assurance rather than software or AI; the dealer relationship layer is supported by an Acumatica-based portal and a standard digital marketing stack.

Albert Lea Seed sells through a coast-to-coast authorized dealer network managed by four regional sales managers (Northern, Central, Great Lakes, Eastern) and a direct e-commerce storefront. Pricing is structured as one-time transactional purchases with early-pay discounts ranging from 3% to 12% depending on payment date, John Deere financing options, and unit-level bulk savings. The company serves 6,000+ farmers annually across organic, conventional non-GMO, small grain, and cover crop/forage segments, and transitioned to a partial employee stock-ownership structure in 2021 while the Ehrhardt family retained majority control.

Name

Albert Lea Seed

Legal name

Albert Lea Seed

Website

https://alseed.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Albert Lea Seed is a fourth-generation, family-owned U.S. farm seed company that produces and distributes organic and conventional non-GMO corn, soybeans, alfalfa, small grains, forages, and cover crops to more than 6,000 farmers annually through a coast-to-coast dealer network and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seed

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Vegetable Seeds (Open-Pollinated & Hybrid) (AFABAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)

Keywords

• Organic farm seed
• Non-GMO seeds
• Cover crop seeds
• Forage and alfalfa
• Agricultural seed supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Albert Lea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Seed Product Sales: Albert Lea Seed generates revenue through the sale of organic and conventional non-GMO farm seeds including corn, soybeans, alfalfa, small grains, forages, cover crops, conservation seed, turf, and wildlife food plot seeds. Products are sold directly to farmers through a dealer network and e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Albert Lea Seed sells organic and conventional non-GMO farm seed products — including corn, soybeans, alfalfa, small grains, forages, cover crops, native grasses/wildflowers, turf, and wildlife food plot seeds — directly to farmers and through a nationwide authorized dealer network. Its three sub-brands (Albert Lea Seed, Blue River Organic Seed, Viking Non-GMO Seed) are processed and conditioned at its Albert Lea, Minnesota facility.

Product overview

Albert Lea Seed operates as a fourth-generation, family-owned independent farm seed company offering a diverse portfolio of organic and conventional non-GMO seed products. The company maintains three primary brands: its core Albert Lea Seed brand covering forages, small grains, cover crops, wildflowers, native grasses, CRP seed, turf, and wildlife food plots; Blue River Organic Seed (acquired from Farmers Business Network in 2022) focused exclusively on USDA-certified organic corn, soybeans, and alfalfa with guaranteed GMO-free purity levels; and Viking Non-GMO Seed providing conventional non-GMO corn hybrids, soybeans, and alfalfa with optional RiseUp organic-compliant seed treatment. The company employs an employee ownership model transitioning to staff ownership since 2021 and processes seed through its Minnesota facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue River Organic Seed: 100% focused on providing the highest quality seed and leading genetics specifically for organic farming environments
• Viking Non-GMO Seed

Products and services

• Blue River Organic Seed USDA-certified organic corn, soybean, and alfalfa seed brand (acquired 2022) offering three purity grades: UltraPure (99.9% GMO-Free), Pure (99.0% GMO-Free), and Select (98.0% GMO-Free). Targets organic row-crop and forage farm operations.
• Viking Non-GMO Seed Conventional non-GMO seed sub-brand offering corn hybrids, soybean varieties, and alfalfa with regionally adapted genetics for Midwest farmers, including the RiseUp organic-compliant seed treatment option.
• Forages Organic and conventional forage seed product line including hay and pasture mixes, cool-season grasses, warm-season forages, forage legumes and brassicas, field peas and pea mixtures, and forage broadleaf forbs. For livestock and hay producers.
• Small Grains Organic and conventional non-GMO small grain seed product line including spring oats, barley, open-pollinated winter rye, hybrid winter rye, triticale, wheat (hard red spring, soft red winter, hard red winter), heirloom grains, perennial grains, and succotash/flax. For diverse crop rotations, milling, and feed uses.
• Cover Crops Cover crop seed product line including cover crop mixtures (BioMax, ValueMax, WinterMax, BrassicaMax, FallMax, SummerMax, MultiMax, CultivationMax, PollinatorMax), brassicas, grass cover crops, legume cover crops, and other cover crops like buckwheat. For soil health, water quality, and forage.
• Wildflowers, Native Grasses & CRP Native grass species and wildflower seeds for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), CREP seeding, filter strip plantings, and conservation projects. Includes NRCS CRP mixtures, native forbs, wildflower mixtures, and native grass varieties. For conservation program participants and habitat projects.
• Turf and Lawn Lawn and turf seed including premium sunny lawn mixtures, sports lawn mixes, sun and shade mixtures, sustainable lawn options, bee lawn mixtures, and individual species such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and creeping red fescue.
• Wildlife & Food Plot Wildlife food plot seed including Buck Forage Oats, Big Rack Wildlife Mixture, Buckshot Brassicas, Feather Flush, Frosty Suite, Game Trail Mix, and deer plot corn. For hunters, landowners, and wildlife managers.
• Alfalfa Alfalfa seed product line combining Blue River organic and Viking non-GMO varieties, including Viking 374HD, 530YP, 394AP, 342LH, 442LH, 350CR, 330M, Flex Pro Blend, Vernal, Nitrogen Brand (Viking non-GMO), and Blue River 3800, Hardy Brand, Matrix Creeping, Blue River 394AP, Blue River 444LH, and Bluebird (organic).
• Open-Pollinated Corn Conventional non-GMO open-pollinated corn seed including E-95 (94-97 day maturity) and MN 13 (100-day maturity) varieties for organic and non-GMO row-crop operations.
• Sweet Corn Sweet corn seed available in conventional treated, conventional untreated, and organic varieties with white, yellow, or bi-color kernels including Enchanted, Temptress, Allure, Sweetness, Solstice, Providence, Illusion, Ambrosia, Delectable, Bodacious, and Incredible varieties.
• Non-Seed Items (Inputs and Accessories) Supporting farm input products including legume inoculants, bioinsecticides, seed coatings, seed lubricants, supplements and fertilizers, Earthway seeders, and erosion control blankets. Sold alongside seed purchases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ Top 10 finishes for corn in 2025 university and independent yield trials
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Farmers Business NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2022Albert Lea Seed acquired Blue River Organic Seed, a leading organic seed corn brand, from Farmers Business Network in July 2022. This acquisition made Albert Lea Seed the largest organic field seed supplier in the U.S. and significantly expanded their product offerings and market share in organic seed.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Johnny's Selected Seeds: Employee-owned seed company selling vegetable, herb, flower, and cover crop seed to commercial growers and home gardeners, primarily in the Northeast U.S. Comparable organic and independent ownership model but different crop focus and geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Pioneer (Corteva): Largest U.S. row-crop seed brand, part of Corteva, with corn, soybean, and alfalfa offerings. Comparable product portfolio but vastly larger scale, traited GMO genetics, and dealer footprint — represents the mainstream competitor Albert Lea Seed differentiates against on price and non-GMO/organic positioning.
• Channel Seed (Bayer): Bayer-owned corn and soybean seed brand distributed through a national dealer network. Comparable dealer-channel model and product category but with proprietary biotech traits at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Seed Savers Exchange: Nonprofit heritage and open-pollinated seed company selling vegetable, herb, and flower seed direct to gardeners and farmers. Overlaps with Albert Lea Seed's heirloom grain, open-pollinated corn, and organic seed philosophy but operates in a smaller-scale, consumer/hobbyist segment.
• High Mowing Organic Seeds: 100% organic seed company offering vegetable, herb, flower, and cover crop seed via direct-to-grower sales. Comparable in organic positioning and brand identity but operates in different crop segments (vegetables/garden vs. row crops).

Direct peers

• Stine Seeds: Independent, family-owned seed company focused on corn and soybean genetics with regional dealer distribution in the Midwest. Comparable as an independent alternative to major seed brands with strong in-house breeding.
• La Crosse Seed: Independent Upper Midwest-based seed distributor offering forages, cover crops, conservation, and turf seed through a regional dealer network. Comparable product mix (forages, cover crops, conservation) and Midwest dealer distribution model.
• Wyffels Hybrids: Independent, family-owned corn seed company with Midwest dealer distribution. Closely comparable independent seed competitor with similar regional and family-business characteristics.
• Beck's Hybrids: Family-owned, independent seed company selling corn, soybean, and other crop seed through a regional dealer network across the Midwest. Closely comparable business model: independent, dealer-led, multi-product, multi-state family seed company.
• Blue River Organic Seed: Albert Lea Seed's wholly-owned subsidiary acquired from Farmers Business Network in 2022. Operates as a direct sub-brand within Albert Lea Seed offering USDA-certified organic corn, soybean, and alfalfa seed — fully overlapping product, channel, and customer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/alseedorganics
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AlbertLeaSeed
• Facebookfacebook.com/albertleaseed
• Instagraminstagram.com/alseedhouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/albert-lea-seed-house-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Albert Lea Seed