What Progene L.l.c. does

ProGene Plant Research (DBA of Progene L.l.c.) is a privately held, founder-controlled plant breeding company headquartered in Othello, Washington. Founded in 1995 by Kurt and Chris Braunwart after acquiring the dry pea genetics program from Rogers Seed Company, the company specializes in breeding and marketing proprietary varieties of dry field peas, oats, and triticale for agricultural producers across the United States. Its portfolio spans spring and winter pea varieties (green, yellow, marrow fat, and cover crop types), the EverLeaf and ProLeaf oat programs, and a full triticale lineup covering winter forage, spring forage, and grain end-uses. Variety development is anchored by a long-running strategic partnership with Plant Research Limited (New Zealand) and Crites Seed, with additional research collaboration with USDA-ARS Pullman and Plant & Food Research (NZ) on pea nutrition genomics.

The company operates a Managed Variety Program (closed-loop system) that protects value across growers, breeders, seed suppliers, processors, and end users. Its R&D infrastructure includes approximately 1,100 annual field plots for controlled plot trials, strip trials with farmer partners, and multi-year variety evaluation datasets. ProGene distributes seed exclusively through authorized dealers across the Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, California, Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest, supplemented by direct sales and field support from its Othello headquarters. The company employs roughly 14 named staff spanning breeding, agronomy, sales, and operations. Revenue derives from one-time seed sales through the dealer network; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The customer base is structurally diversified across multiple agricultural end-uses — dry pea growers (edible, feed, canning), forage producers (hay, silage, grazing), cover crop users, food processors, and wildlife managers — with no single end-customer representing material concentration. ProGene has remained founder-controlled with no external institutional investment, no parent company, and no disclosed M&A activity since the 1996 buyout of Stubbs Seed Service. Brand assets include the EverLeaf oat brand and the Bio Cover Crop sub-brand, both nationally recognized within their respective niches.

Name

Progene L.l.c.

Legal name

Progene L.l.c.

Website

https://progenellc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ProGene Plant Research is a privately held, founder-controlled plant breeding company headquartered in Othello, Washington that develops and markets proprietary dry pea, oat, and triticale seed varieties through a 25+ dealer network across the United States for agricultural producers and food processors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seed Breeding and Marketing

NAICS

Dry Pea and Bean Farming (111130)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Open-Pollinated/Varietal Seed Multiplication (AFAGAIAE), Certified Seed Production (AFAGAIAC), Seed Testing, Certification & Quality Assurance (Germination, Purity, Phytosanitary) (AFABAFAM)

Keywords

• Dry pea seeds
• Oat varieties
• Triticale seeds
• Forage crops
• Plant breeding

Headquarters

HQ city

Othello

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seed Variety Sales: ProGene develops and sells proprietary plant seed varieties including dry peas, oats, and triticale to farmers, growers, and agricultural producers through dealer networks.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ProGene Plant Research is a privately held plant breeding seed company that develops, breeds, and markets proprietary varieties of dry field peas, oats, and triticale for agricultural producers. The company sells its seed through an authorized dealer network across the Pacific Northwest and Northern tier U.S. states, supported by direct field sales staff. Its portfolio includes spring and winter pea varieties, the EverLeaf and ProLeaf oat programs, and spring, winter, and grain triticale varieties used for edible, feed, forage, cover crop, and wildlife applications.

Product overview

Progene L.l.c. is a privately owned plant breeding seed company offering a diversified portfolio of pea, oat, and triticale varieties through specialized programs. The product lineup centers on Spring Pea Varieties (green, yellow, and marrow fat types), Winter Pea Varieties, and Cover Crop/Forage/Wildlife Pea Varieties for various agricultural applications. Oat offerings include the EverLeaf Oat Program (high-value delayed-heading varieties) and ProLeaf Oat Program (traditional forage oats). The Triticale Program encompasses Winter Forage, Spring Forage, and Grain varieties. The company operates a Managed Variety Program (closed-loop system) providing plot trial research and strip trial services for variety testing and development. Founded in 1995, Progene partners with Plant Research (NZ) Ltd, Crites Seed, USDA-ARS, and Plant & Food Research for breeding and nutrition research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EverLeaf Oat Program: Oat varieties with high value matched with tonnage, featuring delayed heading and dark, broad leaves. Includes EverLeaf Falcon, EverLeaf Tiger, and EverLeaf 126.
• ProLeaf Oat Program
• Bio Cover Crop

Products and services

• Spring Pea Varieties Spring dry field pea varieties including spring green peas (Aragorn, Ariel, Banner Ultra, Ginny II, Greenwood, Fairway, Passion), spring yellows (Pizzazz, Hyline, Pro 6230), and marrow fats (145-22), bred for the edible market, feed market, and canning industry.
• Winter Pea Varieties Winter dry field pea varieties including green peas (Keystone, Vail, Kurtwood) and yellow peas (Payback, Blaze, Goldenwood), bred for winter hardiness with focus on edible, feed, forage, and wildlife markets.
• Cover Crop, Forage & Wildlife Pea Varieties Specialized white-flowered pea varieties for cover cropping, forage production, and wildlife habitat, including Icicle, Max, Compass, Journey, Pro 6101, Pro 7110, and Whistler, bred for high biomass yield, nitrogen fixation, and palatability to wildlife and livestock.
• EverLeaf Oat Program High-value oat varieties with delayed heading and dark, broad leaves, including EverLeaf Falcon, EverLeaf Tiger, and EverLeaf 126, known for high tonnage and quality forage yield.
• ProLeaf Oat Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Extensive multi-year variety trial data available from 2020-2023

Named customers27 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• USDA-ARS PullmanmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaboration with USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Pullman, WA to identify pea nutrition characteristics and corresponding genes, in conjunction with Plant & Food Research in Christchurch, New Zealand.
• Plant & Food Research (NZ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018International research collaboration with Plant & Food Research in Christchurch, New Zealand to identify pea nutrition characteristics and their corresponding genes, working with ProGene and USDA-ARS.
• Plant Research Limited (NZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Strategic breeding partnership with Adrian Russell of Christchurch, New Zealand. ProGene Plant Research and Plant Research (NZ) Ltd collaborate on dry pea breeding efforts, with ProGene conducting breeding and adaptability research across Northern tier U.S. states.
• Crites SeedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Partnership with Crites Seed of Moscow, ID to bring top-quality focused breeding efforts to the dry pea industry. Part of a managed variety program (closed-loop system) designed to bring added value varieties to market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• King's AgriSeeds: Forage and cover-crop seed company selling oats, triticale, peas, and related varieties through a US dealer network. Directly comparable because it competes with ProGene in the same forage/pulse product categories and is listed as an authorized ProGene dealer (also offering competing genetics).
• Pulse USA: Specialty pulse crop seed supplier (peas, lentils, chickpeas) serving the Northern Plains and Pacific Northwest. Comparable to ProGene because it markets and distributes competing pulse varieties, including as a ProGene oat dealer.
• Crites Seed: Pulse and grass seed company headquartered in Moscow, Idaho, with a managed dry pea program. Directly comparable as a long-standing ProGene partner in the dry pea breeding program and a competing pulse-seed supplier in the Pacific Northwest.
• Millborn Seeds: Forage and cover-crop seed company with a broad multi-species portfolio and dealer-style distribution across the Midwest and Plains. Comparable to ProGene as a competitor in the forage-oat, triticale, and cover-crop pea categories, also listed as a ProGene forage dealer.
• Blue Mountain Seed: Pacific Northwest seed company marketing dry peas, lentils, and grass seeds. Comparable as a competing dry-pea seed supplier in ProGene's core PNW territory and an authorized ProGene dry pea dealer.
• Green Cover Seed: Cover-crop and regenerative-ag seed supplier specializing in multi-species mixes including peas, oats, and triticale. Comparable to ProGene in the cover-crop pea and forage-oat segments, particularly given ProGene's Bio Cover Crop line, and is also a ProGene forage dealer.
• AMPAC Seed Company: Forage grass and legume seed company offering triticale, peas, and oat varieties across the Western US. Comparable as a direct competitor in forage triticale and pulse seed categories, and is also listed as a ProGene forage dealer.

Broad incumbents

• Syngenta: Global seed and crop protection company with vegetable, cereal, and forage seed brands. Comparable to ProGene as a broad incumbent with overlapping forage, cereal, and pulse seed categories and substantially greater breeding and commercialization resources.
• Bayer Crop Science: Global seed and crop protection company operating Dekalb, Asgrow, and other seed brands across cereals, pulses, and forages. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing with ProGene on variety portfolios, dealer relationships, and trait technology in adjacent crop segments.
• Corteva Agriscience: Global agricultural input company operating Pioneer Hi-Bred seed brand across row crops, forages, and cover crops. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes with ProGene via extensive dealer networks, far larger R&D budgets, and biotech-trait pipelines across overlapping categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Progene L.l.c.