ASHKUM, Ill. — A northern Illinois seed company started from humble beginnings to blossom into serving farms large and small in seven states in the Midwest.

Pro-Harvest Seeds was founded as NWS Seeds in 1956 by Marlin Wilken, who is now watching his sons, Randy and Lynn, provide seed to corn, soybean and wheat growers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.

Seed for cover crops is also supplied by the business, which started as a hobby for Marlin to take care of the needs of his neighbors, and continues to grow at the same location in Ashkum about 80 miles south of Chicago.

“Now we have thousands of customers,” said Randy Wilken, president of the company, with about 100 dealers and distributors.

The company became Pro-Harvest Seeds in 2011 when a third owner, Keith Knapp, came on, and currently has 15 employees, said Wilken. Knapp is its marketing director, with more than 30 years experience and a commitment to relationship-building.

Lynn Wilken is the chief financial officer of the firm and, like his brother, an expert in seed, production and agricultural business.

NWS Seeds still exists as the Pro-Harvest supplier of seeds, which are grown on-site and in several other states where the climate is more ideal for growing certain varieties of seed. Seeds for radishes, rye grasses and other cover crops, for example, are grown by the company in Oregon and Washington.

Wilken said seeds are also raised over a wide area to eliminate any chance of the entire crop – because of disease or weather – being wiped out at a single location. “Diversifying spreads out your risk,” said Randy Wilken.

Wilken did not want to reveal how many acres of land the seeds are grown on or how much the company has grown exactly, but did say it’s been “significant” and has continued since the company was rebranded four years ago. “We’re continuing to grow in warehouse space and production capabilities.”

One of the goals of the company through the latest advancements in genetic engineering is to increase the production of crops from its seed by 10 percent each year, and sell seeds with the highest resistance to hazards such as drought and insects.

Higher output is bolstered by the business recommending the type of seeds to buy on other factors such as length of growing season, crop histories, soil types and herbicide and pesticide requirements. Customers are also assisted by the company with deciding what type of seed to purchase and other factors like how and when to plant and how much fertilizer and the type of nutrients to apply to get the best growing results in the fields.

Some of the instruction is provided on YouTube – one of the new developments at the company within the past five years, Wilken said.

He said quality is one advantage his company offers because the seeds are grown in the climate where they will best develop, as opposed to large providers who might do all of their growing at one location.

“Geographically, we can hand-pick varieties for a part of a state helping farmers in those areas,” said Wilken.

Seed specialists at the company include Doug Hanson, Jay Whalen, Dan Naughton, Alex Benoit and Sean Jordal. Josh Wilken, third generation in the business, handles operations management.

Randy Wilken said one area that’s more challenging today is keeping up with the latest in technology, such as iPhones, which he uses for tasks like tracking inventory. “It’s a fast-changing environment.”

To contact Pro-Harvest Seeds, call 866-807-7015 or find a local dealer through www.proharvestseeds.com