The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Farmers feed the world, but with the high demands they face, they usually need a little help from companies like The McGregor Company, who supply crop nutrients and crop protectants, machine rentals, crop insurance, and more.

The McGregor Company started as a sheep farming operation more than 100 years ago in the tiny town of Hooper, WA. In 1948, after Washington State College agronomist Harley Jacquot spent years researching and experimenting, the McGregor Company stepped into the fertilizer business and has since become one of the area’s leading crop services providers. With more than 30 retail plants, the McGregor Company serves farmers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

The agriculture company offers a wide variety of services to its clients. Crop services include seed research and development, seed treatments, crop nutrients, and protectants like fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Machine rentals, as well as full-service shops for company-owned machines, is another vital part of their business. The company has also created its trucking line, packaging plants, and risk management division.

Waitsburg is home to a sprawling McGregor Company plant. Service manager Kevin House explained that the company purchased the then-overgrown 17-acre former agriculture plant on Garden Street from the City of Waitsburg roughly 25 years ago. It had previously been used as a “combine graveyard.”

“It’s been a good partnership with the city, to take this facility, turn it into what it is, and have it on the tax rolls,” House said. “Being an ag-based company, we may not pay as much as, say, an Amazon warehouse, but I think we make a good financial impact for the community.”

The Waitsburg plant has enough shop space that they have a large truck and equipment shop, a diesel shop, and a large warehouse. House said that having their warehouse, paired with the company’s trucking division, helps the fertilizing season get going on time without waiting on anyone else.

“The buildings were repurposed as best as they could,” House said while standing in one of the shops. “This used to be a combine shop with three bay doors. They replaced a door and built the offices.”

“Our season out here doesn’t really work well with the rest of the world. Most of the big ag, most of the production is in the Midwest, and they are aimed to fit that schedule. We are ready to spray in March, and companies like Bayer or Syngenta or whatever haven’t even started making them yet,’ House said. “We have to buy ours and store them over the winter to get them to our growers on time. In this area, we are kind of on the outside looking in on the rest of the industry.”

House said that one of the most impressive things he’s observed during his time with the company is the attitude from the top down, the stewardship, and the way things are done. Due to the nature of the products the company handles, they are subject to random inspections and a long list of regulations the leaders of the company enforce the regulations to a "T." House said that inspections could happen any time, and the company strives to practice safe handling and storage of all the chemicals within the facilities every day.

“We had an EPA inspection last summer on our ammonia facility, and we did really well,” House said. “They had absolutely no problems with the way things are done. The anhydrous is probably the most hazardous thing we handle just because of the nature of the product.” Anhydrous ammonia is 82 percent nitrogen, making it the most economical option to get crops the nutrients they need. When properly handled, ammonia is safe to use, and because it is in a gas form, the service techs can haul more product than if they were using liquid fertilizers. Safely hauling more product at one time ultimately means there will be fewer vehicles on the road hauling hazardous materials.

“If we use liquid products, we have to make four or five trips to every one trip with the ammonia,” House said. “That is four to five times more traffic.”

McGregor Company employees go through yearly safety training as a refresher. Office staff within the company keep detailed records of all transactions, and the service techs have to stay accurate mathematical notes when delivering nutrients and protectants to clients. The company, as a whole, has a low hazard rating.

“You’re messing with people’s livelihoods,” House said. “When we are doing stuff away from the plant, we are making recommendations with the best information and the best science we have. We have to make sure we are using the proper chemical in the proper place, at the proper time- not overapplying, not creating problems with getting products where they aren’t supposed to be.” Farming is a very delicate science with the whole world, depending on its success.

House said that the Waitsburg plant had felt minimal effects from the pandemic. The most significant change they have seen is no longer allowing the truck drivers to exit their vehicles for delivery. Instead, the service techs meet the truck and help unload after everything has been checked. House said that the service techs have been more mindful about sharing tools and are generally able to work with more than six feet in between everyone, but masks are required when needed.

Safety, environment, and innovation are at the top of the list for The McGregor Company. Hard workers founded the company, and they continue to embrace the concept as they live up to their slogan: Dedicated people who care.