Washington-based company buys McKennon Station, PGG seeds division | northwest

PENDLETON – Pendleton Grain Growers has sold one of its last lots in its homonymous town, but the PGG banner remains.

According to Umatilla County ownership records, The McGregor Co., a Colfax, Washington-based agronomy and seeds company, purchased the McKennon Station from PGG on July 20 for $ 924,720. McGregor Co. President Ian McGregor confirmed the purchase, adding that the company plans to continue McKennon as a seed processing company under the PGG brand.

The McGregor family had grown wheat in east Washington for decades when they spun off their commercial fertilizer and equipment business into their own business in 1956. McGregor Co. now serves 48 locations in three states and has facilities in Adams and Milton-Freewater. McGregor said the company has had its own seeds division for more than 30 years, and acquiring a seed processing facility in Pendleton gives the company several advantages. Although McGregor Co. already operates three seed processing facilities, McKennon Station will be the only seed processing facility in Oregon.

In addition to acquiring the McKennon Station building just south of Interstate 84 near the Umatilla County Jail, McGregor Co. is acquiring the entire seeds division of PGG. McGregor said the PGG seed team is small, but overall they have more than a century of experience in their field. McGregor Co. will retain the staff at McKennon Station and continue to operate the facility under the PGG brand.

“It’s not about the assets,” said McGregor. “It’s about the people.”

McGregor said the company is keeping the PGG name in order to preserve the farmer trust that has been built with the former cooperative, but is also transparent to customers about the change in ownership. PGG did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication on Monday, July 26th.

Once a ubiquitous organization in Eastern Oregon, PGG had already started selling assets by the time members voted to dissolve the cooperative in 2016. Retail stores in Hermiston, Athena and Milton-Freewater were sold into private hands. Mid Columbia Producers of Moro bought the energy division of PGG and United Grain Corp. of Vancouver, Washington, acquired the cooperative’s inland grain elevators and terminals.

PGG’s Pendleton assets took longer to change hands. In addition to the sale of McKennon Station, PGG sold its former energy building at 1210 SW Dorion Ave. to Hines Meat Co. and recently closed an auction for its former headquarters, retail showroom, automotive service center and warehouse at 1000 SW Dorion Ave.

Realty Marketing / Northwest declined to comment on the winning bid and Umatilla County Records had received no sales information as of July 23.