NW Farm Supply expects to open a new store in Prosser this month.

The new 13,000-square-foot building sits on 2.78 acres at 451 Wine Country Road, adjacent to Shopko Hometown.

The company opened its first store in Hermiston in 1995. The Oregon shop, started by Nathan Crowther and John Lloyd, serves as the NW Farm Supply headquarters. A little over two years ago, the father-son team of Duane and Shane Munn—who have Prosser roots—bought into the business.

After listening to customer requests and analyzing the business climate in Prosser, the four owners bought land in August 2017 and began building this spring.

“We have quite a few people from Prosser who come to the Hermiston store,” said Crowther, who has a bachelor’s degree in agro-business management. “The traffic count here is excellent, and the speed limit is good—35 miles per hour, so people can see us.”

The demographics in Prosser are also different than they were a decade ago, he said, noting a lot of people work in Prosser but don’t live within the city limits. In many cases, people live in outlying communities, such as Whitstran, or own a few acres with animals within the Prosser School District boundaries.

While NW Farm Supply carries supplies for hobby farmers, its primary focus is supplying the needs of commercial farms and ranches. The company carries more than 20,000 items, such as fencing, feed, livestock supplies, animal health, sprayers and automotive supplies, baler twine, grass seed, and pet and food necessities. To keep costs low, Crowther said the company is part of a buying group called Wheatbelt Inc. that has more than 450 farm store members throughout the United States.

“We meet in Kansas City at tradeshows and can buy products at highly competitive pricing because we pool our purchases together,” Crowther said, adding that the internet has changed how customers find and buy products. “We’re doing what we can to make sure we’re competitive to farmers who have more options than they had 20 years ago.”

And because NW Farm Supply is not a big box store, it can adjust to a community’s individual needs, he said. For instance, in Prosser, the store will carry an extensive line of orchard and vineyard sprayers and parts.

“We do that at other locations,” he said, “but not to the extent we’ll do in Prosser.”

The Prosser store also will carry Big Bend livestock trailers. “Ranchers are familiar with them, and it’s a draw because people like how well built those trailers are. We bring them in from Texas,” Crowther said.

NW Farm Supply also manufactures its own flatbeds, dump trailers and custom utility trailers through Premier Northwest LLC, a company it started in 2003.

“We do a lot of custom trailers—building what a customer needs rather than a cookie-cutter approach,” he said. “We’ve built thousands of trailers since we started that business.”

In 2003, the company opened a branch in Walla Walla and in November, NW Farm Supply began leasing Del’s Farm Feed & Supply building in Othello after that business closed. The company also has expanded into product lines.

About six years ago, the company bought Nutritional Services Inc., which created a supplement to correct the nutritional imbalances of feed grown in the Northwest.

“A lot of equine science has gone into it over the years,” said Crowther, who explained that the Nutritional Services was established in 1970 in Hermiston. “We’ve added micro-minerals that have enhanced those formulas to be even better. Those products sell at our own stores, but they’re also distributed to supply farm and feed stores.”

NW Farm Supply has 35 to 40 full- and part-time employees. The addition of the Prosser store will add another 10 to 12 employees, Crowther said. Prosser native Kevin McClure will manage the new store.

The contractor overseeing construction is Pasco-based Teton West, while Big D’s Construction is handling drainage and grading work. Brashear Electric of Richland is handling electrical. Crowther said the total cost for the project is more than $1 million.

NW Farm Supply plans a soft opening in late June with a grand opening in July—although a specific date has not been set.

Employees from the Hermiston branch will assist with the opening to help new employees acclimate to the computer system. There also will be bilingual staff to assist customers with questions in both English and Spanish.

“We provide discounts for 4-H and FFA purchases,” said Crowther, adding the company provides a lot of local support and donations within the communities it serves.