On the original 1932 T. A. Doebler seed-farm property in Jersey Shore, Pine Creek Seed Farm processes, stores, and distributes seed for suppliers and producers across North America. Great-grandson Chris McCracken now leads the family-owned business, which operates a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and a high-capacity processing plant serving Eastern markets. Pine Creek also manages about 600 acres for seed production and research, bringing its family’s long seed-growing tradition into modern supply-chain work.
2024 Small Business Administration’s Family-Owned Small Business Award for Eastern PA
ReGenAg SeedRooted in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, ReGenAg Seed is a Northeast-focused, family-owned seed business supplying regionally tested seed and agronomic solutions for healthier soils and productive farms. Its story reaches back to T.A. Doebler’s 1932 seed business, and today his great-grandson Chris McCracken carries that legacy forward through Pine Creek Seed Farm’s modern operation. ReGenAg Seed pairs conventional and traited options with practical guidance for farmers adopting regenerative practices without giving up profitability.JERSEY SHORE, PA
Schlessman Seed CompanyFor more than a century, Schlessman Seed Company has remained a family-owned Ohio business rooted in John Schlessman’s 1915 effort to grow seed for local farmers. Today, the Milan company is especially known for its proprietary hybrid popcorn program, which supplies commercial processors in the United States and abroad and is supported by a full-time popcorn breeder and international research sites.MILAN, OH
Ernst Conservation SeedsErnst Conservation Seeds is a family business founded by Calvin Ernst in 1964, still led by the Ernst family from the Meadville farm where it began. Over six decades, it has grown from a five-acre crownvetch venture into a native seed producer serving restoration work across Eastern North America, with more than 11,000 acres in production and nearly 80 full-time employees.MEADVILLE, PA
Bejo Seeds, IncFounded in 1991, Bejo Seeds, Inc. develops and supplies vegetable seed for growers across the United States and Canada. The Oceano-based subsidiary of family company Bejo Zaden combines customer support with breeding, seed production and research at facilities spanning several major U.S. vegetable-growing regions. Bejo USA is particularly distinguished by its long-running organic program, with more than 150 organic varieties across over 30 crops and 20 years of organic certification in the United States.GENEVA, NY