Simplot Grower Solutions in Weiser closes its doors

_{Local farmers will still be serviced from the company’s Ontario location}

 

 Simplot Grower Solutions (SGS) has closed its location in Weiser.

 It does not, however, mean that local growers won’t have access to services. Although the operation at 315 W. Commercial St. has been shuddered, SGS is still servicing its customers from its location at 1700 SW Fourth St. in Ontario.

 The 90-year-old home-grown Idaho company says the move will actually improve customer service.

 “The biggest reason [we closed the Weiser location] is because we have a larger location in Ontario that is not more than 25 miles away, so we are just centralizing the operation, which should allow us to have some efficiencies and more available product at one location, as well as better utilization of equipment and those sorts of things,” Global Public Relations Lead Josh Jordan told the Weiser Signal American in a phone interview on Monday.

 For 62 years, SGS has provided local farmers agronomic advice, various products such as fertilizers and chemicals, and fumigation and application services, in addition to helping them determine things like soil composition, and subsequently giving them guidance on fertilizer. They have also provided the latest technology available for alfalfa and corn seed, according to the company’s website.

 Simplot says it won’t skip a beat in terms of service, specifically its applications services.

 “Some growers like to do it themselves and have the ability to do that and others don’t; and we absolutely can do that and we also have a large number of crop advisors, so a lot of the service to a grower is going to be in their field,” Jordan said. “A lot of farmers won’t have to come to a location at all. They can still make a phone call to their crop advisor.”

 He added that 10 of the 11 SGS employees in Weiser have transferred to Ontario and will still be available.

 “All but one of the employees at the Weiser location have moved to the Ontario location, so if they had a direct relationship with a crop advisor or someone else at the Weiser location, that person is still likely going to be employed in Ontario,” Jordan said. “From a service standpoint, it really shouldn’t impact growers in Weiser or the surrounding area much at all. If anything, it will improve it.”

 The Weiser location, which began the process of shutting down in late December or early January, has been emptied of all equipment and product and is now vacant. According to Jordan, Simplot may end up hanging on to the property, which spans about two city blocks.

 “Frequently, they will not sell that,” he said. “You just never know what that might be utilized for. Shoot, we’ve got over 250 SGS locations around the country and Canada. That facility (in Weiser), there might be an opportunity for us to use it again sometime or we could use the space for storage and the SGS location is just one line of our business area.”

 For more information or for questions, contact the Ontario location at (541) 889-2353 or visit SGS in person at 1700 S.W. Fourth St. in Ontario.