Post by Vitalis Organic Seeds Americas

Bees & Erik Lahr do the superhero work of making sure we have seed to grow food! As Seed Production Specialist, Erik’s job at Vitalis Organic Seeds and Enza Zaden (Vitalis's other division) is to be the master of seed multiplication, using his finely tuned skills – and the gracious assistance of 1000s of honey bees – to turn a few kilos of seed into a few thousand kilos. The honey bees are vital to the mission, with almost all crops at Enza Zaden and Vitalis Organic Seeds reliant on pollinators to achieve production goals. While Lahr has colleagues in similar roles around the globe, he is the chief, cook and bottlewasher for U.S. seed production. During the pandemic, Lahr has missed the international travel that previously enabled in-person crop discussion with other specialists in his field. While it’s hard to compete with highly anticipated trips to Holland, Argentina, Chile and South Africa, he’s made the most of his time to closely monitor regional trials, including those he conducts on his own property. “Part of what I do for fun is take my work home with me. For the past seven years, I’ve planted a few acres of onion and other crops. This year, I’m doing watermelon. I like having an up-close look at the trials and stock seed productions,” said Lahr. Born and raised in an agricultural family in the Santa Maria Valley, Erik became hooked on agriculture as a career during an internship with APIO in Guadeloupe, CA. “I was running my first broccoli harvest crew, and felt blessed to be part of the chain that helps feed people. I was in love, and I’ve loved every harvest since,” said Lahr. Following his agri-business degree from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, Lahr spent time in viticulture before landing in seed. He enjoys the never-ending challenges of vegetable seed production, with no two crops or seasons ever the same. While broccoli got him hooked, his favorite crop now is basil. “The plants grow and harvest so easily, the honey bees love them, and I can enjoy the amazing smell while running the combine,” said Lahr. Lahr lives on his farm in Paso Robles, CA, with his two children Clayton (9) and Juliana (6), who look forward to getting back to in-person learning at school in the fall, almost as much as their Dad looks forward to the end of homeschooling. #vitalisorganicseeds #enzazadenseeds #growingbetterpartnerships #seeds #organicseedfororganicfood #growingbetterorganicseed #growingbetterorganics #growingbetterteams #nofoodwithoutseedproduction #hegrowsyourproduceseeds #seedprodution