Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Jeff Wright, Director of Operations at OFSS, and reflected on the dramatic changes he’s seen over the years during the 75th anniversary celebration. “When I came, we still had a couple of old Gleaner F combines, no semis of our own. We did everything in bushel bags, one bag at a time.” As farmers began requesting treated seed and bulk bags, Wright responded, “ I don’t know, but let’s try.” Those early adjustments led to major efficiency improvements—“We actually do probably 85% of what we bag nowadays in 35-bushel bulk bags,” he explained.
Wright also shared how OFSS evolved into an industry leader by embracing innovation. “We got our first new combine that’s actually made for foundation seed production in 2013… we’ve had several other foundation seed organizations that came by and looked at our combine, and now they have one. So we were trendsetters, and I didn’t realize it.” With donated and acquired semis, he noted, “We can just do so much more, more efficiently than we used to.”
When asked about the seed certification process, Wright broke it down: “Dr. Brett Carver used to give us a cup, maybe 10 bushels of seed, and we would take that 10 bushels… then we go out and walk that field in the spring. Make sure there’s no off types. Make sure it’s to the genetic purity.” Attention to cleanliness and accuracy is crucial: “Every truck that goes in, make sure it’s clean. Every conveyor it goes through, it’s got to be cleaned. And I always tell my crew: no seed left behind.”
He also took time to honor a longtime partner in the peanut industry—the Lasley family. “They were the first ones to grow foundation seed peanuts in 1956… They make my life easy in peanuts.” He expressed deep appreciation for their independence and expertise: “I try to help them—I’m probably more of a hindrance, because they know what they’re doing better than I do.” Wright credited the family for shaping the peanut industry in Oklahoma: “That’s where our peanuts start, with them.
As the 75th anniversary celebration wrapped up, Wright was asked if he’d return for the 100th. “Maybe I’ll come back out of retirement just to visit,” he said.
