Who We Are

Abrhan learned about Native American Seed from brother Juan Antonio and other family ties down south of the border. Enjoys walking the dirt roads in the evenings after work, reflecting on the tranquillity and beauty of the farm when the day is done.

<p> allison@seedsource.com ext. 222 <br> Allison came to work with us in Junction after receiving her master’s degree at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX in Natural Resource Conservation. She has 7 years of experience working at a native plant nursery in Austin, as well as experience in native seed production in west Texas. Allison is especially passionate about restoring pollinator plants and loves rearing butterflies. In her free time she enjoys making pottery, playing with her dogs, Buddy and Birdie, and swimming in the Llano river. </p>

Bill remembers always being aware and a part of nature. He tells many stories, like in his early teenage years when he went backpacking deep into the Gila wilderness with his dad ... sleeping on the ground about 5 or 10 miles from the pickup truck. Together they had hiked to the headwaters of the Gila River, birthplace of Geronimo. Sleeping on the ground, listening to the sounds of mountain lions in the night, and being awakened by hot, smelly breath of a bear who wandered through the campsite looking for food. His dad, without many words, showed him how to collect watercress, nuts & berries from the land and water to season native gila and cutthroat trout they caught wading the freshwater stream - so clean that you could drink from it: "We'd stay for days and didn't even have to carry any water." It was this area that inspired Aldo Leopold's campaign to set aside the first National Wilderness Area. Remote campouts such as these have inspired the Native American Seed mission to help people to recreate and restore clean, natural wilderness places close to home.

Born and Raised in San Marcos, TX, Bryan started at Native American Seed in September of 2021. He recieved a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Computer Animation at Digital Media Arts College in Boca Raton, FL. He then completed his Masters Program at the Art Institute of Austin. Bryan has 13 years experience in Warehouse/Production/Manufacturing. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, playing sports, working out, collecting sports and various collectibles, and using his art skills to create custom one of a kind pieces for clients.

Emily was raised here on the farm. She graduated from Austin College, then spent 4 years in the city working with food security non-profit community and school garden program before coming back home to the family farm. Always on lookout for networking and community-building opportunities related to our work at Native American Seed. Manages our huge native plant photograph collection, updates web products with higher and higher quality photos. Early spring and fall you can find her at the computer producing the most colorful native seed catalogs in the country. Emily loves to hear your stories how Native American Seeds improve diversity, habitat and health of the land. With your permission, she loves sharing experiences with others through our print catalog, web and media channels. Her interests in local food, learning spanish and culture is cantagious. Married to co-worker George, together raising a son Fisher (life time NPSOT member) here on the farm. Talk about a future farmer! The little one is on grandad's lap in the tractor most everyday.

George came to Native American Seed as an intern after graduating from college in Sherman, TX. He's got a remarkable knack for looking at problems as "challenges" to be met, and the kind of willingness to learn that is a priceless asset in a business full of the unexpected, unpredictable and at times downright chaotic. His persistence and attention to detail, along with his ability to grasp the "big picture," are qualities that allow him to move easily and competently to the spots where help is needed when he's not busy in the barn cleaning seeds.

Jan is a "back-to-the-land" person from the 1970s, an organic gardener canning her own food in the kitchen. Got milk from goats, eggs from the chickens she kept in her yard. Jan earned a degree in business administration, worked 10 years for Braniff Airlines out of Love Field, then transistioned to the. new DFW Airport in the 1980's. Loved flying to distant lands, but always worked for the company in all forms of "ground-based" customer service. When a combination of factors led to Braniff's demise, Jan returned to her first love of plants and the land by joining Bill operating his DFW based nursery and landscape construction company. Being an integral part of Native American Seed since inception, Bill says, 'it would've never happened without her".

An artist as well as a hard worker. One small example, if you ever visit the farm - take a look at the concrete step that keeps water out of the old chicken coop (now our mechanic tool area). Jorge carefully and skillfully created the words N-A-T-I-V-E with a paper stencil and painted it to look just like it was a metal inlay. It’s fun to have his youth on our team.

Juan Antonio and his brother Abrhan heard about Native American Seed thru family ties. Both are hard working individuals who provide well for their families. In the evenings, after work, you can find them on a walk around the farm enjoying the beauty they have created in expanding our native wildflower and prairie grass seed production.

Leslie grew up romping around North Texas and has always held a deep respect for wild land. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2013 with a photojournalism degree and worked as a freelancer focusing on enviromental issues until being hired in June of 2022 here at NAS. She has a passion for communicating the importance of native ecosystems and native plants. She has a crazy rescue dog Roro and loves to kayak and campout. If you have photos to share she is your gal!

We first met Manuel over 20 years ago at his home in central Mexico. He comes from a caring family with deep agricultural roots. Although he has worked in vegetable production for much of his career, his eye for plants and how to take care and help them thrive has been an asset to our native wildflower and prairie grass seed farm.

Melinda joined Native American Seed on the first day we moved into Junction back in summer of 1995, been with us ever since. Born and raised in Junction. Spent some time in college, but promptly returned to her home community and got seriously busy with living life itself. It is Melinda's friendly and helpful voice you're most likely to hear on the phone when you call. Her down-to-earth sensibilities and 'get it done' attitude are invaluable when it comes to helping you find what you need. It is Melinda helping push the rest of us along to excellence, matching her pride and enjoyment that comes with providing great customer service.

Michelle grew up in the Adirondack Mountains where her love for the natural world developed into a career in horticulture. She graduated from Colorado State University in 1996 with a degree in Landscape Horticulture and attained a Master of Agricultural Education from Texas State University in San Marcos in 2007. During her multi-faceted career, Michelle has held positions in retail nursery sales and management, ran her own design/build landscape company focused on the use of Texas native plants, urban farm apprentice and even an early stint doing plant tissue culture for a seed potato firm. Michelle is especially proud of her time working with community gardeners at a San Antonio based land trust where she learned to empower others toward their own path as urban land stewards through educational workshops, event planning and developing educational materials. After admiring Native American Seed for the entirety of the Texas leg of her horticulture career, Michelle proudly joined the team in 2022. Her love of conservation and restoration is also reflected in her personal life where she shares 4 acres along the Old San Antonio River with her husband and daughter, many four-legged and feathered beings both domestic and wild.

About

About

Always ready to take on agricultural jobs of the day with a possitive attitude. Victor has worked closely with our production & farming crew and is an experienced team leader. He has brought his wife and two kids to live here in our rural community. On Sundays, you can find him fishing, paddling the river, barbequeing or playing a friendly game of soccer.

Weston was raised on our seed farm with big sister Emily, began working full time with the operations after his athletic journey at college. Weston took to those Friday night lights only found in West Texas small towns. He was the high school quarterback in his senior year. Received a football scholarship to join a team in the Western Conference at New Mexico State University. Made his first touchdown in Honolulu at the Aloha Dome. Bundled in boundless energy, a knack for bringing spirit, playfulness, and teamwork to otherwise routine jobs. Back in the Drouth of 2011, Weston qualified Native American Seed to win the 2012 Texas Water Development Board’s "Rain Catcher Award" by leading the design and build-out of 2 high capacity rainwater catchment systems on the farm. Since then, he has installed several residential and commercial rainwater harvesting projects. A former football star, he loves competition, strategy and numbers. Most likely if you see major improvements or cutting edge innovation, you can thank Weston for the idea. Our warehouse in New Braunfels for example! Under his purview and with talented inventory and sales staff it has increased our capacity and ability to serve professional customers. We've seen him everywhere: on the combine, answering sales calls and working in administration.