Prior to the European settlement in the early 19th Century, much of the Upper Midwest was covered with prairie.  The topsoil formed by the decay of grasses and roots formed some the finest agricultural soils in the Nation.  As the indigenous cover types were cleared and plowed throughout the first half of the 19th century, many species of flora and fauna native to the tallgrass prairie vanished from the landscape.  Today, only a tenth of the one percent of the original prairie remains in small tracts scattered throughout the ecosystem.  These remnant tracts are the last our natural and cultural heritage. 

Located in small localized areas, such as railroad right-of-ways, highway right-of-ways, hilltops, etc., we collect seed from a radius of 50 miles.  We collect seed ethically, so as to leave sufficient seed for the original site. To collect seed ethically, you collect from a number of plants, from a variety of sites and leave plenty of seed behind for Mother Nature.

The collected seed is germinated and grown planted in nursery stock rows. When these plants mature (2 to 5 years), we collect seed from these "mother plant" rows and grow plants in containers to be sold to the public.  By growing the plants in containers, the plants can be transplanted at any time during the growing season. 

We provide preservation of native plant species to our local area. The plants have evolved and adapted to grow in our climate.  We believe that since our local plants have evolved to what they are today, it is important maintain their uniqueness.