Pioneers in the Industry

We’ve been bringing reliability and consistency to the grass seed industry since 1949, when Robert Dye pioneered bluegrass production in the Palouse.

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About Dye Seed

Our History

1949 – 1976

In 1949, Robert Dye started Dye Seed Ranch in the Pomeroy, Washington area of the lower Palouse. Pomeroy and the surrounding area, as well as the Rockford-Fairfield area of the upper Palouse, were the two places in the world where grass seed made the most sense as a permanent part of a farm’s crop rotation.

The discovery that grass would net more dollars per acre, increase yields of future wheat crops, and reduce erosion in an area where it was a serious problem signaled the start of a shift in the production of grass seed to the Inland Northwest.

1977-2011

In 1977, Dennis Hanson took over management of Dye Seed. No stranger to dryland farming on the Palouse, Dennis’s father had invented a self-leveling mechanism that allowed farm equipment to be able to work the steep contours of the rolling hills. Dennis had grown up working at RAHCO where he was mentored by the many engineers who worked there. His engineering and manufacturing background enabled him to design, build, and improve many of the machines used to process and package grass seed.

2012-2022

In 2012, Dennis’s son Matt Hanson, a mechanical engineer by genetics and education with a life-long interest in business, took over the reins. He has helped navigate the company through industry challenges by streamlining operations, adding efficiency, and bringing consistency to grower payments. Matt “righted the ranch” and enabled the company to operate successfully in the future.

Dye Seed Leadership

Matt Hanson

President

At the helm of Dye Seed since 2012, Matt grew up in Spokane and attended the University of Idaho as a fourth generation Vandal. After graduating with a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering, he worked in investment banking in New York City before returning home to the Inland Northwest and joining Dye Seed. Matt served as a board trustee for the Garfield County Hospital District from 2014-2019. Following in his family’s aviation footsteps, Matt learned to fly from his father Dennis. He is instrument-rated as a private pilot of single-engine land and sea planes. Married with two daughters, Matt enjoys spending time outdoors, especially when he’s bird hunting with his German Shorthair Pointer.