Stover Seed Company has been providing seeds and services to professional and home gardeners for nearly 100 years. When Floyd Stover founded Stover Seed in 1922, he sold mousetraps and garden supplies on a local scale. In the 1960s the company was acquired by New Jersey based Lofts Seed, a turfgrass company. It wasn’t too long after this that David Knutson, who once worked for Ferry- Morse, bought the company. In 1977 he hired John McShane to help run it. John had discovered his love of horticulture when he worked in a nursery as a young man and went on to earn an Associate degree in Ornamental Horticulture, followed by a BS in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Fast forward to the present: John McShane is president and part owner of the company and, together with CEO and co-owner Stephen Knutson, he has overseen its gradual evolution. For years Stover Seed dealt largely in turfgrass seed. Over the past three decades it has become increasingly involved in water conservation and land restoration, and now ships seed worldwide to four continents.

“We are in the environment business,” John explains, “not simply the seed business.” Environmental solutions such as erosion control, pasture and rangeland restoration, and land reclamation have become a major focus for Stover Seed and account for about a third of the company’s sales. “Water conservation is a big issue in the southwest. We provide homeowners with water-wise lawn alternatives, such as California native grass mixes, Buffalo grass, and blue grama.” In addition, company experts consult with city planners and restoration project managers to come up with appropriate seed mixes for large scale projects. These proprietary mixes are a lot more painstaking to formulate than Stover Seed’s more standard offerings. “Some of our native seed needs to be hand collected,” explains John.

“Over the years our seed business has developed three legs,” John summarizes. Turfgrass seed, native seed for restoration projects, and flower and vegetable seed each contribute about a third to the bottom line. All products are sorted, blended, and packaged in the 20,000 square foot warehouse the company recently acquired and remodeled in the Los Angeles area. Products including sports field seed, and erosion control seed are sold wholesale and to institutions, and “as far as the packets go we do about 50 different wildflower packets including native species and regional wildflower mixtures, which are best sellers,” John notes. “Plus we sell both organic and non-organic vegetable seed packets.” 18 employees work at the company full time, with an additional 10 doing part time and seasonal work. A number of them have been with the company more than 20 years.”

“Historically, we’ve specialized in grass varieties that grow well in the western states,” John says. So it comes as no surprise that he frequents the test plots at University of California Riverside, where he and his colleagues evaluate cool and warm season grasses and lawn alternatives. Having enjoyed more than 40 years in the business, John has shared his knowledge and expertise by taking on leadership roles in the Pacific Seed Association and the California Seed Association, as well as the Southern California Turfgrass Council. Several years ago he was appointed by the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture to serve on the Seed Advisory Board.

John and Carol, his wife of 36 years, have a home and a small back yard in Los Angeles. “Our yard is an experiment,” says John. “We’re now trying out some tall fescue varieties.” They love gardenias and roses, and are currently growing heirloom tomatoes in 5-gallon containers. There was a time when he was a scoutmaster and life included “some high adventure.” With their two children now grown and out of the house, he and Carol enjoy driving along the central coast when they have the chance, taking in the beautiful scenery and visiting wineries. “Santa Barbara is a favorite escape,” he smiles. “We love the drive.”