There's a new farm supply store in town

Bob Kirkpatrick/The Sun Tribune - The seasoned crew at NW Farm Supply offers a wealth of knowledge in the feed supply and farming business. Pictured in the back row from left are owner Nathan Crowther, Scott Butcher (in the sweatshirt), manager Joel Austin and Jacob Stelter. Front row from left are Linda Dilley and Maria Gonzalez. Not pictured is Chris Stadelma.

by Bob Kirkpatrick Sun Tribune
| February 13, 2018 12:00 AM

In case you haven’t heard, NW Farm Supply is open for business in Othello operating out of the old Del’s store on East Columbia Street behind the Burger King.

Owner Nathan Crowther is the owner. His home base is in Hermiston, Ore., but he is originally from just north of Mesa, where his family has farmed since the 1950s.

“I graduated from Connell High School and went on to get my degree in Ag economics and business management at BYU,” Crowther said. “I worked six years for the International Farmers Association Co-op, and have lived in Hermiston the past 34 years where I managed what was then the Pendleton Grain Growers retail division for 11 years, and then partnered up with some folks to form NW Farm Supply 23 years ago.”

The Othello facility is one of three owned by Crowther. His other locations are in Walla Walla, and a store that is currently under construction in Prosser.

“My wife Penny of 38 years does the accounting for the business,” Crowther said. “My son Justin is the assistant manager in Hermiston. My other son Jacob works there too and will be relocating to the new store in Prosser. My daughter manages the NW Farms Supply website – https//nwfarmsupply.com, and is in charge of advertising.”

Crowther also owns a trailer fabrication shop in Hermiston.

“We have built over 2,500 trailers, many of which are custom built to meet the needs of local producers. One of my biggest clients is Clearwater Supply here in Othello. We build flat beds, pickup, dump, car hauler and utility trailers. We’ll also bring in livestock trailers built by the Big Bend Company out of Texas.”

The appeal of an established farm supply market, Crowther said was a major factor in the decision to come to Othello.

“Our focus is primarily on farmers and ranchers. Del’s had been catering to that market for 10 years and people in this area wanted a feed store here, so we took over the lease of the building,” he said. “But we intend to bring in a lot more items than Del’s previously had.”

Items such as custom made trailers, chain link and electric fencing, chutes, feeders, panels and troughs, Montezuma toolboxes, fuel tanks, GPI fuel pumps, air compressors, pressure washers, block poly and stainless steel fittings, and chic brooders all at affordable prices.

“We’re members of Wheat Belt — a nationwide farm store buying group of about 500 stores around the country,” Crowther said, “which gives us buying position to be able to offer competitive pricing.”

Brand name feeds from Purina, Vitalix, Cattle Mineral and NW Mare and Foal which makes horse supplements, along with pet food made by Diamond, PMI, Victor, Exclusive, Taste of the Wild and American Nutrition will also be inventoried at the Othello location.

As an outsider trying to earn the trust of a new customer base, Crowther values the importance a familiar face to deal with so he’s retained the staff that had previously worked for Del’s. He’s also hired a bilingual sales person, Maria Gonzalez, who is fluent in Spanish. Joel Austin will manage the facility.

“Joel is really customer service oriented and is quick on the computer,” Crowther said. “That’s a big plus because we’ll be brining in a new system and will need to have it up and running as soon as possible.”

A grand opening is planned for Saturday, March 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We’ll have a lot of manufacturers reps here to show people how to put up a chain link fence, work with livestock handling equipment, and someone who can answer questions on chicken nutrition and animal health,” Crowther said. “We’ll also have door prizes and a buy one get one free sale.”

Chic Day is scheduled for March 17 with the first 50 customers getting five free chics and a 10 percent discount off of any chic ordered.

“We will also be putting on a 4-H livestock clinic Friday, April 27,” Crowther said. “We’ll be brining in a Purina representative to teach the kids about animal nutrition. Every kid gets a free bag of show feed.”

NW Farm Supply is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday’s from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 509-488- 4171 for more information.