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All production aspects of US Alfalfa are controlled by an experienced, family-owned and operated manufacturing business. Bert & Wetta Sales, Inc. has been producing quality alfalfa products since 1946.
The Founders
The company name Bert & Wetta comes from its founders, Ray Bert and Joe Wetta. They grew up in Kansas in the 1920s. Joe was from Colwich, and Ray was from Neodesha, Both small rural towns.
They both went to Kansas State University in Manhattan Kansas, and were fraternity brothers. As World War II escalated, the men, with a great sense of duty and honor joined the armed forces. Joe served in the Army and fought at Guantanamo Bay. Ray joined the Navy and sailed and fought in the pacific.
How It Began
One day in 1946, Ray Bert and Joe Wetta happened to run into each other back on the streets of Wichita. The old friends began talking about what they were going to do since the war was over. They discussed some of the new feed processing technology. Later that year, they joined forces to form the company Bert & Wetta Sales, manufacturers of dehydrated alfalfa meal.
Field Queen
As an offshoot of their alfalfa dehydration business Ray and Joe designed a field cutter to meet the demands of their rapidly growing business. Thus, the FIELD QUEEN was born. It was the first self-propelled forage harvester in the world. In one process it would cut, chop and load alfalfa right in the field so that it could go to the mill ready for dehydration, reducing labor-intensive cutting, raking and pitch forking. Orders for the easy to maintain field chopper came from throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Then
Now
Innovation and Evolution
The alfalfa processing business has seen many changes and challenges through the years. Frankly, the last quarter-century has been devastating to the industry. Some 200 alfalfa processing plants in 26 states have closed during that time.
Bert and Wetta has gone through changes too. A few years ago, the company's headquarters moved from Maize to Larned, a prime hay growing area of central Kansas.
Today, the company employs over 60 men and women in two locations with combined experience of over 400 years. Bert & Wetta ships products to over 25 states plus Puerto Rico, Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Alfalfa dehydrating has historically been done to produce good quality livestock feed, such as pellets and meal for cattle, horses, rabbits, chickens and unusual animals such as ostrich, emu, deer and elk.
Bert and Wetta has pursued niche products. One such product is chopped dehydrated hay in plastic bags. This innovative product has received two U.S. Patents for the process. This "baled" hay has numerous advantages. It is cleaner to transport and store, easier for the horse to chew and swallow and has very little waste.
Another product Bert & Wetta markets is alfalfa used for Bio Remediation. This is to clean up pollution, or environmentally damaged waste sites.
Bert and Wetta produces dehydrated alfalfa for the health food industry. This human grade alfalfa meets countless quality control aspects for production to a standard that exceeds the pharmaceutical industry for sanitation and cleanliness. This specialized high quality grade of alfalfa finds it way into human diets throughout the world, helping to improve health and meeting daily nutrient needs of green foods.
Caring for the Environment
In 2001 Bert & Wetta converted their alfalfa dehydrators to utilize wood waste instead of natural gas. Wood waste normally earmarked for a landfill is now used for dehydrating alfalfa. This conversion will not only help reduce use of a non-renewable energy source it will also help the environment.
Bert & Wetta is meeting specialized needs of human and animal nutrition, as well as products to help clean the environment, while working to produce these products in a safe and environmentally sound method.
Bert and Wetta Sales, Inc. Today
Larned, KS
Abilene, KS
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| Family Pride in every bag. |
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