MONTE VISTA — David Oein, a third-generation producer from Montana, was raised on the family farm. After graduating from high school, Oein, like his siblings, chose to leave the farm and attend college. But in a move, he still describes with some surprise 50 years later, he returned to the family’s wheat farm in 1976, which he then transitioned to organic at a time when organic was a relatively new idea. 

And so, as stated on his website, began his “long and storied career in the industry.” 

His parents “weren’t happy” with his decision, he says, and actually told him, outright, not to do it.  “I really had no business trying to be a farmer,” he says. “I didn’t know anything about farming. Even though I was raised on the farm, I knew nothing about farming and I hadn’t learned anything since I left. My college degree was in religion and philosophy.” 

That admission drew a laugh from the audience of producers at the Southern Rocky Mountain Agriculture Conference and Trade Show held in Monte Vista Feb. 3-5. Oein was one of the keynote speakers on Feb. 4, and the title of his speech was a clear indication that it was probably not going to be a typical keynote: “Welcome to the Underground: passion, perseverance and patience in the pursuit of a more perfect paradigm”.    

But, in telling his story, Oein’s credibility was well earned as he described how he took a crop very few people were familiar with and, using farming practices that were not well known at the time, ultimately turned it into a highly successful million-dollar business. 

Oein grows organic lentils, a “low shelf” crop that doesn’t have the upscale allure of organic coffee and a legume many still don’t know much about as he illustrated by consumption per capita per year in the U.S. compared with other commodities.   

“People, per capita, consume about 323 pounds of meat per year,” he said. “People, per capita, consume 127 pounds of wheat. And lentils?” He asked people to guess. No one even came close. “People consume 8 ounces of lentils per year, although it was one of the first crops domesticated, dating all the way back to the Fertile Crescent.” 

When Oein started out in the 1980s, no lentils were grown in Montana. “Zero,” he said. But now, 500,000 acres are in lentil production each year, with Montana being the number one producer in the nation. In addition to being a nutritious crop that can be used in a multitude of ways, growing lentils also “fix nitrogen levels in the soil.” 

But the story Oein told was not geared toward promoting the production of lentils. Instead, his message was one that spoke of “courage and regeneration”, a story of someone who, against significant odds, accomplished something no one – including himself – envisioned happening.  

And he attributes much of his success to three practices:  having great passion and belief in what you’re doing; not giving up when confronted with obstacles but, instead, being persistent in finding a way to accomplish whatever the goal may be, and, finally, being patient in not just recognizing but accepting that big changes will always take time to be successful. 

And those practices are more important now than ever, he said, as current conditions are similar to periods of time in history that posed huge challenges and wrought significant devastation. 

He started off by saying, “The temperature in Montana today is going to be 60 degrees. Tomorrow it’s going to be 67 degrees. That’s the highest temperature in 80 years by 47 degrees.” 

The murmur in the crowd confirmed that people understood his point. 

Oein then gave a historic perspective, referencing the “Medieval Warm Period” going up to the 1300s, characterized by chaos, starvation and great unrest as the change in climate disrupted how food could be grown. That was followed by the “Little Ice Age”, coinciding with the arrival of Christopher Columbus where, over the next 300 years, 90 percent of the population of 60 million indigenous people would die through disease, displacement and other factors.  

Starting in 1900, as major changes in industry – referred to as the mechanization of agriculture with horses being traded for tractors which led to different farming practices. 

Temperatures started back on the incline into the early 1900s. The Dust Bowl led to the loss of 700,000 farms and, post World War II, the use of chemicals discovered through wartime chemical research was largely promoted in ag.  

Oein noted that, when he returned to the farm, there was a high incidence of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in his father’s family, including a number of relatives who were all farmers. 

As the devastation of the 1980s hit agriculture, Oein started looking at things through a “different lens” and realized the importance of value added in farming prosperity. So, in 1987, he started Timeless Seed where he grew organic seed for an organic cover crop. That was when he also noted that, after the soil on his farm having zero organic matter, growing organic crops were putting biomass in soil, making it healthier – and more productive without the use of chemicals – than it had been before. 

What follows is the story where he made the choice to expand and what determination that took. By then, he was working with three friends. When the bank refused their loan application, they tried a different route, beginning what is now referred to as “crowdsourcing” – that is, asking friends and relatives to loan them money. They then turned the business into an LLC, making it not just a loan situation but an investment. When Whole Foods expressed interest in their product, they took a chance and moved to a bigger facility. In 2005, they bought their own facility, and the operation has only grown since then. 

As he spoke, it became increasingly clear that he was telling his story for a reason.  

Times are difficult – he acknowledges that clearly. But difficult times can also prompt thinking outside the box, which can lead an operation in a new direction. Trying anything new is a trial-and-error experience but if there’s passion for the project, if there’s persistence to keep trying and the deep-seated knowledge that it will take time, success is possible. 

Oein said he sees great potential in the San Luis Valley. “There are a lot of entrepreneurs, and they have a lot of energy.” 

He then ticked off a few organizations that had really gotten his attention – including the Grain Chain and the Rye Resurgence Project.  

A strong advocate for value added, he also threw out some numbers in the potato industry if there was organic certification. “If 2 percent of the crop was grown organically, that would generate $7 million additional dollars, and 20 percent would generate $17 million. Organic, non-GMO – consumers are looking for that, and all those things add value to the crop you’re growing.” 

In closing he, once again, emphasized the three Ps: passion, persistence and passion.