Orangeburg-based seed company expanding operations

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Orangeburg-based Mixon Seed Service Inc. is expanding its operations into Calhoun County with the purchase of the L.B. Wannamaker Seed Co. facility in St. Matthews. The facility will be repurposed as a cover crop production facility and SouthLand Wildlife retail storefront, according to a news release.

The company is investing $1.2 million in the expansion, which will create nine new jobs. Mixon Seed Service received a $150,000 South Carolina Agribusiness Incentives Grant for the project, the release said.

“We are excited to bring these two storied companies together and create a robust growth plan for the future that builds on the cover crop and wildlife seed experience already in place,” said Robert Etheridge, president of Mixon Seed Service. “Cover crops are a primary tool for advancing climate smart agriculture and this investment will allow us to better meet the needs of the local area and the region.”

Mixon Seed was founded in 1973 by Danny Mixon. With distribution centers in Orangeburg and Newton, Ga., Mixon supplies high quality, high yield cover crop and wildlife blends throughout the region, according to the release.

“Mixon’s expansion is a great example of a local agribusiness fueling South Carolina’s economy by growing to serve new markets,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. “We’re thrilled that Mixon Seed Service is continuing to invest in South Carolina farmers and our state’s future.”

The storied L.B. Wannamaker Seed Co. closed earlier this year with the retirement of Luther Wannamaker, who ran the business for 57 years, developing a reputation for wildlife mixes.