RISA DEMASI

Co-founder, Partner and Director of Marketing

Risa DeMasi views the grass seed industry much the way a conductor regards a symphony orchestra.  She both understands and appreciates all of the seemingly disparate elements and is uniquely adept at bringing them together to perform beautifully.  Innovators and traditionalists, vendors and customers, sowers and reapers – Risa works to find novel solutions to all of their growing concerns.

A native Oregonian, Risa grew up on a small beef farm and studied music at Hesston Mennonite College in Kansas.  She was drawn back to her agrarian roots in 1988 when she began her career in the seed industry as a shipping assistant for Olsen-Fennell Seeds.  Advancing to a sales position, she became the National Customer Service Manager of ABT until the year 2000, when she co-founded Grassland Oregon.  Here she has overseen marketing, sales, and government affairs and held active senior positions with the Oregon Seed Association, the Southern Seed Association, a charter member of the Oregon Invasive Species Council, and active in the Atlantic Seed Association (where she was named “Seedsman of the Year” in 2007),

In 2013, Risa became the first woman to serve as an officer of the American Seed Trade Association in its 130-year history, and in June 2016 was named Chairman of ASTA. Here, her skills as a “symphony conductor” are particularly valuable for advancing the industry’s interests through national and international policy debates.

Risa resides in Salem, Oregon, with her husband, Michael, who is, not surprisingly, a musician.

Read Risa’s Latest Tips, Research, and Studies

• Myth-busting: 8 common beliefs about cover crops
  Myths surrounding cover crops typically fall into one of two camps. The first camp is that of detriment. Join us as we bust 8 cover crop myth’s
• Oklahoma Beef and Crop Business: How planning and breaking the norm radically improved this
  The way Jimmy Emmons raises crops and cattle on his Oklahoma farm is very different from what they were 26 years ago.
• Dave Chance: A Cash Crop Farmer’s Advice For A Successful Cover Crop
  It’s been a tough year for many producers throughout the Midwest with…
• 4 Ways To Tap Into Your Cover Crop Resources
  Without a doubt, one of the best ways to progress is to learn from others. Here are a few resources to do that…
• Advice from a cash crop farmer on planting green
  Illinois corn and soybean farmer David Holste shares his insight …
• 4 ways Cover Crops Protect Natural Resources
  As we look back through the last 12 months, it is safe to…