Northwest Farm Supply was packed for its 20th anniversary celebration Friday and Saturday.

Nathan Crowther, manager and part owner of the business, said the community has been supportive since it opened in March of 1995 on Highway 395 north of Hermiston.

“The support of the community was phenomenal last weekend and has continued to escalate since we’ve been there,” he said. “The Hermiston community has been extremely supportive of our type of a business and has allowed us to grow and prosper.”

Crowther said the business has also tried to support the community through the years.

He said the business has been committed to supporting 4-H and FFA “from day one.” He said NW Farm Supply has spent more than $800,000 purchasing livestock at fairs and shows and also hosts its own shows.

“We’ve spent a lot of money to support the livestock auctions, the kids that are involved and the leaders,” Crowther said. “We do things like put on our own jackpot steer show that gives them an opportunity to prepare for the fairs they’ll be showing at.”

Crowther, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, said he worked in agricultural retail for more than 10 years before opening NW Farm Supply. He said the business specializes in certain areas to set it apart from others.

“We have attempted to differentiate from other businesses, particularly farm-supply businesses, with several key areas,” he said. “One of them is having a full-time livestock fieldman that works with ranchers. His name is Mike Countryman, and he covers about five counties in Oregon and about four in Washington. His training is as an animal scientist.”

Crowther said NW Farm Supply also focuses on pumps, tanks, hose, fittings and “anything related to sprayers,” and his business partner John Lloyd and his son Justin Crowther specialize in that area.

“It’s a fairly technical field that requires making the right recommendations and understanding application, and there really hasn’t been anybody else in our market that has had the experience level that those guys have to be able to help farmers.”

Since the business began, NW Farm Supply has also expanded and branched out. In 2003, Crowther said he and his partners opened a store in Walla Walla, and, in 2004, they started manufacturing Premier Northwest trailers. Crowther said more than 2,000 trailers have been built in Hermiston.

Crowther said they added another business, Nutritional Services, that manufactures livestock feed supplements from a facility on Elm Avenue in Hermiston. He said the products, including Northwest Horse Supplement and Northwest Mare and Foal, are distributed throughout the Northwest and parts of California.

“As opportunities come up, we take a look at them,” he said. “We’ve been very fortunate to have a crew of employees who look for opportunities. We’ve been very fortunate to have a stable crew of people that have been there for a long time. In total, between all of the locations, part time and full time, we have about 30 employees currently.”

The business is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays at 80411 Highway 395, north of Hermiston.