McIntoshes sell seed business to manager

A 20-year-old Havre business switched hands last Thursday as the McIntosh family sold McIntosh Seeds.

Brad Ruhkamp of Havre is the owner of the newly renamed Wild Horse Seeds. He said he plans to keep the business running along the same tracks.

"We will still offer the same quality of service and support," Ruhkamp said, "but we'll be expanding in some different areas."

Ruhkamp has been employed by the McIntosh family for 20 years and has been managing the business for seven.

The sale has been in the works for the past few months, Ruhkamp said.

McIntosh Seeds opened for business in 1981 with Stuart McIntosh and his two sons, Steve and Alec, co-owning and running the business. They have stayed in the same location one mile north of Havre on Wild Horse Road the entire time.

Alec McIntosh said his family's interests had moved to other areas, and that it just made sense to sell the business.

Stuart McIntosh, who has been in the seed business since 1951, continues to own Hingham Seeds in Hingham, Golden Triangle Seeds in Rudyard, and Crossroads Seed and Feed in Shelby.

Alec and Steve plan to concentrate more on farming.

Alec said he's pleased that the family business went to familiar hands.

"That was a good deal," he said of selling to Ruhkamp. "That was who we were hoping it to end up with all along."

Ruhkamp acknowledged the family's help.

"The McIntosh family went out of their way to make this thing work for me," he said. "They wanted me to share in the quality and profitability of the business."

The main areas Ruhkamp plans to expand are native grasses and a variety of cereal grains.

Wild Horse Seeds is a seed-cleaning and processing plant. It sells its stock wholesale and retail, including seed for wheat, barley, oats, grass, alfalfa and chickpeas.