Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson is President of Peak Plant Genetics, Mountain Views Seeds’ breeding affiliate.  He and his team develop Mountain View Seeds portfolio of high performing turfgrass varieties.  Since its founding in 2008 Peak has released over 170 new cultivars.  These include the excellent low maintenance varieties Supersonic Tall Fescue, Grand Slam GLD Perennial Ryegrass and Bolt Kentucky Bluegrass.  “It is a pleasure to work with Mountain View Seeds” says Johnson. “They are truly committed to providing their customers with high quality turfgrasses that require less maintenance and few inputs.

”Through his career Johnson has been active in serving the seed industry having served as President of the Turfgrass Breeders Association and Chairman of the Oregon Seed Association Research Committee.  He is also a guest lecturer for Plant Breeding and Forages classes at Oregon State University.  After earning a B.A. in Biology from Carleton College in Minnesota and a M.S. in Botany from Iowa State University Johnson returned to Oregon’s Willamette Valley where he grew up working on local farms.

We believe in better.

Mountain View Seeds research facility, Peak Plant Genetics, continually brings the highest quality turf to the industry. Varieties that require less water, fertilizer and provide a thicker, greener turf that is easier for the homeowner to sustain.

Peak Plant Genetics varieties consistently rank at the top of the NTEP (National Turf Evaluation Program)! In the latest Turf-Type Tall Fescue study, six of the top 10 varieties were varieties from Peak Plant Genetics.

Planting and selecting from space plant nurseries is an integral part in the breeding process. Here different lines are planted and then selected for certain traits including drought tolerance, seed yield and overall plant health.

Once a variety is selected for commercial production it is named and oftentimes compared to other varieties in that species. Here Screamer LS is compared to other high-quality tall fescues.