TANGENT, Ore. — When Kate Hartnell, president of operations at Saddle Butte Ag near Tangent, Ore., was a student at Lebanon High School in Linn County, she was determined to be a civil engineer. She said she was drawn to blueprints and the clean lines of drafting.

But fate intervened. She missed the deadline to register for her college drafting classes and decided to try an accounting course instead.

“That’s when I realized, this is what I like. The math and numbers,” Hartnell said.

The Wirth family, owners of Saddle Butte Ag and a long list of organizations in the seed industry, have harvested a leader from Hartnell’s change of heart.

Today, still a couple of years shy of 40, Hartnell is also president of the Oregon Seed Council, and has been involved in several council boards and commissions: Currently the Oregon Seed Association, the Oregon Clover Commission, and formerly the Oregon Forage and Grasslands Council. She is also an active FFA alumni, along with her husband, Jeb.

The two attended the same high school but didn’t meet each other until friends introduced them a few years later. They married in 2009. Jeb operates the family’s Red Top Farm, so named for Jeb, and their son’s red hair. The Hartnell operation raises cattle and grows and harvests grass seed and hay in Linn and Deschutes counties.

Hartnell was in her last year of college when Jeb told her that Saddle Butte needed a temporary bookkeeper. Since 1998, Saddle Butte Ag has been a forage and cover crop seed distribution company, established by Don and Maryanne Wirth. Don Wirth’s ancestors have been farming in the Willamette Valley for generations. Saddle Butte grew out of Wirth’s interest in bringing his and other local seed products to national and international retail and wholesale markets, and in developing new breeds.

Hartnell’s temporary position at Saddle Butte soon turned permanent. Eventually, she joined the sales team and took on other responsibilities for the company. Her work has taken her all over the United States, following trade shows and sales meetings.

In 2016, a new mother, she vowed to take her family along when she traveled. The people she met along the way still ask after her son, Sage Richard, whom they dubbed “Little Richard.”

Hartnell is hesitant to admit her own moxie, but Don Wirth recognized it.

“One day she mentioned she wanted to manage a small company. I needed to retire, so I called my daughter and son-in-law and met with them,” Wirth said. His daughter, Lisa, is married to David Goracke. The Gorackes operated their own seed farm along the Willamette River.

The next morning Hartnell was managing his company’s operations, Wirth said.

“Don has always pushed me to do more and to be more,” she said. “This family has given me lots of opportunities.”

In addition to managing Saddle Butte’s operations across several states, and eight employees, Hartnell has filled Wirth’s seats on many of the agricultural boards he had worked with, further honing her leadership skills. As a representative of the seed industry, Hartnell rubs elbows with legislators, lobbyists and other industry professionals, speaking to them about challenges faced by seed farmers and distributors, and learning from people she meets.

“I like to challenge myself, learn new skills and get out of my comfort zone. I don’t always enjoy leaving my comfort zone, but can recognize when it’s necessary,” she said.

Leadership has taught her to set high standards for herself and others, hopefully inspiring those around her to do the same, she said.

“I’m nowhere near the expert. There’s so much more to learn. I’ve learned to put pride aside and ask questions,” she said.