Albert Lea Seed, a family-owned, Minnesota-based company supplying seed to American farms for nearly 100 years, on Friday announced it is transitioning its Viking Seed corn and soybeans line to a 100 percent non-traited — or non-GMO — brand, and becoming a distributor of traited seed for NorthStar Genetics, according to a press release.

The business changes reinforce the company’s commitment to non-traited (meaning the seed is free of traits or genetic modifications) solutions for organic farming, an area of specialty for Albert Lea Seed for more than 20 years. In fact, the Minnesota-based pioneers were among the first companies in the country to offer certified organic field seed, according to the release. It also has had systems in place for isolation and minimizing commingling for two decades.

“We’re excited about this transition,” said Albert Lea Seed owner Mac Ehrhardt, whose grandfather Lou founded the business in 1923. “We see big opportunities in organic and we’re eager to lead the way in developing non-traited seed for our organic and conventional farmers. That being said, we see this change as a positive evolution for all our customers, whether they farm organically or not.”

With the public demand for non-GMO and organic food on the rise, it is a good time for Albert Lea Seed to shift its focus. Sales of organic food topped $40 billion in 2015, and foods labeled as non-GMO have gone from $12.9 billion in 2012 to $21.2 billion as of April 2016, according to Nielsen. A growing number of farmers are moving to or considering planting non-GMO corn and soybeans as well as organic grains due primarily to the premium prices they get in return.

While Albert Lea Seed will no longer produce or package traited seeds, it will supply them through a distributorship with NorthStar Genetics. Carrying licenses for traits and genetics from all the major companies, NorthStar can offer conventional customers a broader range of choices and more maturities.

Albert Lea Seed supplies organic field seed throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and also throughout the northeastern quadrant of the United States.

Albert Lea Seed began in 1923 as a family-owned seed store offering field and garden seed. Today, it remains family-owned, providing strong knowledge and experience in seed and crop production, processing and cultural practices that benefit any sized farm operation. The company’s Viking brand has been the centerpiece of its offerings for more than four decades. One of the first companies in the country to offer certified organic field seed, Albert Lea Seed is a certified organic processor, meeting the National Organic Program standards for processing organically raised grains, soybeans and other field crops.