MEEKER | After spending more than a decade learning the ins and outs of the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center, Brandon Sanders is taking on a new role—leading the facility as its newest plant manager.
Sanders moved to Meeker with his wife, Janae Sanders, and kids Allie Sanders, Tyler Sanders, Trent Sanders and Kate Sanders in 2009 while working for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He joined the plant center in 2014 as the farm foreman and has been there ever since.
Growing up in southeastern Arizona, Sanders said his love for the outdoors began early in life, spending time in the Gila Valley—at about 2,700 feet elevation—and exploring nearby Mount Graham, which rises to more than 10,000 feet.
“I was always intrigued seeing how the plant communities would change as you changed elevation, from the Sonoran Desert up to the evergreen forest at 10,000 feet,” Sanders said. “I was always interested in plants because of that, and I’ve always enjoyed agriculture and farming.”
In his new position, Sanders said one of his goals is to expand community outreach and awareness of the work being done at the center. He also highlighted recent technological upgrades, including the purchase of a color sorter for seed cleaning, a major investment made possible with support from the center’s governing board.
“It can actually sort seeds by color,” he said. “Typically when we’re cleaning seed, you’re using different sizes of screens, scalping, and air to separate the seed from the chaff. With the color sorter, it uses AI technology and two cameras to watch the seed as it falls. You program in what color you want or don’t want, and it’ll either keep everything or kick out what’s the wrong color.”
Once identified, ejectors shoot a burst of air to remove off-color seeds from the seed line, increasing the overall quality and cleanliness of the product.
“It helps with the quality of the seed, but also with removing contaminants that you can’t get out through traditional seed cleaning,” Sanders explained. “There are some things that are just too similar in size or weight to sort any other way.”
Sanders said one of his favorite aspects of working at the plant center is the challenge of growing native plants, which often require a different approach than traditional agriculture.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching plants germinate and grow to get established,” he said. “At the plant center, we grow well over 100 different materials. We get to see how each one germinates, how it establishes, and the requirements it takes for them to succeed.”
The center sells breeder seed primarily to commercial seed growers but also serves as a resource for the broader industry. Looking ahead, Sanders said the team plans to create a demonstration garden next to the office featuring native grasses and species suited to low-water landscaping.
“They’re different—not as soft or as pretty as Kentucky bluegrass—but they’re good options for areas that aren’t going to be used heavily,” Sanders said. “We’re going to plant a few that we think could make a good turf grass. It’s something we’ll learn from, and we think it’ll be interesting for the public to see.”
They just recently got the seed in, and they are hoping to plant it in July of this year. By the time it gets established they are hoping for a demonstration next spring. When it comes to visitors, Sanders encourages community members to visit the plant center for tours and learn more about its operations. He went on to explain what his hopes are for the visitors that walk through the doors.
“I hope visitors recognize the utility of these native plants and the amount of work that goes into a release of a specific product,” he said. “It takes years of trials and testing before a product gets a release name. That’s something I really appreciate, and I’m proud to be part of that process.”
As he steps into his new role as the Plant Manager at the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center, Sanders wanted to give the rest of the community a message and acknowledged the ongoing support of the plant center’s governing board.
“I would like the community to recognize the work the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts have done as the governing board of the plant center over the years,” he said. “There was a lot of effort put in by these two districts to establish this facility, and this year marks the plant center’s 50th anniversary. Not many conservation districts can say their work has directly benefited the Western United States like these two have. I think the community and board should be very proud, and I appreciate being a part of it moving forward.”
As the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center enters its 50th year, Sanders steps into leadership with a deep respect for the work that’s come before him and a clear vision for its future. With a commitment to innovation, conservation, and community engagement, the plant center continues to play a vital role in supporting native plant research and restoration efforts across the Western United States.
