Owyhee Produce Rooted in Hard Work

Owyhee Produce, Nyssa, OR, a three-generation family farm founded by Owen and Colleen Froerer in the mid-20th century, celebrates a rich legacy of hard work, dedication, and integrity that continues to thrive today.

Now managed by 14 family households, the farm remains committed to growing and marketing quality products, such as onions, sweet corn, asparagus, watermelon and mint oil, while staying true to its roots.

THE ORIGINS OF A LEGACY

Owen’s journey began after returning from the Korean War and working for his father-in-law. He rented equipment after completing his daily tasks to cultivate his own land.

Through years of perseverance, Owen slowly expanded the farm with the support of Colleen, who raised their four children, while helping manage the farm. Now, their children and grandchildren continue the family tradition.

MEMORIES BUILD FOUNDATION

The third generation of Froerers, now actively involved in farm operations, reflects on their upbringing on the farm, learning the values that drive Owyhee Produce’s success today.

“One of my first memories on the farm was learning to set irrigation tubes with Grandpa,” shares Shay Myers. “I was quite young, and Grandpa would drop me at one end of the field and tell me to work my way toward him. I was much slower than he was, but he always had the patience to teach me, even when he had to do more than his half of the field.”

Robin Froerer recalls the sometimes-daunting task of weeding the fields as a child. “I remember weeding the fields and trying to count rows to avoid the tumbleweed-filled ones. You could always tell which rows the tumbleweeds had blown across, and none of us wanted to get stuck with them.”

Bailey Myers, another third-generation family member, fondly remembers forming a summer weeding crew with her cousins. “Each summer, we’d gather as cousins and form our own weeding crew. We weren’t as efficient as the full-time crews, but our uncles, grandpa, and older cousins would drive by, honk, and make sure we were learning the work ethic we needed for the tough jobs ahead. None of us were morning people, but we always wanted to start at sunrise so we could finish early and spend the afternoon playing.”

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

As the farm looks ahead, its focus is on sustainable growth, ensuring that future generations will continue the legacy started by Owen and Colleen. With Colleen still actively involved in the farm’s operations, the family remains grounded in the principles that have guided them for over 70 years.

The Froerer family is committed to advancing technology in their farming and packing operations. One of the most recent innovations has been the integration of AI in the onion packing house, improving efficiency and precision.

In addition, they are building new bulk storage facilities, which are set to be filled this year, and making significant improvements to their whole peeled onion facility.

Focused on vertical growth, Owyhee Produce is also expanding operations in watermelon, sweet corn, mint oil and asparagus packing, ensuring sustainable and scalable growth for the future.