History of the Olsen Agriculture Company

Oregon Trail pioneers who braved the hardships of the journey in the early 1800s came in search of a better life than the ones they had left behind. In the agrarian society of nineteenth century America, most settlers of the West found their livelihoods in farming. Pioneer life was a struggle against the elements in a region that offered few comforts of civilization. Many families settled in the fertile Willamette Valley of Oregon, which today holds nearly three quarters of the state’s population.

Our family company traces its routes to two of these early Oregon settlers, Moses Parker and James Benton Jenks both of whom settled in Linn County. Parker took out a donation land claim near Peterson Butte where he and his wife Mary established their homestead and started their family. Today, many of their descendants live in the area and many of them are still involved in agriculture and related industries.

Jenks, and his wife, Mary, settled a farm near the Calapooia River, and produced nine children. Today, one of their grandsons and two great-grandsons still operate the farm there. Two other grandsons, two great-grandsons, and a great-great-grandson for decades owned and operated the Jenks-White Seed Co., which was a founder of the grass seed industry in Oregon. Many other Jenks descendants live in the Willamette Valley and are involved in agriculture. The Jenks family continues to be at the forefront of the development of Oregon agriculture.

In 1954, an ambitious farmer and entrepreneur, Hiram Olsen, a great-grandson of Moses Parker, married Carolyn Jenks, a great-granddaughter of James Benton Jenks. In 1959 they bought a farm in nearby Polk County that is part of our operation today. Carolyn had grown up on her family farm in Linn County that is today part of the Olsen Agriculture enterprise. Hiram and Carolyn were progressive farmers and over the years steadily built their operation with the assistance of their four sons, and their dedicated employees. In the late Sixties, they entered into partnership with the McLagan and Lowry families to form Willamette Seed Co.

Today Olsen Agriculture is managed by two of Carolyn and Hiram's sons, Roger Olsen, who is in charge of operations, and James Olsen who runs the administration and marketing. For many years, James operated Olsen-Fennell Seed Company along with his partner Greg Fennell. Carolyn Jenks Olsen continues to serve on the Board of Directors today of Jenks Olsen Farms Inc. In addition Ann Olsen serves on the board of Olsen Family Farms Limited Partnership, and is the managing partner after Hiram Olsen's death in July of 2003. Ann, her three children, and the four Olsen boys are the partners in the Olsen Family Farms Limited Partnership. Both companies supply the strong foundation for the newly formed Olsen Agriculture Incorporated.

Our other divisions, Olsen Seed Company, Olsen Nursery and Olsen Family Vineyards, are expanding the range of our quality product lines throughout the world. We continue as a family-owned company with a cherished appreciation of our family's agricultural heritage.