The Ranch
At the turn of the century,
Ed Kaseberg bought a farm from his brother-in-law and sister, William and
Lizzie Bennett. In 1925 his son Lawrence "Pat" returned
from Oregon State College to take over the farm. Wheat was the main
crop grown. Due to low annual moisture a 2 year fallow rotation was used,
land was in crop one year and fallow the next. Through the years more land
was added and the ranch became known as Wheatacres Ranch. Pat Kaseberg
was an innovative farmer, and was one of the first in the area to
try bulk storage, building his first elevator at the home place in
1939. In 1948, a second elevator was built, and in the same year
the elevator at the home place received the addition of a seed
cleaner and treater. This allowed the Kasebergs to produce
their own wheat seed, which in turn kept weeds and disease at a minimum.
Pat was one of the first farmers in the area to use trashy fallow farming.
Keeping erosion to a minimum was the goal, and trashy fallow farming offered
a way to do this. Pat's son, Larry bought his first Registered
Angus cow in 1946 in Amboy, Washington. This was the start
of a new enterprise on Wheatacres Ranch. Larry returned home from
college in 1958. In the 1960's Wheatacres Ranch leased Miller
Island on the Columbia River. The island provided pasture. Cattle
were transported to and from Miller Island on a military Dukw. Larry
has worked closely with Oregon State University wheat breeders through
the years, having experimental plots on the ranch every year.
Always looking for an alternative, Larry experimented with a variety of
crops.
1970 was the beginning
of another enterprise for the Kaseberg family. Wheatacres Irrigation
was started in a garage on the ranch, and soon gained reputation as the
area's supplier for all your irrigation needs. The store moved to
The Dalles, Oregon in 1995 and is currently run by Larry and his son, Cameron.
Larry's son, Chris graduated
from Oregon State University and returned home in 1988. By 1992,
cattle had been phased out and market hogs were incoporated into the daily
operations of the ranch.  Chris
leased the farm from his parents in 1992 and has continued the innovative
practices of his ancestors. He works closely with wheat breeders
from Oregon State University and has added field corn, fall canola, and
spring mustard crops to the current rotation of wheat and barley.
With his wife Carrie, Chris has also experimented with small acreage's
of strawberries and garlic. In addition to the trashy fallow farming,
he added No-Till farming to Wheatacres Ranch in 1998. Chris also
experiments with annual cropping, and crop rotations in the continued fight
against weeds and disease. The livestock on the ranch has also ungone
recent changes, currently Red Angus cattle have been added while the market
pigs have been phased out. |