page created by
Robin Ziari

   Growing up in the Buttercreek Valley on the Southern edge of the Northwest’s fertile Columbia River Basin, Hale Farms has grown from summer pipe moving jobs for three brothers to one of the area's largest producers, onion packers and land owners. With the purchase of their first 500 acres in 1972, brothers Doug, Bob, and Rick provided the catalyst for the company that today controls and/or owns nearly 30,000 acres, an onion packing plant, and employs over 300 people.

   Upon graduating from college, Bob Hale returned home and soon thereafter, he and his brother Doug purchased a 500 acre hay farm in the Butter Creek Valley near Echo, Oregon. Supplementing their income with off-farm jobs, Bob and Doug raised hay and grain until an adjacent farm became available for sale, allowing them to double their operation and eventually allow them to farm full-time. With Bob marketing the crops and Doug producing them, with the help of their dad, Bob Hale Sr., they diversified into cannery crops, purchased new and bigger equipment, and began experimenting with the production of potatoes and onions. Upon their Brother Rick’s return from college, and with his interest in row crop production, the brothers began to expand their onion and potato acres. In order to support all three families and to afford the larger more specialized equipment required for the row crops on their relatively small acreage base, the Hales entered into custom farming arrangements with other area farms in the late 70’s and early 80’s.

   Having solid success with initial potato and onion crops, the Hales moved into the sandier and more productive soils for potatoes and onions, by renting fields on a few of the large Columbia River irrigated farms west of Hermiston, Oregon. As cash flow allowed and relationships developed, row crop acreages continued to grow. Experimenting with alternative tillage and planting methods, especially in onions, Hales were able to produce above average yields and quality. This solidified their row crop program giving them the ability to increase their land base and move up the agricultural value-added chain. Thus in the late 1980’s the brothers were able to acquire their first center-pivot irrigated farm in the Hermiston area, and additionally rented a packing shed to market onions under their own retail brand names.

   Today, Hales are principals in four major irrigated projects in the southern Columbia basin and have expanded their potato and onion operations into partnerships and/or exclusive supply arrangements with some of the nation’s top processors including the J.R. Simplot Company, Cascade Specialties, Rivergate Foods and ConAgra’s Gilroy Foods. The initial small rented onion packing facility has been upgraded to a 25,000 square foot state of the art facility that supplies customers, including quick service restaurants, grocery stores and processing plants, with high quality onions on a year-around basis.

   In addition to this primary production of potatoes and onions, Hales also farm crops that complement the farming windows and rotations of potatoes and onions, including wheat, barley, grass seed, sweet corn, green peas, and alfalfa.

   For the crop year of 2002, Hale-related operations will produce over 100,000 tons of potatoes, 90,000 tons of onions, 750,000 bushels of wheat, enough grass seed to cover 7,500 acres of lawn and around 10,000 tons of high quality hay. From the early years of moving handline irrigation sprinklers on their Butter Creek Valley farm, to now selling onions in Taco Bells all over the world, the Hales' hard work and dedication has resulted in steady growth and a solid business plan in today’s fast paced and competitive agricultural and food processing industries.

   Hale’s remain committed today, as in the beginning, to growing and providing quality and safe foods, and to feed people all over the world.