Torrey Farms in New York: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Torrey Farms of Elba is one of the largest vegetable operations in New York, working the Elba muckland and a second muck valley near Potter. FreshPlaza reported plans to seed and transplant 1,800 to 2,000 acres of onions in spring 2024.
| Location | Elba, Genesee County, with land in Potter, Yates County, New York |
|---|---|
| Sectors | Onions; sweet corn; carrots; cabbage; squash; cucumbers; potatoes |
| Scale | 1,800 to 2,000 acres of onions planned for 2024 (FreshPlaza) |
| Why it is elite | Described as one of New York's largest vegetable operations on Elba muckland |
| History | Family in New York since 1803; Elba farm bought 1948 |
| Ownership | Torrey family |
| Official website | FreshPlaza article on Torrey Farms onion planting |
History of Torrey Farms
Wikipedia summarizes the Torrey family history: the family came to New York in 1803, and Elbert Torrey bought the Higley Farm in Elba in 1948. The Potter swampland was drained in the 1950s. Accounts of total acreage vary, so only the published onion figure is used here.
Elba calls itself an onion capital, and the muckland is the reason. Muck soils are rich in organic matter and suited to onions, carrots and similar crops.
What Torrey Farms Grows and Raises
The farm grows vegetables, mostly on muckland: onions, sweet corn, carrots, cabbage, squash, cucumbers and potatoes. Onions in red and yellow types are the best documented crop, with transplant and seeding in spring and harvest beginning in late July in 2024 according to coverage.
The farm uses migrant labor for its vegetable work, as many large New York produce farms do, and labor shortages and immigration enforcement have been recurring issues.
How Torrey Farms Makes Money
Fresh and storage onions
Onions are the main documented crop, sold through the commercial produce trade.
Mixed vegetables
Sweet corn, carrots, cabbage, squash, cucumbers and potatoes diversify seasonal revenue.
Muckland scale
Large acreage on high-value muck soil supports volume buyers.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Torrey Farms
Specializing on a soil type that few farms have can be a durable advantage. Crop mix across onions, corn and root vegetables spreads weather and price risk.
Labor planning is part of the business plan for vegetable farms, which depend on a dependable seasonal workforce.
Torrey Farms grows onions on soil so black and rich that it practically has its own accent. farm.FM collects farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and Elba gives us the best onion joke setup in the state. We promise not to make anyone cry, except maybe at harvest, which is entirely the onions' fault.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Torrey Farms
Website: https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9619115/onion-planting-in-elba-s-mucklands/
No official Torrey Farms website was found in the sources reviewed; the linked FreshPlaza page is independent trade coverage, November 2026.
Torrey Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- FreshPlaza: onion planting in Elba's mucklands - Trade coverage of 2024 planting
- Torrey Farms on Wikipedia - History and crops summary
- 2022 Census of Agriculture, New York - NASS state profile
- New York Farm Bureau: NY agriculture facts - State vegetable and farm statistics
- NRCS in New York - Federal conservation agency overview
Torrey Farms FAQ
Where is Torrey Farms?
In Elba, Genesee County, in western New York, with land at Potter.
What does Torrey Farms grow?
Onions, sweet corn, carrots, cabbage, squash, cucumbers and potatoes.
How big are its onion plantings?
FreshPlaza reported 1,800 to 2,000 acres for 2024.
How can I contact Torrey Farms?
No official site was found; see the linked trade coverage.
Torrey Farms shows what muckland onion growing looks like at scale in New York. See the New York farms guide for more.