Golden Valley Farms in Oregon: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Golden Valley Farms is a Ditchen family operation at Silverton in the Willamette Valley, with a second unit at Hermiston in Eastern Oregon. A Wilco Farm Stores member profile calls the Silverton farm one of the largest grass seed farms in Silverton and lists roughly 70 full-time employees across its divisions.
| Location | Silverton, Marion County, and Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Founded | Current operation began in the 1940s; family has farmed the area over 100 years (Wilco) |
| Sectors | Grass seed; clover and other rotation crops; hazelnuts; blueberries; seed blending |
| Scale | About 70 full-time and 20 to 25 seasonal employees; the profile gives no acreage |
| Why it is notable | Described as one of the largest grass seed farms in Silverton; diversified across two regions |
| Ownership | Ditchen family, third and fourth generations |
| Official website | Wilco Farm Stores member spotlight: Golden Valley Farms |
History of Golden Valley Farms
According to the Wilco member profile, the Ditchen family has farmed in the Silverton area for more than 100 years, and the current operation started in the 1940s when Carl Ditchen branched off from his parents and brothers to farm on his own. Early operations included pigs, chickens and cattle.
The farm later expanded east. The profile reports a move into Eastern Oregon to grow onions, followed by a farm purchase there in the early 1990s, and the addition of Golden Valley Hazelnuts in 2017 under Eric Ditchen. Twin brothers Duane and Darrin Ditchen and cousin Eric represent the third generation, and the fourth generation also helps on the farm.
What Golden Valley Farms Grows and Raises
At Silverton the farm grows tall fescue and perennial ryegrass for seed, with rotation crops of crimson and red clover, wheat, oats, white and red radish, coriander for seed and field corn. In Eastern Oregon it grows perennial ryegrass and bluegrass plus blueberries, according to the profile.
The operation also blends seed for Turf Merchant International. About 70 full-time employees and 20 to 25 seasonal workers support the divisions, which gives the farm the staffing depth of a mid-sized agribusiness.
How Golden Valley Farms Makes Money
Grass seed
Tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and bluegrass seed are the foundation, grown in the Willamette Valley's seed country and in the Hermiston area.
Rotation and specialty seed
Clover, radish, coriander and cereal crops rotate through the fields, adding revenue from several markets while breaking pest and disease cycles.
Hazelnuts, blueberries and seed blending
Hazelnuts since 2017 and blueberries in Eastern Oregon add perennial crops, and blending seed for a turf company adds a value-added step.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Golden Valley Farms
Add perennial crops carefully. Hazelnuts in 2017 gave an annual-crop farm a long-lived asset, and giving one family member that division kept management clear.
Spread geography. Two regions, Silverton and Hermiston, let one family grow different crops and reduce weather risk.
A family that grows ryegrass in one corner of Oregon and blueberries in another has found the farm version of owning a house in the mountains and one at the coast, only with more clover. If you like farm satire that takes the long way around the field, farm.FM has farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes that will not blow away at windrow time.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Golden Valley Farms
Website: https://farmstore.com/co-op-member-spotlight-golden-valley-farms
No farm address, phone or email was found in the sources, November 2026. The profile is a Wilco member article; confirm any visit or sale with the farm directly.
Golden Valley Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wilco spotlight - Member profile of the Ditchen family operation
- Oregon Encyclopedia: hazelnut industry - Independent history of Oregon hazelnuts
- Willamette Week: hazelnuts - Independent news on Oregon's hazelnut sector
- Oregon Department of Agriculture: About Oregon Agriculture - State agriculture department overview of Oregon commodities
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Federal farm census data by state and county
Golden Valley Farms FAQ
Where is Golden Valley Farms?
At Silverton in the Willamette Valley, with a second unit at Hermiston in Eastern Oregon.
What does it grow?
Grass seed, clover and other rotation crops, hazelnuts and blueberries.
Who runs it?
The Ditchen family, now in its third and fourth generations.
Does it publish acreage?
The profile found does not give acreage.
Golden Valley Farms shows how a grass seed family can add hazelnuts, blueberries and a second region without losing its roots. Read the Oregon farms guide for the climate, water, markets and programs that shape operations like this one.