Our Story
Our family farm began in 1951 when it was purchased by Clarence and Mary Burpee, Terry Lee’s parents. They operated under the name of Gango Ranch. Today we are Degenhardt Farms, transitioning from Keith & Terry Lee to Kerry & Naomi.
From its earliest beginning, innovation has been a backbone of the farm. When everyone was growing wheat, Clarence planted Russian Wild Rye Grass, and perfected the art of maximizing seed production. He was a big fan of biological control for weeds and noticed that horses did not eat the Russian Wild Rye once the other grasses were growing, so the herd of Arabian horses and Welsh ponies were used to keep grassy weeds from the seed stand.
The horses were Mary’s passion. She began raising Arabians in the late 1950s and the Welsh ponies were for the children’s benefit. Arabian horses were still used for cattle work, including the spring and fall 11-mile drives between summer and winter pastures, until the late 2010s.
The farm is in rolling parkland where poplar bluffs are abundant, and invasive. Clarence and Mary spent years researching, preparing for, and at last acquiring musk oxen which choose poplar saplings and leaves over grass species. They were the first farm in North America to raise musk oxen.
In 1983, Keith and Terry Lee and their family, Kerry, Rory, and Heather, returned to the farm. Grass seed demand had dwindled by that time, so they began growing pedigreed grains and oilseeds. Wheat, oats, canola, and fall rye were grown initially, with flax and triticale coming into the rotation later.
Kerry and Naomi returned to the farm in 2004, and their family grew to include Josephine, Clarence, and Gilbert. They increased the pedigreed crop types to include peas and barley, and expanded the cattle herd while focusing on temperament and loss reduction.
The garden has been a big part of the farm from the beginning. Mary enjoyed growing her own fruits and vegetables, and when Terry Lee returned with her own family, she expanded it. We now have approximately one acre dedicated to a small orchard and perennial and annual fruits and vegetables, providing delicious food for both families and more.
Innovation, sustainability, and future viability remain at our core.
