About us
Our family’s long time passion for waterfowl hunting led us to be avid proponents of wetland conservation. In the 1980’s Dave and Kathy Rogers began to investigate ways to protect and enhance wetlands as well as be a productive farm. Their search led them to an OSU professor who suggested that Oregon had the potential to successfully grow wild rice. We became the first farm to commercially grow wild rice here in the Willamette Valley. By the 1990’s a variety of native wetland plants began to volunteer in the ponds and marshy ground of the rice fields and we became aware that, with the increasing interest in wetland restoration, both privately and publicly, there was a market for native wetland seed.
Since then, we have expanded the marshy areas to encompass over 700 acres here in the Mid-Willamette Valley that not only produce many varieties of wetland plants but are home to hundreds of nesting birds and a resting area for thousands of migrating waterfowl. To view a video of our farm, (click here.) We are pleased to be a family operation that involves our children and grandchildren in various aspects of the farm. Many local folk as well as family members help during harvest when much of the seed needs to be hand picked.
This year we have available nearly 70 varieties of native wetland seed and a number of introduced varieties to attract waterfowl. Each year we have increased our selection and sometimes have varieties available that have not yet been listed. If you do not see what you are looking for, please ask. To see the faces behind our company, click the button below.
OUR RIVER REFUGE FAMILY
Owners Dave and Kathy Rogers started this business in the 1990's. What began as a hobby farm, later grew into a family legacy.
Kathy handles most of the office work while Dave enjoys spending most of his time digging dirt and rock, creating and maintaining ponds and roads.
Dave & Kathy's son, Larry is the farm manager and does a little bit of everything.
Gina, his wife, enjoys helping him out with planting projects and getting out on the farm any chance she can.
Chris is the oldest grandson and is the sales manager. If you call our number, Chris is the one you will most likely be talking to. He puts a high value on customer service and is more than happy to answer questions.
His wife, Melissa, enjoys taking photographs of the farm and handles anything media related for the business including the website, videos, catalogs and social media posts. When summer time approaches, she helps manage a team of pickers that hand pick seed. Their children, Lia and Will, both love living on the farm and helping out when they can.
Griffen, the youngest grandson, is the operations manager. With over 100 ponds and fields to keep track of, he always has his work cut out for him.
Telisha, when not busy with the kiddos, helps out with many different things on the farm including seed picking, seed cleaning, mowing, combining and more. Their children Allan and Ellie always keep us smiling.
Jason, another grandson, is our lead mechanic. When he's not elbow deep in grease, he helps with many other day to day needs on the farm involving field prep and harvest.