In 1877, Martin Doerfler, with his son Joseph and two other brothers, arrived to Oregon and began farming the land with a focus on small grain crops.  Joseph married Mary in Sublimity, Oregon and raised seven children. The four boys, Jake, Joe, Frank, and Alexander, stayed in the area also to farm.

Alexander chose the business name Ioka Farm from the Chinook Indians, who had camped on the farm many years ago. Ioka means “a thing of loveliness, or a cherished piece of land noted for its beauty, health, and fertility.” Alexander married Alice and had two children, Shirley and David. They settled down to raise hogs, turkeys, and Hereford cattle.

David urged his father Alexander to buy him his first combine at age 10 and they began farming bentgrass on a portion of the family farm. When David was 14, they were working the whole farm and began leasing additional land. For several years, father and son expanded including more land into their operation. David was married to Rita in 1961. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1963 and began farming full time with Rita and his father. In 1968 David’s sister, Shirley, and her husband John Duerst, joined the farm and the name Ioka Farms, Inc. was formally adopted.

The processing and packaging of seed began in 1970, and at this time served only the farm. Our current processing plant was built in 1976 and custom cleaning had begun. In the late 1980s, Ioka Farms was contract producing oats for the California and South Korea markets. We also were moving bentgrass seed through brokers. At this time seed was sold through the Ioka Farms Marketing Division. Then in 2007, Ioka Marketing, LLC was formed to create a separate seed company and is still owned by Ioka Farms, Inc.  Over time Ioka Marketing has grown to include contract production services, international seed sales, and the U.S. distribution of PGG Seeds cultivars from New Zealand.

Both the Doerfler and Duerst families had three children, and all have been an integral part of the farm’s growth and diversification. The vision is for future generations to continue the family farm. Today three generations manage Ioka Farms as a comprehensive grass seed farm and processing plant. The farm has over 5,000 acres of contracted varieties of seeds including perennial ryegrass, fine and tall fescues, meadowfoam, small grains, clover, and forage brassicas. Hazelnuts, timber, and Christmas trees are also grown.

Ioka Farms is a symbol of pride for the families that have tended the land for over 100 years.