Bertha Brunner Kaser & Fred Kaser, Sr., c1900 [Photo: Kaser Family Collection (KFC)] March 21 & 28, 2019 Episodes.
Farming families have very deep roots that weave through foreign soils, float across vast seas, grow new communities wherever they land, and anchor future generations. Family farms survive because they become a way of life for all the members, each totally invested in making the operation succeed in supporting the larger family. But what if a member of that farming family is not drawn to that way of life, one who chooses a different path? Such is the case with Matthew Kaser, now a fifth-generation farmer in eastern Marion County, whose heritage stretches from the southern Silverton hills north to the Marquam/Scotts Mills area. Matthew and his daughter, Salem City Councilor Sara Kaser, joined us to share the story of their family's agricultural legacy.
Farming families have very deep roots that weave through foreign soils, float across vast seas, grow new communities wherever they land, and anchor future generations. Family farms survive because they become a way of life for all the members, each totally invested in making the operation succeed in supporting the larger family. But what if a member of that farming family is not drawn to that way of life, one who chooses a different path? Such is the case with Matthew Kaser, now a fifth-generation farmer in eastern Marion County, whose heritage stretches from the southern Silverton hills north to the Marquam/Scotts Mills area. Matthew and his daughter, Salem City Councilor Sara Kaser, joined us to share the story of their family's agricultural legacy.
| Fred (Frederich) Kaser was born in Switzerland in 1849 and immigrated to America at age 18, finally settling in Indiana. He married Bertha Brunner in 1876 and they began raising their family on their 16-acre farm near Vera Cruz, Indiana. In 1882, Fred (as he was now known) decided to follow Bertha's parents, John & Mary Brunner, and relocate his family, which now included three children--the youngest just a newborn, to Oregon. They travelled by train to San Francisco and then by boat to Portland. They settled in an area south of Silverton, commonly known as "Immigrant Ridge," where other Swiss and German families had farms. Fred & Bertha Kaser would eventually have 11 children [Samuel Victor, Joseph Rhoda, Frederick Daniel, Lydia Martha, Bertha Catherine, Elizabeth Elma, Mary Ann, Jacob [died as a newborn], Sarah Ida, John William, and Emma Clara), and would live on their farm at the corner of Kaufman & Hibbard Roads for the rest of their lives. |  Fred Kaser, Sr., with Children, c1902: Elisabeth, Bertha (dau.), Sarah, Fred Sr., Lydia, Sam, Joe, Fred Jr., Emma & John (seated) [Photo: KFC]  Fred Kaser, Sr. Farm on Hibbard Road, Sliverton Oregon, c1906. Note the smaller, original family home in background, center, and the new hop house on the right. [Photo: KFC]  Family bringing in the hop harvest on Kaser Farm, 1903 [Photo: KFC] |
The family farming tradition followed through the generations (although not always at the same location) from Fred, Sr., to Fred, Jr. and Sarah Frauhiger, to Harvey W. and Edith Knight (who expanded the holdings), then to Fred D., III, and Carolyn Ruth Jeffery, and now to Matthew D. and Diane Smith, Cara's parents. The farm(s) grew grass seed, hops (especially around the World War I years, pigs, and now hazelnuts. The original 10 Kaser children would further expand the family farming tradition throughout the Willamette Valley and into eastern Oregon.
Although the original Kaser farm was sold in later years, Fred's grandson Harvey purchased land along Butte Creek near Marquam where Matthew still farms hazelnuts. Both Matthew and his father, Frederick Daniel, III, were reluctant farmers, initially pursuing other careers--engineering and electrical engineering, respectively, But those deep farming traditions come with deep obligations, and both men came back to the family farm to help out the older generation, both eventually returning to their full-time farming roots.
Although the original Kaser farm was sold in later years, Fred's grandson Harvey purchased land along Butte Creek near Marquam where Matthew still farms hazelnuts. Both Matthew and his father, Frederick Daniel, III, were reluctant farmers, initially pursuing other careers--engineering and electrical engineering, respectively, But those deep farming traditions come with deep obligations, and both men came back to the family farm to help out the older generation, both eventually returning to their full-time farming roots.
The Kaser/Brunner Clan, 1906. Fred Sr. is pictured in back row, far right. [Photo: KFC]
Matthew Kaser has modernized the farming practices for his operation, a necessary reality to survive in the agricultural industry of today. Although still labor intensive at certain phases, he explained that farming today has become much more efficient, relying on science, technology, and marketing to produce the best crop outcomes, rather than just planting the traditional seeds and waiting to see how nature plays out. Matthew is able to operate his farm, Sublimity Hazelnuts, primarily by himself, employing laborers only during the pruning and harvest phases--totally unheard of in the times of his forefathers.
Kaser Family Reunion 2003 [Photo: KFC]
Although Cara does not plan to continue the family farm tradition, she shared that she feels blessed to have spent so much time on the family farm, freely exploring the woods, rivers, and hills that she, too, came to know so well. Joining in with the work was expected and even somewhat enjoyed--she could lift 50-pound bags of grass seed as an early teen--and she was able to experience the cycle of life up close and personal. Matthew, a grand storyteller, shared several of his own memories of that freedom, and also the responsibility, that only kids on a farm get the chance to embrace.
We are not privy to the succession plans for Matthew Kaser's farm, but we cannot help but to believe that those deep roots will yet again raise up another branch to continue the farming tradition that began so long ago with Fred & Bertha.
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
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