Long Term Tradition

Oregon's Union Mills feed mill got its start grinding grain with a water wheel. It has a lot of history and it's been in the same family for generations. And today as that family faces new challenges, they are finding new opportunities.

Down time is hard to come by at the Union Mills Feed Store in Mulino, Oregon. It's been that way for five generations. Connie Friedrich says, "We've been in the business for 130 years. And not many companies can say they've been in business, especially the same family, same area doing pretty much the same thing we've been doing all these years."

And at the center of the activity is Bob Friedrich. We asked him when at the mill; this is the old homestead isn't it? Bob replied, "Yeah, I've been here since I was about two, which is about 1942, is when my folks moved here. It was after my grandparents moved over to another place."

It was Bob's great-great grandparents whose trip on the Oregon Trail brought them to this property in 1848. From sawmill, feed store and family farm – the family has changed with the times.

Bob explains "my wife and I both like chickens. There are some guineas in there; got some peacocks in the other one; ducks in the next pen; you know, just a little bit of everything. I tried some wild turkeys around here for a few years but I turned a bunch of them out across the creek over there but I don't know if they made it or not (laugh)." When asked if it must be pretty humbling to be here, Bob answered, "Oh yeah, it's nice. I always think about it, you know? I wonder what it was like back in the 1850s when they got here and cleared this ground."

In 1877 the flour mill was built. It was converted to a livestock feed mill in the 1930s. Today Bob's daughter Connie is the mill's general manager and Connie's husband does construction projects. His daughter Heather spends her weekends working at the mill and farm and is planning to return full time to the mill soon. Heather explains, "I think that we're born with that passion, you know, of our ancestors. We have the work ethic. I know it was born into us. You know, we were raised working. We were raised to be very supportive and faithful to the family."

As Bob's generation has a smaller role in the day-to-day operation, there's more talk now of handing off to the next generation. Connie explains, "And even my kids who are young enough, they come down here and help after school. Sometimes they'll help on the weekends. When we have events going on they'll come and help do whatever they can. Maybe you know, some day eventually take over the business."

Like many agricultural endeavors, the Friedrichs face land value pressures, growth challenges and changing demands at their store. They adapt to meet new consumer demands. One of their biggest areas now is horse products and pet food.

When asked, what's the lesson you're trying to share, you're going to pass onto the next generation when they take this thing over? What are you going to tell them in terms of managing something like this? Bob said, "That's a good question. You don't ever, well one thing, you never make a lot of money. Your money's invested in what you have but you get a satisfaction. I don't know what it is. It's just a satisfaction that's down in here somewhere that's ‘look what I've done. I've kept this going another generation.'"

Connie adds, "Family, land and the house and the business…"

Heather says, "That's our life… It will stay. We will never sell our property. You would have to come and get it."

Cattle and Cats
Many early farmers who arrived in Oregon came west on the Oregon Trail-the longest of the overland routes used in America’s Westward expansion. By the way, many states have official state trees or flowers. Well, Oregon also has an official state nut. It's the hazelnut.