Our Strawberry History
Bob and Norma Fordyce planted their first strawberry field in 1957, by hand, with shovels and buckets! Bob would dig the hole and Norma would get the plant out of the bucket and put it in the ground. They met in 1954 and were still dating when they planted their first field together. They were married in February of 1958. That first field was planted at a different property down the road from our current farm. The first year they were picking berries, Bob put racks on the truck, went to pick up the pickers on the truck, they picked for the day, he took them home, and then he’d drive back, take the racks off, and then run the berries to the cannery! It was a long day! In 1965 they started planting strawberries at the current property of Fordyce Farm. The first harvest from that field was in 1966.
Bob and Norma Fordyce
Over the years they started using a bus system to pick up pickers for the day. They would advertise for pickers all over town. Posters would go in laundromats and signs (like this green one now hanging in our store) would be hung by the road.
“Pickers Wanted” sign that would have hung by the road.
The employment department would go around to the schools and talk to kids about picking strawberries. Students could leave their names with the office and then Norma would go through names and map out a bus route. Norma and Bob would both drive the routes to pick up pickers. Norma didn’t start driving the bus until after their youngest, Raymond, was born. The bus would have a sign on it that said “FORDYCE” and we now have one of those old signs hanging in our store!
An old bus route for picking up pickers
This picture of a full field of pickers would have been a bunch of people hired to pick for the day. This was back in our days of producing for the cannery. Our harvest and sale methods have changed over the years moving from just cannery production to our retail store and offering bulk u-pick pricing for our customers.
Fordyce Farm began offering u-pick strawberries for customers to purchase sometime during the 1990s. We advertised in the paper as seen in this 1996 clipping. We don't hire pickers from all over town anymore and now keep our farm labor in house. But coming out for u-pick today brings back many memories for folks in the Salem area who grew up doing this as a summer job!
Strawberries have always been a family affair. Bob and Norma’s son Michael planted his own fields for many years and also sold to the cannery. He was a row boss at the Pratum field of strawberries. Bob and Norma’s youngest son, Raymond grew up picking strawberries. He started running the u-picks for his parents in the 90s.
Bob won awards over the years for his top producing strawberry fields. Bob was invited down to the Coos Bay area to accept one award. Norma said she waited in the car. But when Bob came back in with plaque, he looked at her and said “I couldn’t have done this without you.” He thought the award should have had both their names on it.
Bob Fordyce passed away in 1997. At this time Raymond and his wife Annette took over operations with their kids. Raymond has continued the commitment to excellence that his father started with the strawberry fields. He is business partners with his son Graham and his wife Christina. Raymond and Annette now have 11 grandchildren! Norma (now almost 87) says it’s a huge blessing to have watched her own kids grow up here but now also seeing grandchildren and great-grandchildren involved with the farm. She is proud of the legacy she and Bob have left.
Strawberries are a lot of work to grow, but they are worth it! We never get tired of that first bite at the beginning of the season. We are so thankful for all our customers over the years! Thank you for being a big part of our farm, our history, our story, and our family. And Norma adds, “It makes it all worthwhile!”
Norma today holding Samuel Fordyce, one of her 19 great-grandchildren.