The battle to become Oregon’s official state vegetable

Mark Owens grew up in Gresham. His mom was a teacher. His dad was an engineer. It was not what you’d call a rural upbringing, so there was some surprise when he turned 21 and moved to Harney County to farm.

While he no longer has to deal with big city traffic, both Owens and his workers spend plenty of time behind the wheel — of tractors.

“We try to honestly maintain no more than 12 hours in a cab at one time,” Owens said. “Those 12 hours will sometimes go to 14 or 16.”