SUBLIMITY, Ore. — As longtime friends, neighbors and fellow farmers, the Doerfler and Rue families have spent generations producing high-quality grass seed in the fertile Willamette Valley.

It only made sense then, as siblings Kent, Kevin and Amy Doerfler were looking forward to the next chapter of their lives, that they would turn to the Rues to carry on the legacy.

On Dec. 16, Doerfler Farms was sold to Victor Point Farms — operated by Joel Rue and his sons Jesse, Lucas and Ben. The sale includes all machinery, seed contracts and land leases. Financial terms were not released.

“It’s going to be a gradual transition,” Amy Doerfler told the Capital Press. “My brothers and I will continue on as consultants for several years to ensure Victor Point Farms’ success.”

Joel Rue said the deal allows them to grow and sustain Victor Point Farms, keeping it in the family for generations to come.

“We’ve recently put together our own succession plan,” he said. “We were maxing out our potential with the acres we were farming and the personnel we had. … This provided an opportunity for all three boys to stay on the farm.”

Headquartered near Sublimity, Ore., Doerfler Farms is a large grass seed operation that stretches about 40 miles across Marion and Linn counties in a region nicknamed “the grass seed capital of the world.”

In 1973, when Bob Doerfler took over his family’s farm, he made the pivotal transition from raising livestock to growing grass seed.

Over the next 30 years, Bob Doerfler grew the farm tenfold. When he died in 2003, his children, Kent, Kevin and Amy, worked toward diversifying markets and increasing efficiency.

According to its website, Doerfler Farms now grows several grass seed varieties, which are shipped around the globe, and wheat and cover crops.

Amy Doerfler said the family has spent a long time thinking about succession planning. Though the siblings have children, most have moved away and are pursuing careers outside farming.

“It takes a united team to run this place,” she said. “So we looked outside of the family.”

The family explored several options, though none of them seemed quite right, Amy Doerfler said. They wanted to keep the business locally owned and make sure new owners would take care of the landowners and employees.

“We didn’t want to see an outside buyer come in,” Doerfler said.

At the same time, Doerfler said they wanted to start the transition now, while they are still young enough to help set up their successors for success.

“We don’t want to wait until something happens to one of us and then we’re in a panic to find a buyer,” she said.

Conversations between the families began just before this year’s harvest, Joel Rue said. He credited Amy Doerfler for pushing the deal to fruition.

“We went into this as friends and neighbors, not as competitors,” Joel Rue said.

Victor Point Farms, headquartered in Silverton, Ore., also traces its roots back generations to 1910, when Knute Rue established the farm specializing in growing loganberries, hops and livestock.

Today, Joel and his sons Jesse, Lucas and Ben run the farm, predominately growing grass seed. The three brothers also have young children who have taken an interest in farming and are part of the succession plan.

As part of the sale, Doerfler Farms employees will be retained by Victor Point Farms. The Doerflers will maintain ownership of all other properties they own, and for the time being will maintain ownership of Doerfler Tractor Sales, a tillage equipment dealership based in nearby Aumsville, Ore.

The families behind Doerfler Farms and Victor Point Farms share the same values, goals and principles, Amy Doerfler said, which made the sale a natural fit.

“Both of our organizations are very involved in the community, and really care about the landowners and the employees,” she said. “It’s about taking care of people and the community.”

This story has been updated.