Oliver Anderson
Maricopa - Pinal County
Inducted in 2015
The Anderson-Palmisano Farm has been a part of Oliver Anderson's life since his father and partner, Joseph Palmisano, purchased the 1600-acre property in Maricopa in 1949. The son of Clinton and Ocie Anderson, Oliver's family moved to the Valley from Colorado in 1925. Oliver was born in Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, where his wife and all four children were born. Clinton Anderson farmed in the Phoenix area for many years before moving to Maricopa. It was from him that young Oliver inherited his love of farming. Working the land, as they say, was in his genes. "I started a little 4H garden project when I was eight years old and eventually wound up with a degree in horticulture from the University of Arizona," he said.
Following his return from the Air Force, Oliver took over farm management. "I came home in 1954 and was moved back to the farm. I started getting my hand and my boots dirty," he said. "At the time, we were growing alfalfa cotton and wheat. We had a small feed yard. We could feed about eight hundred heads in the summer and 1,200 in the winter. The feed yard is still here, but we closed it in 1960."
Owned by the Anderson family since the 1960s, the farm retains the name Anderson-Palmisano. In the mid-1980s, Oliver welcomed the third-generation Anderson to the management team. Kelly runs the operation." The other two boys are doing their own thing," he said. Oliver and his wife Hermina have three boys and a daughter: Kelly, Troy, Lynn, and Wendy.
In 1989, the farm converted from alfalfa cotton and wheat to growing products for the Kund Nielsen Company in Evergreen, Alabama. "They were getting their wheat from Italy," Oliver remembers. "The farmer would grow the wheat and put it in his barn. The housewife would come to pick up the wheat and take it back to their kitchen to bundle it. There was no standardization. They wanted something more reliable, so they came to us and asked if we would grow for them." This wheat is not a commercial variety. "All of our varieties of wheat came from one head." Today, they grow about 40 acres of grain.
Although a modern facility, the farm uses an antique circa 1935 McCormick/Deering grain binder to accomplish their decorative wheat spring harvest. An old saying is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The antique equipment is still doing a great job. Once the bundles are dried in the field, they are loaded into cotton trailers for storage until an order is received and further processing begins. Their storage barn holds 4,030-foot cotton trailers. The farm also supplies China millet, black beard wheat, and dried on-the-stem okra for special orders. They grow cutie pops, small multi-colored kernel corn, and cotton for decorative display. In the 1980s, the Japanese fresh flower growers disappeared, so the farm stepped up to include stock and larkspur for the fresh flower market and dried flower arrangements.
The business has exceeded anything Oliver dreamed of, but he says, "My definition of luck is when preparedness meets opportunity, and fortunately, we were prepared when the opportunity arose. It has been an interesting process. It's been more capital-intensive than anticipated, which is normal for a new business. It's been a joy."
Oliver has some advice for young people interested in getting into agriculture. He said they must find the niche market they want to enter and ensure they firmly tie up the market. It is also vital to ensure they have the finances behind them to do what needs to be done to succeed. Finally, he said, It's going to be difficult. From that point, realize you're going to work long hours. It will take a lot of work, but if that's what you like, go for it."
Affiliations
Arizona Association — Board
Pinal Crazy “8”/ Pinal Ginning — Board
Pinal Growers — Board
Pinal County Groundwater Users Advisory Council — Chair
Pinal County Farm Bureau — Board
Pinal County College of Agriculture Extension Advisory — Chair
Pinal County 4-H — Advisory Board Chair
Maricopa Seniors — Board
Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation —Trustee and President
Pinal County ASCS — Board
Arizona Farm Bureau Federation — Board
Pinal Ginning, Maricopa Growers Gin — Board
Maricopa Volunteer Fire District — Board
Maricopa School Board
Awards
University of Arizona College of Agriculture — Lifetime Service Award (1999)
Arizona 4-H Hall of Fame — Inductee, Clover Medallion (2002)
National 4-H Hall of Fame — Inductee (2006)
Heritage Award — Arizona Farm Bureau Federation (2006)
Distinguished Service to Agriculture — Arizona Farm Bureau (2009)
Extensionist of the Year Award — U of A College of Agriculture (2010 - 2009)
Centennial Award Arizona Cooperative Extension — U of A College of Agriculture (October 2013)
Oliver Anderson Family State 4-H Museum — Maricopa Agricultural Center (2004)
