BIXBY - Vernon Conrad still takes pride in the 225.5-pound watermelon that earned him a room at the Marriott Hotel overlooking New York City's Central Park and a spot on CBS's "This Morning."
The owners of Conrad Farms grew the world-record melon in 1983, besting their own title by more than 6 pounds.
But Guinness World Records has quit keeping data on horticultural achievements, and after Oct. 1 Conrad Farms will no longer grow watermelons. One of the last holdouts from Bixby's agricultural roots, the Conrad operation is shutting down after that date.
Vernon Conrad
Vernon and his two brothers, Eugene and Marvin, will retire and close the market store and 400-acre vegetable farm, a multigenerational enterprise that sits square in the center of Bixby, now a booming suburb.
"We're all getting old. They want to retire, and I want to retire," Vernon Conrad said. "Maybe I'll get a chance to take a little vacation."
The family has grown crops in the Tulsa area since 1931, when Chester and Pauline Conrad bought a small farm near Sapulpa. In 1939, Chester Conrad moved to Bixby and rented 80 acres, and in 1942 bought the land that Conrad Farms now occupies.
The Conrad family farms 400 acres near 151st Street and Memorial Drive, though the family only owns 160 acres of that, Vernon Conrad said. They also own a store, which opened in the 1950s, that sells fresh grown fruits and vegetables from the nearby fields.
The farm was particularly known for its sweet corn, making it one of the pillars of the Bixby Green Corn Festival. The 38th version of the festival wrapped up at the end of June.
Vernon Conrad, 72, said he and his brothers, both in their late 70s, have discussed shutting down the farm for years.
"We've had a lot of offers from developers over the years, but we've always refused to sell as long as we can farm," he said.
Conrad said they now plan to sell the land, which once was part of a country town.
The family has already sold several tractors and will unload the rest before or shortly after the last melons and peas are harvested. By the time those last vegetables are picked at the end of September, Conrad expects the store will be ready to close.
Conrad Farms employs about 10 field workers and seven more store employees, apart from the owners themselves.
With the closure of Conrad Farms, Bixby continues to move further away from its agricultural roots, said Mayor Ray Bowen.
"That's 82 years they've been an icon in the city of Bixby," Bowen said. "For a long time our slogan was 'The Garden Spot of Oklahoma.' That's changing."
Bowen said he visited the store nearly daily as a youth with his mother on trips home from the jewelry store his family once owned in Bixby.
"We would get whatever we needed for dinner that night," he said. "But as time went on we eventually decided to leave the jewelry business, and I understand what the Conrads are doing."
The farmland, Bowen said, is probably worth a considerable amount of money.
Vernon Conrad said his children and his brothers' children are all grown and have started their own careers away from agriculture. Instead of trying to split the farm up and decide who might want to continue, they decided that simply retiring is the best option.
The farm was once a large and profitable vegetable grower, with more than 1,400 acres and produce shipped as far away as Canada and New York. But the marketplace has moved farming away from multiproduct vegetable farms into larger and more efficient corporate-run operations.
Still, the Conrads have maintained their iconic red barn storefront that is often crowded with baskets of corn. Signs still display specials on fresh jams and fruits.
"I've been going to Conrad farms since I was 3," said Crystal Crockett, president of the Bixby Chamber of Commerce. "Conrad farms was the destination for Bixby. It was one of the big reasons to go to Bixby."
Conrad Farms history
1931
Chester Conrad buys small farm near Sapulpa
1939
Conrad moves to Bixby and rents 80 acres
1942
Conrad buys land from Holt Malcolm on the current Conrad Farms site
1974
Conrad Farms keeps produce market open year-round for first time
1987
With 1,300 acres, Conrads begin to scale back operations to stay profitable
1998
Chester Conrad dies at 91, leaving farm to sons Marvin, Eugene and Vernon
2013
Conrad brothers will close farm and market on Oct. 1
Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Final harvest in Bixby
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