The year was 1887. The empire of Austria was in the midst of making alliances and treaties in hopes to avoid a European war with Russia. On the verge of what we now know as World War I, Ferdinand Keller and his then very pregnant wife packed up their belongings, along with a horseradish plant, and made the long journey across the Atlantic to The States. After giving birth to their son Max on the boat, Ferdinand knew he had to provide for his family by finding just the right soil for his horseradish plant to grow and thrive.
Midwestern soil proved to be the perfect place to start. Max grew up on the Keller’s quaint farm, learning to till and cultivate the land from his father, passing down the farming tradition to his sons—one of which is Robert Keller, current owner of Keller Farms, Inc.
Robert “Bob” Keller
In 1945, Robert “Bob” Keller bought some land with his brother, Les, to start farming together as a team. In 1949, Max joined their team and they began developing scientific farming methods to make best use of the soil. In 1956 at the young age of 30, Bob Keller was named “Young Farmer of the Year” by the East Saint Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce. From Young Farmer of the Year to now owning a little more than 5,000 acres of land, Bob established Keller Farms, Inc.
Robert “Bob” Keller, 1956 | Young Farmer of the Year
Today, we grow not only horseradish, but also sweet corn, soybeans, field corn, and wheat. We take great pride in our 5-generation record of outstanding crop production and we hope to continue the legacy for decades to come.