About Us
Livesay Orchards is owned and farmed by brothers Kent and Steve Livesay. Both have degrees in agriculture from Oklahoma State University. For the most part, Kent manages retail and wholesale
sales of fruit and vegetable crop; Steve manages growing of fruit and grain crops and the machinery. Of course, it is a family operation, and many others get involved to, not the least of which is their "semi-retired" father, David Livesay.
David's uncle, Austin Livesay, purchased the original orchard site in 1966. The orchard has been past through the generations, and is now under the ownership of Kent and Steve Livesay.
The first peach trees were planted on the land in the 1920s, and today, there are more than 140 acres of peach trees, making this the largest peach orchard in the state. This is also a diversified farm, with 10 acres of apple trees, 30 acres of watermelon and cantaloupes, 30 acres of pumpkins and gourds, 300 acres of wheat, 1,000 acres of soybeans, 600 acres of field corn, along with tomatoes, sweet corn, milo, and cattle.
There is a large, open air Farm Market on the farm, and about 60% of the peach harvest is sold directly to the public from the market. The market also sells other fresh fruit and vegetables, along with our famous Porter Peach Products. The remainder of the peaches are sold "pick-your-own" in the orchard, or delivered to grocery stores and fruit stands within a 200-mile radius.
There are several other members of the family working at the farm and in the market, and we hope you'll introduce yourself next time you come by. Brenda, Steve's wife, works in the market and is usually the person offering your delicious samples of our different peach varieties. Kent's wife, Dawna, manages the school tours,
and is the bookkeeper. You might also meet Brian, Steve and Brenda's son, who spends most of his time driving tractors, and is interested in continuing the farm operation after pursuing an agriculture degree at OSU, and his sister, Melanie, an accountant, who helps in the farm market on her days off. Kyle and Nathan, sons of Kent and Dawna, who are both still young, but may also become future farmers.
We love our farm life, and the great community we have here in Porter. Our community, along with the Porter Lions Club, puts on the fabulous Porter Peach Festival, which will be held the third Thursday, Friday and Saturday in July. We hope you will come enjoy the celebrations of the festival in Porter, and then be sure to visit the orchard for some fresh, juicy Porter peaches to take home!