Silvertop Farm, Ranch, Vineyards & Winery
Established in 1945 by Joe and Ruth Steichen, Silvertop Farm is rooted in the principles of diversified agriculture and community service. The Silvertop is now an umbrella organization for specialty agri-businesses - Silvertop Crops (small grains), Silvertop Ranch (livestock), Silvertop Lamb and Silvertop Vineyards and Winery.
The Silvertop headquarters includes a five acre vineyard, two farm houses, greenhouse, five barns, two machine shops, farm equipment, chicken house, shep and cattle working pens, grain bins, oil pumping units, pasture, vintage farm equipment and a 1936 rock farm house. The 3,250 acre working farm includes registered Shropshire and Hampshire sheep, registered Hereford cattle, sheep dogs, small grain operations, hay, pecan groves, hunting and fishing, burros, ponds, nature trails, and rolling hills.
The Silvertop is now an umbrella organization for specialty agri-businesses - Silvertop Crops (small grains), Silvertop Ranch (livestock), Silvertop Lamb and, in the future, Silvertop Vineyards and Winery.
Both Joe and Ruth were raised on farms in nearby Perry, Oklahoma. Both Joe and Ruth's ancestors settled in the Oklahoma territory shortly after the Cherokee Strip Land Run in 1893. The Steichen farm in Perry was established at the turn of the century by Joe's grandfather, Nicholas Steichen. His parents, John and Maude Steichen, took over Sunny Slope Farm from Mathias and Katherine Schiltz, Maude's parents.
The fact that both Joe and Ruth descend from north European rural families is reflected in the Eurowestern atmosphere of this farm.