Millerville Farms is a family-owned agriculture business in the northern slope of the Siskiyou Mountains in Cave Junction. Helmed by Rhea and Matt Miller — second and third generation growers with decades of experience — Millerville produces a range of greenery, including tobacco, hops and, of course, Cannabis. The couple operates two farms with 40,000 square feet of outdoor canopy and 12,000 square feet of greenhouses. Employing only a handful of full-time employees, peaking at around a dozen during harvest season, the amount of work that Rhea and Matt put into cultivation is tremendous.
“We’re super passionate about sun-grown Cannabis. Both of us are born and raised in southern Oregon,” Rhea Miller explained.
As a company, the farm joined the recreational market in 2016 and has produced organic, Clean Green Certified flower for public consumption ever since. With a history of growing for medicinal usage before 2016, Millerville Farms has provided caregiving for somewhere between 32 to 96 patients at any given time over the course of its operations.
“It’s not about cornering the market; it’s about having the availability for all the people that the plant actually is here to provide and serve,” Matt Miller noted.
With a genetic archive of over 200 strains collected throughout the years, Millerville runs around 30 to 40 different cultivars per season, with the longer finishing plants placed in greenhouses so they can reach full maturity before harvest. Selection is often an arduous process, but, per Matt Miller, most choices are kept around for their distinct expressions that translate to flavor and “hit right in the palate.”
The name Millerville is synonymous with the acclaimed strain Jaeger. A phenotype of Hindu Kush x Hindu Kush, the cultivar was created in-house. A beautiful plant with bold purple buds and a picturesque green-to-purple fade on the leaves, the flower has a fragrance that’s comparable to Jagermeister liquor, complete with rich notes of black licorice, anise and mixed spices.
One of the newest additions to the farm this season is Dirty Zkittles, a cross of Jaeger and Zazul that smells sublime. With an aroma that practically claws at the senses, the expression features layers of sweet and savory spice with underlying hints of licorice, pumpkin bread and caramelized sugar.
Another exciting selection is Purple Wreck, a cross of Purple Urkel and Trainwreck. Originally popped from a seed pack over 15 years ago, the genetic comes via Reserva Privada, a U.S.-based subsidiary of DNA Genetics. Consisting of a terpinolene-heavy profile, the flower reeks of pine and sage.
Standout selections include Elvis, Ape Cheese, Planet Marshmallow, Champagne Diesel, Golden Lemons, Goofiez, Pineapple Jaeger, Lemon Kush, Maui True Blood and White Chocolate Chip. The assortment of profiles is as varied as it is storied, with some legacy strains, like Elvis and Ape Cheese, going back half a century.
With a location near the East Fork Illinois River, the ground is rockier than natural dirt. So, Rhea Miller works on fluffing the soil and creating loamier growing media by sourcing natural resources over time.
“This is actually a bunch of topsoil from the Illinois River riverbed out of Sauer’s Flat. And then we source local inputs, like cleaning out people’s barns, doing a bunch of natural compost. We get kelp and fish meal from Crescent City,” she stated. “Keeping inputs local is a winning factor for all the organic flavor.”
In an effort to keep things as regenerative and native as possible, even the composted manure is derived from nearby organic dairy farms.
Rhea Miller utilizes EM1 microbial inoculant and fungi, including Trichoderma, to promote growth and help balance bacteria in the living soil. Using more beneficial microorganisms reduces the likelihood of foreign pathogens or diseases that can harm the plants.
“It’s about having more good guys than bad guys at the party,” she explained. “We want that in the media, so we are complementing it. It’s like boosting the immune system.”
The proof is in the flower, resulting in a clean, flavorful smoke that’s smooth on the lungs.
Matt Miller works as a wildland firefighter during late summer and early fall each year. Given the annual threats of fire across the state, it’s a heroic side mission and a sacrifice in many ways.
“It’s a juggle being a sun-grown farm, with that being a seasonal process and then the seasonality of fires overlapping that. It’s definitely go time when it comes to summer for us. (In 2024,) Matt was gone until Oct. 20,” Rhea Miller noted.
Despite the challenges in running things without him during those instances, this isn’t her first rodeo.
“Rhea runs the whole farm. She’s the brains and heart, bro,” Matt Miller stated with a beaming smile.
Between the medical caregiving, the firefighting and the methods they use to grow, it’s very apparent that the Millers care about their community and the surrounding environment. With a passion and dedication that shines through in every facet of their work, Millerville Farms continues to set the standard for southern Oregon Cannabis cultivators.
Millerville Farms
Location: Cave Junction
Standout Strains: Jaeger and Dirty Zkittles
Farm Size: 40,000 square feet of outdoor canopy and 12,000 square feet of greenhousesEmployees: around a dozen at harvest time
