In 1958, a bareback rider from Mowata, Louisiana, Fred Frey, married a beautiful young woman named Dorthy "Dot" Vizinat from Eunice, Louisiana. Frey worked as a roughneck in the oil field until he decided to take a different direction in life. In 1959 a position in Mississippi became available to work as a farm manager for a man by the name of Earnest Edward Edmondson. Despite his lack of experience in farming, Frey packed up his family and moved to Mississippi. 
 
The first crops he ever grew were cattle, rice and soybeans. He says he loved farming
from the get-go. He worked there several years then moved to Lake Provenience, LA.
For eight months he worked as a farm manager there, then he moved to Simmesport,
Louisiana to do the same job. All leading up to his destiny. In 1967 some property
became available in Morganza, Louisiana to rent, so Frey and his brother-in-law,
Edwin Leonards managed the land for five years until Edmondson decided to sell the
land in 1968. Frey and his brother-in-law took him up on the offer and started
"F & L Planters." 
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Frey and Dot had four boys, Mitch, Mark, Matt and Marty. Each of them grew up working on the farm. "They started before they even could work," Fred said. "They'd get out of school and hop on a combine and they'd sit on the floor until it got time to go in." When they got older they assumed most of the responsibilities on the farm. "It wasn't just a little mediocre job, they had a good part of the operation," Fred said.  
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In 1982, when Fred retired, he gave his part of the business to his boys and called it Four Oaks Farm. Frey recalled when all four of his sons were under the age of eight, they planted four oak trees in their front yard. "We wanted the shade in the front yard, so we went to Mowata, dug up four oak trees, and transplanted them in the front yard in Morganza," Frey said. "Four little oak trees growing in the front yard." 
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