Hermiston ‘Megadairy’ Owner Busted with ‘mega-meth’, Facing Charges

The owner of the second largest dairy farm in Oregon is facing new legal issues after authorities say he was caught with suspected meth.

60-year-old Greg Te Velde was arrested last Friday in the 600 block of SE 6th street in Hermiston after being seen driving on the wrong side of the road. An officer saw Te Velde and his passenger in the car around midnight. The passenger, 38-year-old Sarah Cook, and Te Velde, were both arrested after an officer saw suspected meth and other drug items in his Chevy Tahoe.

Te Velde opened the Lost Valley Farm near Boardman in the spring of 2017, but almost immediately ran afoul of the law by improperly discharging wastewater and manure, threatening nearby wells. The megadairy has been the subject of shutdown attempts by regulators but so far has avoided closure.

Te Velde was also nabbed as part of a prostitution sting in the Tri-Cities in 2017, and has multiple arrests for meth.