Born in Macrorie, Saskatchewan, Freeden received an MSc in Animal Science from the University of Alberta in 1947 and joined the staff of the Lacombe Research Station in Alberta, subsequently obtaining a PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Iowa State University in 1952.
Freeden was born in Macrorie, Saskatchewan, earned an MSc in Animal Science from the University of Alberta in 1947, and later received a PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Iowa State University in 1952 after working at the Lacombe Research Station.