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FAMILY
FARM
Father, Son Work Together to Keep Business Growing By Kimberly Warren Associate Editor “I
hope to be able to work as long as I can physically work…” The Shenot family ancestors came to the Wexford, Pa., area in 1854. It was just a few years later that they purchased the land on which they lived – land that is still being farmed by the Shenot family. Ed Shenot and his son Rob make up the fifth and sixth generation of farmers in that family. And though some things have changed – they no longer have any livestock or dairy – some things, like their love of the lifestyle have remained untouched by time. “At the time I was in college at Penn State, my father wanted to know if I was definitely coming back to the farm. And I told him ‘Get rid of the cows and I’ll definitely be coming back,’” Ed said. “I never could see myself doing anything else. I always liked working with the fruits and the vegetables.” In the late 1960s, the Shenots got rid of their dairy operation, and Ed graduated from Penn State in 1971 with a degree in horticulture – and returned to the farm. In 1967, the Shenots added a very small stand by the road. In 1972, they moved it off the road, and in 1993, they expanded it and doubled the size. “The marked
has been growing ever since,” Ed said. “We retail 85 to
90 percent of the produce we grow. The rest is local wholesaling.” The produce they sell at the market includes fruits and vegetables. In vegetables, they have about 50 acres, Ed said. Of that, 38 acres are sweet corn. “We’re diversified with the fruits and vegetables,” Ed said. “It seems to be an advantage. Some years you don’t have a really good year in fruit and you depend on your vegetable crop to pull you through. It’s the same if you don’t have a good year in vegetables.” Another key to
their success: varieties. Ed said they are always looking for new
and better varieties of different vegetables. “We’re glad to see the operation continue into our family,” Ed said. “It’s gratifying to know everything’s going to continue.” Rob also attended Penn State to earn a degree in horticulture – he graduated exactly 30 years after his father. “It was something people always asked me growing up what I wanted to do, and I always assumed I wanted to be a farmer,” Rob said. “It wasn’t until I was in school at Penn State that I realized that it was what I loved…I don’t know if I was just missing the farm or loved the farm aspect of things.” Rob, 24, and
Ed, 54, work hand-in-hand on the farm, but Rob has taken over the
production end of things while Ed manages the business end. “(Working together) has its ups and downs – more ups than downs,” Rob said. “Just like with anything, we’re going to have conflicting opinions, but that’s what we’re here for. If we were going to agree on everything, things wouldn’t turn out as well – you can always pick your best route. “Everything
needs to be done; it’s a matter of what order they need to get
done in. Sometimes it’s a business decision, and sometimes it’s
a production decisions – they might take you down different
routes.” “Penn State taught me a lot. When I came back, all these things were still fresh in my mind, but I have to take into consideration that he’s been doing this for his whole life and he’s got way more years than me,” Rob said. “I have to realize that it’s not always what looks good on paper that works. That’s where we complement each other a lot.” As far as the future, both said that in 10 years they hope to be down a similar path in terms of crop and trying new varieties. With increasing pressures on growers to diversify their offerings come pressures to add entertainment ventures – something Rob said he wants to avoid. “There’s a lot of temptation to get into entertainment agriculture,” he said. “I really want to keep it a farm. I want to feed people, not entertain them.” Working toward that successful future will continue to be a joint effort for Ed and Rob – both continuing to teach each other new things, they said. “I hope to be able to work as long as I can physically work and be involved in it,” Ed said. “I’m 54 years old now, and I can’t see myself anywhere in the near future retiring.” And Rob said that’s fine with him. “I don’t
know any farmers that really retire,” Rob said. “They’re
always involved up until their last days. I don’t see him (Ed)
ever being completely out of the loop – he will always have
input.” |
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