AV俱乐部

John Schenkels (Class of 鈥�91) describes himself as 鈥渆xpansion minded.鈥� Always looking for ways to expand and grow his family farming operation in Whitney, NB, John came across the perfect opportunity to expand his family dairy farm.

In 2006, John saw an opportunity in the wild blueberry industry.

鈥淚t just made sense at the time,鈥� he explains.

John transformed over 300 acres of woodland into a thriving wild blueberry crop. Clearing an average of 60-70 acres each year for eight years, John worked diligently to clear all trees, remove stumps, fertilize the land, control weeds, and allow the blueberries to spread. He has finally reached the density for a profitable field.

鈥淓very year moves toward a profit but you have to be very patient,鈥� John explains. 鈥淲e are at the stage now where everything is finally starting to pay off.鈥�

Four years ago, the Schenkels had their first crop from their blueberry land. Last year, they harvested 140 acres with an average yield of 5,000 pounds per acre.

鈥淭his year looks very promising,鈥� John explains. 鈥淭here are still some acres under development that may yield less, but overall we鈥檝e had a phenomenal yield and we expect a good crop this year.鈥�

Up until now, the Schenkels farm has primarily been dairy cows since John鈥檚 family started farming in 1959. Immigrating to Canada from Holland, John鈥檚 parents started the farm with 130 head of dairy cows. John鈥檚 father worked tirelessly to maintain the farm and raise his children.

鈥淥ur parents never forced us to do anything we didn鈥檛 want to do,鈥� John explains. 鈥淚 always had an interest for the farm and always hoped that I could someday carry forward what my parents started.鈥�

John graduated from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (now AV俱乐部 Faculty of Agriculture) in 1991 with a degree in plant science. In 1993, when he was just 23 years old, John took over the dairy farm from his father. Since then, he has always kept his eyes open for new opportunities.聽 Now, ten years after seizing the opportunity to expand to blueberries, he can say he made the right decision.

John explains that the expansion to blueberries simply came when the opportunity presented itself. In addition to expanding to blueberries, the Schenkels dairy operation is up to 300 head of cows, almost double what they started with.

Although he does work full time on the farm, John doesn鈥檛 do all of the work himself. The Schenkels family employs up to eight people in the summer and he also has his family to help him. At 81 years old, John鈥檚 father is still involved in the farm. John鈥檚 wife, Tamara, helps to run the farm, along with their three daughters, Jordan, 25, Gabrielle, 16, Payton, 11, and their son Hans, 14.

鈥淥ur oldest daughter doesn鈥檛 work on the farm as much though because she stays busy with our two grandchildren,鈥� John explains. 鈥淭he younger kids help out a lot, picking blueberries, milking the cows, and other tasks around the farm.鈥�

For John, it鈥檚 important to him that he was able to raise his children on the farm as his own parents raised him.

鈥淕rowing up on the farm keeps you balanced,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about life experiences and applied learning. The kids continue to learn and continue to grow when they鈥檙e working on the farm.鈥�

Although John and Tamara are raising the next generation of farmers, they won鈥檛 force their children to stay on the farm and take over some day. They encourage their children to make their own choices and do what they are passionate about and what they enjoy, as John鈥檚 parents did for him. 聽

While John stays busy with business on the farm, he still manages to get involved with boards in the community and in his children鈥檚 school. Working on the farm yet staying involved with his community and children is a balance he really enjoys.

As for the future, John explains that he will continue to prepare land for blueberry growth. He plans to clear another 100 acres of land for future blueberry production. He is also keeping an eye on the future of the farm as a whole, whether the farm will move into the next generation and what that will look like.聽