Joe represented Berrybrook Enterprises as one of the Honorary Grand Marshals for the Blossomtime Parade this past weekend! 😊
And just like that 🌸 our apple orchards are in full bloom!
This is one of our high density apple orchards. This stall spindle system maximizes our fruiting surface area per acre, allowing increased yields and profitability. These advanced orchards feature 1,000-1,300 trees per acre, almost double the amount in a traditional orchard!
30 days after being planted, our baby soybeans have popped up to say hello 👋🏼🌱
With every planting season comes long hours, deadlines and unexpected weather.. This is a reminder for us and everyone else juggling the work/life balance to slow down and enjoy the views ✨
Here’s a glance at our modern grain facility in Dowagiac! This system features innovative technology to gently dry our corn while being fuel and energy efficient. 🙌🏼
It’s time to plant some soybeans!
This is Mort, one of our planting & harvest specialists. If he’s not busy working the ground, you can find him cleaning up our fence rows with the excavator. He joined our team over 11 years ago and when asked why he enjoys working at Berrybrook he replied, “It’s family oriented and I love what I do.”
After a month of dismantling our 40 year old cucumber sorting machine, John Michael is officially finished! 🙌🏼
Meet Joe Hassle, the oldest of the three brothers who own and operate Berrybrook Enterprises. Born and raised in southwest Michigan, his passion for farming was instilled at an early age thanks to his parents. After graduating from Michigan State University, Joe returned to the farm and now oversees all row crops, financial planning and grain marketing. He believes their land stewardship practices and dedicated team of employees are key components to their successful farming operation.
GO GREEN!
Asparagus season is quickly approaching & we're here for it!
Did you know Michigan ranks first in the nation for asparagus production? Our state produces up to 20 million pounds each year 🤩
Spring has sprung and so have our apple trees 😍🍏
Cover crop appreciation post 🙌🏼
Directly after our fields are harvested in the fall, we plant a cover crop that grows in the spring. This helps control erosion and increase nutrient content of the soil 🌱✨
Rainy days call for working inside! Meet Rodney Stockwell. He’s one of our farmhands and today he’ll be prepping our sprayer for the upcoming season. Rodney has been a part of our team for 6 years.☺️ When asked why he enjoys working at Berrybrook Enterprises, he said, “It’s a fun job that allows me to be outdoors. It’s something different every day.”
We couldn’t run our farm without employees like Rodney. Thank you for all of your hard work!
Although Berrybrook Enterprises is now owned and operated by Joe Jr, John and Scott, it wasn't always this way. In 1975, MICHIGAN FARMER Magazine published an interview with Joe Sr & Harriett regarding their family and farming operation. They both shared how much they depended on all 8 of their kids to contribute towards the farm's success. In Harriett's words, "To be a success in a business like this you have to give your life to it all hours of the day and night. You must do the work when it needs to be done."
Not only did Joe Sr and Harriett give their life to the farm, all 8 of their children did too. ❤
Left page, top: Harriett checking melon planting progress with Scott, age 3
Left page, bottom: Harriett in bean field with Joe Jr, age 12, and Sandy, age 5
Right page, left: Ruth transplanting melon plants, age 19
Right page, right: Twins Mary and Lory, age 16, cooking dinner for the family
Preparing our fields for the 2023 planting season! 🌽
Our team stays busy during the "off" season. Whether its cleaning fence rows, planning for the upcoming season or hauling grain, there's always something to do!
Meet Dave Wilkinson Jr! He's our Lead Maintenance Manager. He's responsible for maintaining the high-quality condition of our equipment. In addition, he's also one of our planting and harvest technicians. Dave has been with Berrybrook Enterprises for almost 30 years and his dad, Dave Wilkinson Sr, was part of our team for 45 years. When asked why he's been with us for so long, his answer was short and sincere- "I just like doing it."
Happy National Agriculture Week! 🌱
🇺🇸 Thank you for defending our freedom. 🇺🇸
#VeteransDay2021 #freedomisntfree #usa
"You can't have the family farm without the family."
-Gilbert K. Chesterton
Great day on the farm to have visitors!
📷 Photo Credit: Nichole Hassle
"Farmers do not just work until the sun goes down, they work until the job is done."
-Unknown
☀️👨🌾🚜
"The view from the field last night picking soy beans, sunset was filling up the hopper."
📷 Credit to John Hassle
#farming #farmers #michigansunsets🌅 #soybeans
