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Patience, Persistence, Adaptability: The Schroeder Family’s Five Generations of Farming
One benefit of farming for five generations is getting to see a lot of history.
The Schroeder Brother’s Farms in Antigo, Wisconsin, founded by Eric Schroeder’s family in 1879, has been around long enough to have its own potato museum on site.
Curated by Eric’s grandmother, the museum, which features antique farming equipment and is open to school groups for tours, shows “how hard it used to be and how easy us kids have it now,” Eric said, referring to himself, his brother, and two cousins who represent the fifth generation to work on the farms.
The Schroeder Brother’s Farms grows seed potatoes and ships them to customers around the U.S. and Canada that grow potatoes. Antigo is ideal for growing because most of the acres are free of commercial farming, minimizing risk of disease from other crops.
Spring is the busy season on a seed farm. To get ready for planting, potatoes must be cut into pieces, allowed to heal, then planted in the ground once the field is dry enough.
“A lot of people don’t understand you have to take one potato to make more potatoes,” Eric said. “We’re not buying seeds at the store. We’re just taking a potato, cutting it up into pieces, and sticking it in the ground.”
Between farming and community activities, Eric and his family stay busy. He coaches his son’s sports teams, and his son and daughter are involved in baseball, dance, gymnastics, and hockey. If you find yourself in Antigo, you can also check out Schroeder’s women’s boutique, which also sells—you guessed it—potatoes!
Eric credits “patience, persistence, and adaptability” for his family’s farming success—as well as having the experience of previous generations. “Having my dad and his brothers around is certainly helping us. We wouldn’t be able to do it without them. There’s plenty of knowledge being passed down, and hopefully we’re able to gather that and use it.”
To learn more about Eric’s story, watch his video.
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