Our Mission
Our mission is to produce quality grain and meat in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. We strive to improve the health of the soil we are blessed with the opportunity to manage. We appreciate the trust our landowner's give us to help them manage their farms.
Paul F. Bergschneider (late 1960s)
Our farming branch of the rather large Bergschneider Family tree started in 1896 when Joseph G. Bergschneider purchased the farm that is the farmstead where Joe & Paul now live. Joseph G. Bergschneider was born in 1864 in IL and purchased the farm 2 years after he was married. His father, Henry Bergschneider, and his mother were both born in Germany in the mid-1800s.
Joseph G. Bergschneider had several children and at one point the home farm ownership was titled in the names of three of his sons, one of which was Paul F. He was Joseph P.’s father and Paul J.’s grandfather. (Our family isn’t very original with first names for the boys.) The farm directly to the south of our home farm was the farm that Paul F. was raised on, and that farm is also still in the Bergschneider family.
Eventually, a house was built on the farm in the mid-1920s and eventually, Paul and his wife Eileen lived there until their deaths. They raised their 5 children on the home farm. At one point their son Joe and his wife Barbara built their house on the farmstead where they raised their 5 children. Their son Paul eventually moved back into his grandparent's house with his wife Janie with their family.
Joseph G. Bergschneider had several children and at one point the home farm ownership was titled in the names of three of his sons, one of which was Paul F. He was Joseph P.’s father and Paul J.’s grandfather. (Our family isn’t very original with first names for the boys.) The farm directly to the south of our home farm was the farm that Paul F. was raised on, and that farm is also still in the Bergschneider family.
Eventually, a house was built on the farm in the mid-1920s and eventually, Paul and his wife Eileen lived there until their deaths. They raised their 5 children on the home farm. At one point their son Joe and his wife Barbara built their house on the farmstead where they raised their 5 children. Their son Paul eventually moved back into his grandparent's house with his wife Janie with their family.
Joseph has raised crops and livestock in the Franklin area for over 60 years. Barb is a retired school teacher and full time Grandma. They raised 5 children on the farm and have 16 grandchildren that are scattered across the US.
Paul has been active in the farm operation since childhood. He received a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois in 1998. He spent time in the agriculture banking and accounting industries after college. He co-operates the family crop and livestock operation with his father. In 2013, he started Bergschneider Ag Consulting Inc, which works with farms and agri-businesses to manage the financial side of their operations. Paul and his wife Janie are blessed with seven children that they are raising to value faith, family, and farming.
Luke is currently in his final semester studying Agriculture Science and Agronomy at WIU. After graduating, he will be pursuing a master's degree in Crop Sciences. He plans to stay involved in the farm and is especially interested in expanded conservation practices and market opportunities.
Our Landowners
Our farm leases properties from community and family members living locally as well as those living coast to coast. We strive to make decisions for the leased farms the same as if we owned them. We assume that our grandchildren will continue to farm those farms and treat them accordingly.