The family greenhouse business is more than just a business to University of Missouri freshman Abbie Harms. It is a legacy and a passion she hopes to carry on in her future.
“My life was built around the greenhouse business,” Harms said. “I love plants, I love to spend time in the greenhouses, and I love working with my family”.
The business started with just a packet of seeds and some determination to make an impact. Harms’ grandparents started the family farm in 1983. Years later, her mother studied plant sciences at Mizzou and returned to the family business with the purpose of growing what had already been established.
“One of my earliest memories in the greenhouses was with my cousins,” Harms said. “We had a playhouse that we would build in our big greenhouse and me, my brother, and my cousins would play in it while my parents planted plants.”
From playing with cousins in the greenhouse to officially being paid at 12, the work turned into responsibility for Harms. Through FFA, the family business was a part of her SAE and even took her to the state for a proficiency in nursery production.
“My key takeaway from the greenhouse business as part of my SAE was responsibility and time management,” she said. “Learning the responsibility aspect is what helped me take ownership for my actions especially as I got older and was responsible for more”
She is now studying agricultural education with a minor in plant sciences at Mizzou, and she hopes to combine her love for plants with her passion for teaching by becoming a future agriculture teacher.
“My plan right now after graduation is to teach for a few years, at a school close to my hometown and then I would love to come back to the family business,” Harms said.
Looking back on the years of work growing a family business from the ground up, she finds it inspirational that her grandparents were able to start with so little.
“It is cool to me that a business with such a wide outreach started with just three packets of seed in the backyard and lots of determination from my grandparents to start their own business,” Harms said.
Being so involved in the family business at such a young age has left a lasting impact on Harms and what her future may look like. While others may be abandoning the family farm, she hopes to take part in growing the business and watching it thrive in the future.
“I would be third generation running the greenhouse business,” she said. “I just think that is super cool that a family business such as mine has lasted three generations and will continue to grow in the future.”
