Ag students love this local apple orchard a bushel and a peck

The leaves outside are changing colors, the air is becoming crisp and cold and people across Purdue University’s campus are breaking out their sweaters and coats.  

Autumn is here, which also means it’s peak apple season. For Hoosiers, this involves weekend visits to local orchards to buy Boilermaker favorites, like the Pixie Crunch, Gold Rush or Crimson Crisp apples. One such farm that offers this attraction is Wea Creek Apple Orchard. 

Pioneers & farmers 

Wea Creek is a seventh-generation U-pick operation located less than 10 miles away from campus. Owner Perry Kirkham is an alumnus of the Purdue Colleges of Science and Education and coordinator of the National Institutes of Health’s research development for the Office of Research.  

Kirkham is descended from one of the three pioneers who purchased the farmland where Wea Creek stands in 1855. His mother inherited the property in the early 2000’s. He and his family decided to break ground on an apple orchard in 2008, with assistance from Purdue Extension and the College of Agriculture’s department of horticulture and landscape architecture (HLA). “I really had no idea how much work this was going to be, but I’m enjoying it very much,” Kirkham said. “It’s become a family affair.”  

While not connected to the College of Agriculture himself, over the years, Kirkham and his family have employed many agriculture students who assist with apple production in the field and barn, engage with and sell apple products to customers and conduct research for their classes and projects. As an educator, Kirkham values student participation and research. “Our product is better because we incorporate all that we learn,” he said.  

Student stories from the farm 

Mariah Schaeper (Favorite apple variety: Ludacrisp) 

Mariah Schaeper is basically an honorary Kirkham. As a graduate student in the department of agricultural sciences, education, and communication (ASEC) at Purdue, she has worked on the farm on-and-off since 2016. She and her husband also got married there in 2020, with many Kirkhams in attendance. “It was a beautiful day, and no other venue compared,” Schaeper said.  

She grew up in the Greater Lafayette area and was involved in 4-H during high school. When showing her dairy heifer, she enjoyed sharing her passions with interested kids.  

Later, as an undergraduate student in Purdue HLA and ASEC, Schaeper sought on-farm horticulture and agricultural education experiences. Researching local farms, she reached out to Wea Creek for possible internship opportunities. She fondly remembers interviewing at the kitchen table in Kirkham’s parents’ barn, near the farm. From the get-go, she felt both welcomed and excited for the work.  

On the farm, Schaeper said, “I was always put outside in the orchard trees to talk to customers. Eventually, I brought the idea of the now-annual sunflower festival to them and transitioned to an event planner.” Nowadays, she does a little bit of everything, helping where there is need.  

She shared that this experience “has showed me how much work goes into apple production and where our food comes from. I also see the value of teaching more about the farm when interacting with customers.” 

Now a master’s student in ASEC, Schaeper focuses on diversifying crops in the Midwest, funded by the Diverse Corn Belt Project.  “Grad school was spur of the moment, but it’s been a good opportunity. I’m interested in seeing how to diversify Indiana’s horticulture,” she said. Her goal is to create an educational curriculum for local postsecondary classes on topics like economic diversity and the principles of sustainability.

Schaeper added, “It helps that Perry, his wife and family are educators, and I’m able to bounce ideas off them.” It was actually Kirkham and his wife who encouraged her to pursue graduate school. After she graduates, she aspires to either pursue a Ph.D. in horticulture or work with Purdue Extension.  

“Purdue is good about getting you in the field,” Schaeper said. “But working on site enhances that field experience. It’s about more than just working in the trees.”  

Clara Shoopman (Favorite apple variety: Pixie Crunch) 

Clara Shoopman is a Purdue junior studying agricultural economics with a minor in classical studies. She primarily works in Wea Creek’s store, connecting her experiences to classroom economics concepts, like price elasticity and quantitative analysis.  

Shoopman, her mom and her great aunt visited the farm for fun one weekend in August. She shared, “Perry took us on a tractor ride, and I spoke to him about his path in agriculture. I asked him if they were hiring.” She walked away with a job.  

She explained that part of her job in the farm’s store is to observe what varieties of apples people want – to analyze the supply and demand. “In class, we’ve been talking about price elasticities, but people come in and like Perry so much, that they don’t even care about the prices.”  

The junior is also working with Maria Marshall, the James and Lois Ackerman Professor of Agricultural Economics on a research project about family agribusiness succession. Her interest in this topic stemmed from her own family background, but working with the Kirkhams has shed light on the subject as well.  

In the future, Shoopman plans to pursue graduate school and hopes to get a master’s or Ph.D. in economics. But working at Wea Creek has awakened her inner horticulturist, too. “I love agriculture, and I would like to own a farm eventually,” she said. “The mentality of people in agriculture is very unique. They are incredibly dedicated.”  

For other Ag students who seek ways to apply classroom concepts, Shoopman said, “You should try things that you’re interested in. It might not be a linear path, but it’s certainly one that’s very fulfilling.”