Alumni Spotlight: Olivia Schoentrup

Olivia Schoentrup is an alumna of Purdue Animal Sciences who travels the country to visit small farmers and share their stories on her YouTube channel Breaking New Roots.

After Schoentrup graduated from Purdue Animal Sciences in 2016, she ran her own farm with her husband for six years where they raised cows, pigs and chickens. They sold the meat off-farm and at a local farmers market. She and her family started their YouTube channel in 2017 to document and share their story and journey.

After further consideration, Schoentrup and her family sold the farm.

“We had a few hard years back to back and realized that we weren't enjoying farming as much anymore; maybe it was time to do something different. We thought we wanted to move south and have a farm in the mountains, but when that fell through we looked really hard at our goals and desires,” Schoentrup explained. “We wanted to explore, meet farmers, and spend time with our kids. We thought we might be able to travel the country to visit small farms and share their story. The small farmer story is one that isn't told enough and one that is often overlooked.”

Schoentrup and her family have been visiting farms across the country since December 2023. Since then, they have visited 86 farms across 17 states: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

Schoentrup mentioned she enjoys learning farmers’ stories and their techniques.

“I believe that anyone can farm, but those that continue to farm have a strong reason why. We wanted to help farmers share their why, but we have found that we have so much to learn from these farmers,” Schoentrup said. “We still like to get into their story, their ‘why’, but I love to learn new techniques and methods. Every farm has a different way of doing things.”

Schoentrup said she originally attended Purdue to become a veterinarian; however, after taking a few courses, she decided that career path was not for her.

“As a little girl, I had always dreamed of attending Purdue to become a veterinarian, but after my first microbiology class, I realized that I was not interested in those kinds of courses,” Schoentrup explained. “I still loved animal production and wanted to learn more about the science of ‘why’ the animals did what they did and how I could help them grow and thrive. So, I stayed in my major and figured I could find a job doing what I loved without being a veterinarian.”

During her time at Purdue, Schoentrup worked at the Animal Sciences Research and Education Center (ASREC) Beef Unit and was a member of Block and Bridle. She was homesick and missed her cattle, so she said the beef unit helped combat that. 

According to Schoentrup, her biggest accomplishment at Purdue was graduating early.

“I maintained a heavy course load and worked hard to get the grades I did. But, I was not a very academically-inclined person, and I was ready to get on to my career, or at least the start of it,” Schoentrup explained. “I worked hard and was able to graduate a semester early where, after a summer internship, I was able to land a job at a local bank immediately after graduation.”

Schoentrup mentioned that her time as an undergraduate student helped her prepare for her career.

“[My time in the Purdue Animal Sciences Department] taught me how to look at things from different angles and that if I am able to ask why, then I am able to find the answer.”

Schoentrup also said that the skills she acquired during her time at Purdue has contributed to her professional life.

“Learning to network and connect has been very beneficial for me,” said Schoentrup. “You never know who you are going to meet or who you might see again. It’s best to always keep those doors open.”

According to Schoentrup, a strength of the Purdue Animal Sciences undergraduate program is the department’s sense of community.

“I have been in the middle of nowhere and heard a muffled ‘boiler up.’ Of course my response is ‘hammer down,’” Schoentrup said. “You’re never far from home when you sport Purdue apparel!”

Schoentrup shared some advice for current animal sciences students.

“Things don’t last forever. This is two-fold,” said Schoentrup. “Stay in the moment, and enjoy the process. You can always pivot or change! Nothing is ever a failure if you are learning something!”

The Purdue Animal Sciences Department is celebrating 125 years! As a part of the celebration, Schoentrup was asked to upload a video congratulating the department.