Highway 64 Blueberry Farm
Location: Lebanon, Mo.
Owners: Brandon and Jeanell Stuckey
Family: Grown children, Bree and Dalton, and 9-year-old, Morgan
History: Brandon and Jeanell Stuckey have operated the Highway 64 Blueberry Farm, located half way between Lebanon, Mo., and Bennett Spring State Park, for the past five years. Both are originally from Arkansas, and Brandon retired from the military.
“When we took this over, the place had been abandoned, owned by the bank, for the previous couple of years so we had a lot of work to do,” Brandon explained. “We didn’t even open that first year.”
Products and Services: “We have 1,763 plant slots and about 1,500 plants now growing across two acres,” Brandon said. “We offer you-pick blueberries, as well as berries already picked and ready for sale. It’s probably about a 60-40 split. We see a lot of folks who are leaving Bennett Spring Park on Sunday afternoon and they don’t have the time to pick berries. They just want to stop and buy berries on their way home.”
“We have a lot of repeat customers. One lady takes her vacation at Bennett Spring each year and probably picks 80 pounds of blueberries while she’s here. The people from the School of Metaphysics over in Dallas County picked about 120 pounds worth last year so that’s great. We already have people calling and stopping by,” Jeanell added.
“We start getting calls in March even though our season is from mid-June through early July. It’s a different sort of business. You can wake up with people in your driveway at six in the morning,” Brandon said.
Future plans: “We have the blueberry farm for sale right now because we would like to move back to Arkansas, closer to family.”
Brandon concluded. “The most work is in the winter and off season, trimming back the bushes. This time of year it’s weeding and mowing.”
“I don’t mind the work,” Jeanell smiled. “The peace of living and work out here, that’s the best part of all.”
