CHESTER, NJ (Morris County) – As part of the family’s succession plan, Rebekah Alstede Modery, 24, and Sarah Alstede, 22, have been named co-owners of Alstede Farms with current owners, Kurt Alstede and Mary Thompson-Alstede.
Together, the women plan to use their areas of expertise – production and retail operations – to build on the farm’s ongoing success and to position it for continued expansion and growth.
Rebekah and Sarah’s recent promotions mean that Alstede Farms is now a majority female-owned family business.
In addition to becoming co-owner, Rebekah has also been named Assistant Production Manager. She graduated last year with a double major in agricultural business and sustainable agricultural production from Delaware Valley University, and her new management role is the natural result of that expertise.
Having worked in the family business from an early age, Rebekah is now an integral part of Alstede’s 45-person production team overseeing the coordination of homegrown produce with retail operations and the Community Supported Agriculture program. Rebekah is passionate about strawberries and will be undergoing additional training to move into a leadership role overseeing this primary crop. Rebekah also helps with the onboarding of new production hires and is utilizing new technologies to help the department run efficiently and stay organized.
Sarah also has a new title in addition to co-owner: Assistant Retail Operations Manager. In this role, Sarah will oversee retail operations while maintaining the success of all agritourism components such as the farm’s renowned “Pick Your Own” events. Sarah grew up working on the farm and in the business of growing food and feeding people.
Sarah has always had an affinity for horses, farm livestock, and the aspiration of introducing “Alstede Fresh” to every guest. (In fact, Sarah just graduated with an associate degree from Centenary University in Animal Science with a specialization in Equine studies). In season, Alstede Farms employs more than 200 employees and Sarah will be supporting them all.
“We are very excited to be working together in the family business,” said Rebekah. “We are both extremely passionate with different but complementary skills”.
Both women are confident that their strengths will showcase the best in them both. Sarah agrees and continues, “There are so many opportunities for the future and we have always been championed as leaders and valuable members of the farm team. My father always respected us and offered a level playing field for success.”
In addition, she says “There is also something unique about agriculture and working the land. When you work on a farm, everyone is family.”
Having also loved farming since he was a teenager, Kurt Alstede followed his dreams and began farming on his own at the age of 18 on a couple of acres of farmland back in 1982.
He launched his farming career several years earlier working on his wife Mary’s grandparent’s fruit and vegetable farm in Chester. In the years since, he has built a widely respected business that includes several farms encompassing more than 800 acres with more than 600 acres actively producing fruits and vegetables. He is both proud and delighted, that his daughters were interested in joining the family business.
“I always supported their individual choices and was careful to let them find their own way. However, once they expressed interest in the family business, I realized that my dedication to the land could be carried on for generations to come. It is everything I hoped for the land, the community, and my family,” Kurt Alstede said.
To learn more about the Alstede Family and Team, click here.
