Brenda Bosworth, RDH, BS

In July of 2006, Brenda Bosworth, RDH, BS, was picking blueberries at her favorite blueberry farm when she noticed a “For Sale” sign on the property.

“My husband had been mentioning he wanted to retire from his job of 25 years in another 5 years. Realistically, we realized he could not retire at the age of 55 without another income to supplement my hygiene wages. Since we both love to be outdoors and had always been into gardening, we decided to be adventurous and give blueberry farming a chance.”

One aspect of blueberry farming that appealed to the Bosworths was the fact that it was a seasonal job, allowing Bosworth to both continue her dental hygiene practice before retiring and to travel to warmer climates in the winter months. The previous owners had decided to subdivide their property, selling 54 acres and 13,000 blueberry bushes to the Bosworths, and in March of 2007, Bozberry Farms was established.

Bosworth also works as a team leader for a nonprofit organization called Mobile Dentists. According to their mission statement on www.mobiledentists.com, “Mobile Dentists and its Smile Programs are innovative, on-site, school-based, dental outreach providers. Their mission is to bring state-of-the-art preventive dental care to those students in need in the most comfortable and effective way possible.”

Bosworth has a dental van with equipment, and she and a team of dentists and other hygienists cover much of northwestern Pennsylvania, providing care to low-income communities.

“I started with Mobile Dentists in March of 2007, the same month that we purchased the blueberry farm,” said Bosworth. “In my view, it was fate that the two opportunities presented in the same month. It was perfect for me because with Mobile Dentist I have my summers off, and that leaves me with the time I need to work the blueberry farm.”

In April 2008, Bosworth and her husband acquired a business with friends of theirs, the Eldred Tasty Snax (ice cream/food hut). The Eldred Tasty Snax is also seasonal, running from April to September, and they employ about 7-10 people.

“Now that the school season has come to a close and I have more free time, I am spending a great deal of time working at the Tasty Snax, but once the blueberry season starts in mid-July, I will focus my attention on the blueberry fields and basically spend seven days a week in the fields for a six-week period,” said Bosworth. “Come the first of September when the fields close, I will go back to Tasty Snax and start the school year off again with Mobile Dentist, dividing my time between the two. Come October, I will once again focus my time with Mobile. It can be overwhelming at times, but it is manageable, and since we have such great people to work with, it is very doable.”

This edition of Accessing Life was prepared by Meghan Washington