Alex Sheppard is the resident engineer, round balers, for Case New Holland Industrial, commonly referred to as CNH, headquartered in New Holland, PA. The 27-year-old is also the son of Tom Sheppard, president of Eastern Fresh Growers Inc., in Cedarville, NJ.

“My job description is that I directly help build round balers, such as hay balers that come in square and the large round ones that are commonly found lying in farming fields,” Sheppard explained.After finishing the Ironman Louisville triathlon, the Sheppard family poses for a photo. Alex Sheppard, third from left, wearing his medal, is flanked on the left by his sisters Kate and Maggie Sheppard, and to his right by his father, Tom Sheppard, mother, Patricia Hirst-Sheppard, and Maggie’s boyfriend, Darren Carr. “I graduated from North Carolina State University in 2009 with a Bachelors’ degree in mechanical engineering. I took a short time off and then started working at CNH in 2010.”

Sheppard said he has always had a strong interest in engineering, math and science, and he is intrigued with the development of new machinery and parts for machinery. Growing up in a family of farmers helped to lean him toward his work path.

His job at CNH, he said, is a stepping stone that will lead him back to work for his family business. His father and his uncle, Erwin Sheppard, owner of Sheppard Farms, suggested that he make a five-year plan to accomplish that goal.

“We agreed that once I gain some business experience and on-the-job knowledge, that I will go to work for their companies,” said Sheppard. “CNH is giving me an opportunity to work with farming machinery that will help our family businesses in the future. Dad and Uncle Erwin’s businesses are symbiotic and they are strong collaborators, and ultimately what I’m learning will help both.”

Sheppard is also a major sportsman. He enjoys playing baseball and soccer, but his attention has recently been on training for his first triathlon. He participated in the Ironman Louisville on Aug. 24.

Alex Sheppard training for the Aug. 24 Ironman Louisville with his two Labrador Retrievers.“This was my first triathlon,” he noted. “I set a goal about four years ago when I graduated from college to enter an Ironman, and trained exclusively for it for the past six months.”

Training for a major triathlon like the Ironman is no easy task. The event included a 20-mile run, 100-mile cycling and a 2.4-mile swim. About 2,500 competitors, men and women, from 30 countries and more than 30 states were represented in the event.

“My training included long bike rides, runs, brick runs, which are bike rides followed by runs and open water swims with our two Labrador Retrievers. But they weren’t particularly great training partners because they mostly just wanted to get into my face a lick me a lot,” he joked.

The Ironman Louisville is one of the most highly regarded triathlons in the world. Sheppard said it is extremely well organized with a lot of support along the way. People provide nourishment, water and health support throughout the event.

He also had the support of his entire family at the event. His mother, dad and two sisters traveled to Louisville to rally behind him throughout the event.

Sheppard initially thought he would get through the event, which was kicked off at 7 a.m., in about 13 hours.

“But it was surreal,” he said. “The temperature was about 95 degrees and it was extremely humid. People were dropping out left and right from heat exhaustion. Somewhere around 400 people were treated by medical teams, mostly from heat exhaustion. It took me 15 hours, but I finished, and that was the goal I set for myself.”

Taking first place in the triathlon was Chris McDonald, an Australian, who finished in eight hours and 40 minutes, but he collapsed right after crossing the finish line. It took four bags of intravenous fluid from paramedics before he was able to speak with reporters.

“I was just glad when I finished,” he said. “The heat and humidity were the worst part — more so than the physical exertion. I just wanted to keep my heart rate down so that I would have the stamina to complete the race.

“It’s not something I want to do again anytime soon, that’s for sure,” he continued. “It’s grueling and it takes a tremendous amount of training time. I don’t know when I’ll have that kind of time again in the near future. Still, the idea will linger in the back of my mind, so I may consider it again at some point in the future.”

For now, he’s back at work with his attention fully on his job and his future. He thinks that as a part of the young generation looking into the future of the produce industry the biggest changes will be in technology.

“We will see major changes in the next couple of decades that include new technology,” he said. “It will have huge effects on food-safety initiatives, farming, imports and exports, transportation and all other aspects.”

That, in turn, will increase efficiencies, which Sheppard said is necessary for everyone along the farming pipeline to remain in business.

“We’re running out of land,” he pointed out. “Labor is a major issue today. Margins are getting smaller. This all means that we’ll be driven to be as efficient as possible, and that includes new machinery that reduces our need for labor. Machines that can pick fresh vegetables, for example, are an enormous challenge because every commodity has its own unique handling need. I’m lined up to keep my nose to the grind on this aspect.”

He added that his father is putting pressure on him to develop a bell pepper harvester that won’t damage the product — which he said “is a very tricky task.” But he has ideas in the development phase and is determined to develop a successful machine.

“I also keep in mind that my dad and uncles took a huge step forward from how my grandfather farmed before them,” he said. “I hope to make a similar step in whatever way I can contribute. We’re a new generation of farmers who are typically more highly educated than our forefathers, and we have the backbone of knowledge from our diversified backgrounds. Now it’s up to us to bring new technology into the industry, which is not an option for a successful future.”

He also relates his success at finishing the Ironman triathlon to the support of his family.

“I could not have participated in this triathlon without the support of my entire family,” said Sheppard. “I greatly appreciate all they did to help and support me thorough it. The memory of them being there with me is what will stick in my mind in the future.”