Leader: Diversifying Your Operation

s

Farm Credit

leader Lending support to rural AmericaÂŽ

Diversifying Your Operation

check out our new Talkin’ shop section inside!

volume 19 | issue 3 | $3.95

s In This Issue MidAtlantic Farm Credit, ACA

FARM AND LAND

J. Robert Frazee, CEO MidAtlantic Farm Credit Board of Directors M. Wayne Lambertson Chairman Paul Baumgardner Vice Chairman

4 Snyder Family Diversifies The Snyder family operates three

successful businesses from their home base in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania.

6 Expanding the Family Business The Richardson family of White Marsh, Maryland has been expanding their operation over the years to include everything from produce to poultry.

Deborah A. Benner Brian L. Boyd Gary L. Grossnickle Dale R. Hershey Walter C. Hopkins T. Jeffery Jennings Christopher J. Kurtzman Fred R. Moore Dale J. Ockels Jennifer L. Rhodes Ralph L. Robertson, Jr. Paul J. Rock Douglas D. Scott Joseph D. Snapp Fred N. West

facebook.com/midatlanticfarmcredit @midatfarmcredit mafc.com/blog

8 Taking Many Roads to Success 10 Cabin Multiple Irons in the Fire Vincent Farms, located in Sussex County, rentals, snow removal and a Delaware, sticks to what they know to diversify their business and meet customer needs.

construction business are just a few of the ways the Lucas family from Stanley, Virginia keeps busy all year.

MidAtlantic Farm Credit MidAtlanticFarmCredit

OUR ASSOCIATION

12 Talkin’ Shop 12 Blue Ribbon Tastes COMMUNITY

13 Properties for Sale

questions or ideas If you have any questions or ideas for the editorial staff of the Leader, contact Jenny Kreisher at 888.339.3334, e-mail her at jkreisher@mafc.com or write her at MidAtlantic Farm Credit | 700 Corporate Center Court | Suite L | Westminster, MD 21157.

This publication is for you, our reader. We’d love to hear from you!

The Leader is published quarterly for stockholders, friends and business associates. If you wish to no longer receive this publication, please email: unsubscribe@mafc.com. Use “Unsubscribe Leader” in the subject.

The Farm Credit Administration does not require the association to distribute its quarterly financial reports to shareholders. However, copies of its complete report are available upon request or see quarterly updates online at mafc.com. The shareholders’ investment in the association is materially affected by the financial condition and results of operations of AgFirst Farm Credit Bank and copies of its quarterly financial report are available upon request by writing: Susanne Caughman | AgFirst Farm Credit Bank | P.O. Box 1499 | Columbia, SC 29202-1499 Address changes, questions or requests for the association’s quarterly financial report should be directed to: MidAtlantic Farm Credit, ACA by calling 800.333.7950 or writing: MidAtlantic Farm Credit | 45 Aileron Court | Westminster, MD 21157

2

| volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com

s president’s message

Expanding your markets!

s events | deadlines SEP event place 8-10 Maryland Association of Realtors Tradeshow Ocean City, MD 12-20 The Great Frederick Fair Frederick, MD 15 Apple and peach premiums due 19 MidAtlantic Farm Credit

Farm-to-Table Dinner Winchester, VA 20 Main Street Ag Winchester, VA 21 MARC Family Farm Day Cockeysville, MD 20-Oct 5 Howard County Farm-City Celebration Howard County, MD 26 Air Force Base Race Weekend Social Dover, DE 30 Sales closing for wheat and barley OCT event place 14 Frederick County Association

of Realtors Tradeshow Frederick, MD 18 Shenandoah County

Autumnfest Woodstock, VA NOV event 8-9 Maryland Alpaca Breeders

Association Show Westminster, MD 20 Sales closing for apples and peaches 28-29 Thanksgiving MAFC Offices Closed For a full list of events, please visit mafc.com

I have always been impressed by the sheer variety of skills necessary to run a farm: farm owners need to be agronomists, nutritionists, soil experts, human resource managers, financial planners, marketers, mechanics—the list goes on and on!

That list continues to grow as more operations diversify into completely new areas—farm owners are now managing bed and breakfasts, offering corn mazes, running petting zoos, even planning weddings! Diversification is a great risk management tool—it can expand your markets, provide extra income, and create new business so that additional family members can join the operation.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading about four local families who have diversified their farms. Like the Lucas family in Stanley, Virginia—their operation now includes a landscaping business, snow removal, a cow-calf operation, a broiler operation, a poultry litter clean-out business, a home construction business, and a growing village of rental houses and cabins! Their story is one of a business that has grown along with a growing family.

Of course, you don’t need to diversify that much to encounter new markets and opportunities. Leon and Wendy Snyder of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, run a swine operation, a poultry operation, and a concrete construction business that frequently contracts with conservation districts. And Ray and Clay Vincent have diversified their grandfather’s Delaware farm into a fruit and vegetable operation, a grain operation, commercial heifers, and a seedling operation, as well as running a plastic distributorship and selling irrigation equipment.

Finally, you’ll read about Richardson Farm’s Market in White Marsh, Maryland, which sells vegetables, flowers, local meats and dairy products, as well as made-to-go foods and specialty sandwiches. They are a great example of how offering the right products can mean success, regardless of your location.

Speaking of all of the skills required to be a farmer today, it seems as if having political skills and connections is one that’s more and more important. We try to be good advocates here at Farm Credit, hosting multiple events throughout the year to remind Washington that farming is critical to a healthy country. We’ve highlighted one of those events on page 12, our annual Tastes From Farm Credit.

We partner with our neighboring Farm Credit associations to host this very popular local food buffet, attracting hundreds of legislative staffers and a number of members of Congress. We pair the event with legislative visits, where our board members visit their local representatives to talk about agriculture, and the important role that Farm Credit plays in keeping our country growing. Quite literally!

I hope that everything on your farm is growing well, and that you have a bountiful and safe harvest season. Thank you, as always, for working with Farm Credit.

volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com | 3

FARM AND LAND

s

s

Leon and Wendy Snyder enjoy time with their daughters (from left) Rebecca, Kaitlyn and Samantha. The girls have learned a lot about Farm and Land the industry through helping in the egg room.

Industry pressure and increased knowledge about animal behavior has led to the development of modern hog housing such as this 5,600 sow facility that includes an open-pen gestation system. (photo provided by Leon Snyder)

Diversification provides multiple opportunities story and photos by Sally Scholle

| When Leon Snyder was growing up on a dairy farm, he remembers his father saying that

May 15 was the goal for having corn in the ground. Snyder says that every year, farmers push to get crops in sooner, and what was considered ‘average’ in the past is no longer standard.

‘Standard’ probably doesn’t apply to most of modern agriculture, an industry in which all entities are constantly evolving to meet the needs of both their families and the consumers they serve.

“We never started planting in April in the past,” says Leon, “but new technology allows us to plant earlier and earlier each year. There are more people in towns, cities and developments, and fewer farmers to handle food needs. The number of farmers is going down, and the demand for food is going up.”

Although Leon grows about 70 acres of corn and soybeans, crops aren’t the main enterprise on this diversified operation.

With a combination of experience, technology and a plan for the future, Leon and his wife, Wendy, are successfully operating

4

| volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com

three enterprises from their home base in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania.

“In 1992, we built a 1,200 sow barn, and expanded it in 1997,” says Leon, as he described one of his earliest projects with Farm Credit. “There’s been pressure in the industry to move toward open-pen gestation, so to meet that demand, we decommissioned all of the old buildings and put in a new building with open-pen gestation.

We started that project two years ago and just finished it.” Leon notes that there are always challenges when major changes are made to an existing system, whether it’s in training people or working with the animals, but he reports that the 5,600 sow

facility is running smoothly. He expects that sow barns of the future will include additional enhancements to meet ever-changing industry demands.

The swine operation, known as New Hope Farms, is operated under a lease contract with Country View Family Farms.

A secure, gated entrance and a disinfectant shed help maintain the biosecurity that’s critical to a healthy herd.

“The feed guys have to get out of their trucks so they can put augers to the bins,” says Leon. “But they don’t get out without having foot protection, and each truck has disinfectant spray in the cab as an additional measure.”

He notes that a lot of thought goes into the

s Leon Snyder, center, explains to Farm Credit loan officer Dave Stutzman how eggs are processed. A solar system on the roof provides 100 percent of the energy for the facility.

design of hog facilities, and that finishing barns prefer single-source pigs for optimum animal health. “They’re sizing sow barns, nursery barns and finishing barns so that all pigs can be pulled from one source,” he says.

“The investment is huge, and farmers have to protect that investment.”

The Snyders’ other livestock enterprise is Mt. Laurel Farms, which includes two modern open-floor layer houses. The houses are situated in a secluded area that helps maintain biosecurity and minimize odor.

“One of the reasons for the site selection is that the property is totally surrounded by trees, which help filter odor,” says Leon. “Even our neighbors directly downwind don’t complain about the smell.”

When the poultry buildings were in the planning stages in 2009, Leon allowed for an increased truss load so that he’d be able to add solar panels to the roof. In 2010, with the help of Farm Credit, a 200 kilowatt solar system was installed. Snyder also received state and federal funding for the system. Today, the system provides 100 percent of the

electrical needs for the operation.

Inside the climate-controlled building, a crew processes and packs 6,000 dozen eggs a day. The Snyders’ three children, Samantha, Rebecca, and Kaitlyn, take turns in the processing room on weekends and fill in when needed. On New Year’s Day, the Snyder family handles the entire poultry operation so that employees can have the day off.

As for added diversification in the future, Leon says that there is a growing demand in the natural poultry markets.

Housing for ‘naturally’ raised birds includes areas for roosting, scratching and nesting.

In addition to the farm enterprises, the family owns Snyder’s Construction, a concrete construction business in which Leon acts as a subcontractor. “We build foundations and do some work with NRCS on updating dairy farms with new manure pits and improving farmyards for stream protection,” he says. “They’re always looking for ways to bring older farms up to date. We do stream crossings, and for some of the barns, we’ve done manure storage and barnyards with curbing so

that none of the water runs into a creek.”

The remaining concrete work is in residential and commercial applications.

Leon points out that when he contracts with conservation districts, the requirement is that he performs 100 percent of the work, including barnyard fencing, gating and other aspects of a project. He says that coming from an agricultural background and having grown up in the area has been helpful when it comes to working with farmers on projects. “They know my background,” he says, “and they know the agricultural industries we’re involved with.”

Leon’s wife, Wendy, manages all of the paperwork for the three enterprises, including payroll, accounts receivable and accounts payable. In the past, the Snyders’ enterprises were maintained under individual names, but now the agricultural enterprises are set up as limited partnerships and Snyder’s construction is a partnership. “It’s a business move, “ says Leon. “It leaves options for passing the businesses to future generations.” l volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com | 5

FARM AND LAND

From petunias and peas to potpies, Richardson Farms has all the bases covered | Richardson Farms’ market in White Marsh, Maryland stands as a testament to the Field of Dreams dictate “If you build it, they will come.” On a Tuesday morning in early June, the store is already filled with shoppers seeking Richardson’s freshly picked collards, kale and other greens, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and products from a range of local producers.

Story and photos by Susan Walker

been Richardsons farming somewhere in the area since Maryland was settled. Les, his father William, and his five brothers and sisters—Wes, Don, John, Diane, and Marty—were all born and raised on the farm. His mother, Barbara, was born on a neighboring farm.

The family has always grown vegetables and, for years, was also well known for the eggs and poultry they raised, processed and sold. When regulations became more of a challenge, they left the poultry business and concentrated on vegetables, especially greens.

They sell about 1,000 boxes of their greens a day wholesale, nine months of the year. The Richardson family has sold their vegetables to the public for

Driving along heavily commercial Route 40, you would never guess you’re only a few minutes from Richardson Farms’ store and a large part of the family’s 300+ cultivated acres.

s 6

| volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com

generations, starting with a small store in the farmhouse, which they expanded first in 1994, then to the current market four years ago. Since the 1930s, they have also sold produce and fresh chicken and turkey from a stall in Baltimore city’s Northeast Market.

Each family member works in a different part of the operation. Twins Don and John are the primary farmers. Wes, Les’ twin brother, is responsible for the greenhouse and packing house. Diane runs the operation in Northeast Market.

Marty drives trucks. Les acts as the CEO of the overall operation. Don’s daughter, Mandy, is the grocery manager for the White Marsh market and John’s daughters, Emily and Nancy, work as cashiers.

Whether you’re looking for fresh rotisserie chicken for dinner or a homemade cake, you can find it at Richardson Farms.

s

There are dairy products from Prigel Family Creamery, Kilby Cream, and Keyes Creamery, ice cream from Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, meats from Roseda Beef and Gunpowder Bison & Trading Company, and much more. There’s also a line for the popular store-made to-go foods and specialty sandwiches that includes several local firefighters and police officers, business people who work in the White Marsh area, and parents with kids.

Les Richardson and his family built the market in 2010 as part of the ongoing diversification of their farm operation. Five generations of the family have worked on the White Marsh farm and a second farm the family owns in Glen Arm, Maryland and, according to Les, there have always

richardsonfarms.net facebook.com/RichardsonFarms5900 twitter.com/RichardsonFarms

chicken, house-made beef brisket, and potpies, from scratch. There is a comfortable patio where patrons can enjoy their food or they can take it home for a quick, delicious supper.

The market has become a destination for people who live and work in the surrounding area. Families bring their children on the weekends to enjoy a day out. As part of their marketing strategy, Richardson Farms hosts special events at the market, like an annual winter craft fair, with the proceeds going to charity, and breakfast with Santa or the Easter Bunny, to draw customers year round. They also attract customers through their Facebook page, their frequently updated website, an email club, and ads in local publications and on local and cable TV. Farm Credit loan officer Keith Wills notes, “Les does a great deal of research and understands the market, challenges,

and opportunities. Because he listens to his customers, he knows what they want and fulfills their needs, which makes Richardson Farms a very popular destination. He has built a unique operation that reaches from farm to table and allows him to operate successfully well beyond the traditional growing and farm market season. This not only benefits his family, but also his customers.”

Adds Les, “We had as many people coming to the market in February for the craft show as we do on a typical spring or summer weekend. The goal is to make the market a place that customers visit year-round. Every new aspect that we have added to our operation—the greenhouse, groceries, hot food, the deli, catering services—has helped our cash flow. The store is now on the verge of becoming non-seasonal, which is something a traditional farming operation could never be.” l

Wes Richardson runs the 7,000 square foot greenhouse attached to the store, as well as the family’s five other greenhouses where they grow annuals, perennials and vegetable plants.

Working at Richardson Farms is a family affair. John’s daughter, Emily, works at the market’s cashier counter.

Les Richardson (right) reviews the Richardson Farms summer menu with Farm Credit loan officer Keith Wills.

s

As another step towards diversifying the operation, the Richardsons added a greenhouse. “We built the greenhouse originally to grow plants for the field,” explains Les. “But our market customers started asking for flowers they could plant in their gardens, so we began growing and selling those as well.”

The Richardsons built the 10,000 square foot White Marsh market so they would no longer be so reliant on the wholesale side of the business, and that strategy has been a success. The market not only sells fresh vegetables and fruits, meats and groceries from area producers, it also includes a deli, bakery and kitchen that produces a wide range of what Les describes as “homemade comfort food”. Executive chef, Ben Simpkins, runs the kitchen. He and his staff of culinary school graduates make all the dishes they offer, from soups and salads to rotisserie

volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com | 7

s

s

FARM AND LAND

Vincent Farms: Many Roads to Success | Years ago, Jim Vincent worked the soil of his Sussex County, Delaware truck farm with a single-row cultivator and two mules. It is unlikely he could have imagined the growth of Vincent Farms from that modest beginning to the enterprise it is today. Jim’s grandsons, Ray and Clay, farm in the same area, but any similarity to granddad’s operation ends there.

story and photos by nancy l. smith

“We do more in a day than he did in a week,” says Clay. “We do more before lunch!” Ray corrects. Ray directs Vincent Farms’ fruit and vegetable operations that produce watermelons, sweet corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupes, and pumpkins for the fresh market and banana peppers and jalapeno peppers for processing. Clay oversees the grain side of the business including corn, soybeans, barley, and wheat.

Ray says, “We diversify our crop mix as much as we can, given timing considerations. We try to start as early as we possibly can. We diversify in the way we market. We deal with 30 different wholesale companies and 15 different brokers and

we sell directly to about a half dozen chain stores.” Brokers ship Vincent Farms produce as far away as Atlanta and Canada.

The brothers are committed to meeting customers’ demands. “I believe in listening to what the customer wants. We transitioned from seeded watermelon to seedless after a lot of guys had converted, but we still grew seeded. We switched when our customers wanted seedless,” says Ray. “It’s all about keeping the customer satisfied,” Clay sums up.

Ray studied agricultural economics at Clemson University and hoped to raise pigs. When he graduated, however, massive confinement operations dominated the industry and “there was

no market for pigs,” he says. To satisfy his livestock interest, he maintains about 200 head of cattle.

Expansion into livestock was not diversification for its own sake, but a reasoned decision. Ray was turning under sweet corn stalks every year. “I thought, look at all this feed we’re wasting,” he says, explaining how he now makes 300 acres of sweet corn silage a year. The cattle help maximize use of the farm’s resources.

Clay earned an MBA with the inaugural graduate business school class at Salisbury University. He created and maintains the farm’s computer network and is the brains behind the farm’s financial systems. He installed

A wagonFarm of seedlings andLand one of eight greenhouses provide and a backdrop to (from left): Clay Vincent, Tom Vincent, Jim McCabe and Ray Vincent.

Vincent Farms grows seedlings for its own operation and for other area farmers. Most of Vincent Farms’ produce is sold fresh to wholesalers, but some peppers are grown for processing by B & G Foods in Hurlock, Maryland.

s

s

8

| volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com

a wireless bridge that enables instant communication with the packing house.

Clay also maintains a flock of show sheep.

Tom Vincent, son of Jim and father of Clay and Ray, is a cabinetmaker who worked for E. S. Adkins & Co. for 26 years.

Now retired, he helps out on the farm as a self-described “guy Friday” and, at 80 years old, is still actively involved. “I am a ‘fill-in’ person,” he says modestly. Tom also operates a side business in construction of agricultural buildings.

Reflecting on his sons’ successes, he notes the importance of education. “My father had a seventh-grade education and he did very well in farming at that time.

You didn’t need to have the knowledge you do today. I don’t think you can have too much education.”

Geographic diversity helps the business, too. Eight or nine years ago, the brothers began growing and shipping 200 acres of watermelons out of South Carolina to satisfy demand in the mid-Atlantic region before local watermelons are ripe.

Recently, they began buying and shipping

watermelons out of Florida to get to market even earlier. “We ship from Winter Haven, Florida before we have a crop ready and then ship down there later in the season,” Ray says.

The farm grows all of its own plants in greenhouses, producing some 20,000 trays of seedlings for its own use. The brothers saw an opportunity to expand the operation. “Other farmers found seedless watermelon didn’t want to come up,” Ray says. Clay adds, “We are used to growing things. We bought mechanized equipment to seed the trays for ourselves, so we started to do custom seeding for other farmers who then grow the plants in their own greenhouses. We seed at least 40,000 to 50,000 trays a year, mostly seedless watermelon.”

The brothers used to do custom laying of plastic and drip irrigation tape for seedless watermelon growers in the region, but as seedless watermelon acreage increased, producers bought their own equipment. “We saw a market for plastic and drip tape and drip irrigation fittings,” recalls Ray. The

Vincents became distributors for a Canadian plastics company and two U.S. drip tape manufacturers, and now sell the irrigation supplies growers need.

They have sold irrigation supplies as far away as Iowa and Wisconsin and have even exported to Honduras.

The Vincents also build specialized equipment for their operation. Some 20 years ago, Ray built a machine to plant two rows of early sweet corn at a time under one sheet of plastic. “It still works perfectly! It’s the only piece of equipment I didn’t have to modify,” he says cheerfully.

Extreme diversification can overextend operators so little gets done and nothing is done well. Jim McCabe, Farm Credit loan officer, explains how the Vincent brothers make it work. “The thing that impresses me is, while they’re into multiple endeavors, they stick to what they know.

They only do things they are good at.

“They have been able to segment their roles in the operation. Each has tasks that fit them. They don’t get too far out of their comfort zone,” McCabe explains. l

Watermelons are only one of many fruits and vegetables grown by Vincent Farms on 2,700 acres with the help of 125 workers, 15 of whom are year-round employees.

Sweet corn was planted under plastic to make it to market early. It was seeded by an auto-steer tractor, yielding a higher number of plants per acre than conventional equipment.

s

s volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com | 9

FARM AND LAND

Lucas family finds success in keeping multiple irons in the fire

s

s

The Lucas family has developed a picture perfect homestead over the years.

Although they did not have a family farm, they have established quite an impressive farming operation on their own.

story and photos by Jennifer

(From left to right) Allen, Noah, Shannon, Sharon, Walter, and Nathan Lucas work together to make everything happen. It is truly a joint effort!

Showalter | For some, concentrating on one thing is the way to go, but the Lucas family of Stanley,

Virginia finds comfort in having their eggs spread amongst multiple baskets. With a landscaping business, a snow removal business, a cow-calf operation, a broiler operation, a poultry litter business, rental houses and cabins, and a home construction business, Walter and Sharon Lucas along with their son, Allen, and his wife, Shannon, certainly have a lot going on! The diversity of their businesses spreads their risks and provides a more secure income flow as different aspects fluctuate up and down.

Walter and Sharon both saw early on in life the rewards that come from hard work and they wanted to make sure their two sons had the same experience. While living on a five acre lot in Stanley, Walter and Sharon purchased bucket calves for the kids to feed before and after school.

Their oldest son, James, may not have stuck with agriculture, but he has a successful job in the pharmaceutical world working for Merck. Allen, on the other hand, knew from the get-go he wanted to be involved with the farming industry.

At the time, Walter was busy running Walter L. Lucas Landscaping Inc. in northern Virginia, and Sharon worked at Tasty Freeze and drove a school bus. In 1987, Walter and Shannon bought 40 acres that they cleaned up and grew their bottle calves on. Certain they liked farming, they 10

| volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com

sold the land in 1989 and purchased a bigger tract of 84 acres.

Eager to get things going, they started cleaning up the new farm and built their first broiler house in 1990 and their second in 1991. “We thought about one, but we went with two because we wanted the money to balance out so we could have an actual income. The poultry business has been good to us,” says Sharon. In 1993, Walter and Sharon built a home on the farm near the poultry houses to make tending to things easier. Son Allen graduated in 1994 and has been at home working with his family ever since.

His wife worked in the medical field for 13 years before coming home to help out on the farm. Their sons Noah, who is eight, and Nathan, who is 14, are right there in the midst of things, too, and are playing

a bigger part every year. “Everyone has a role. Nathan is really a lot of help now.

Noah doesn’t have as big of a role yet because of his age, but he will,” says Allen.

Shortly after putting the poultry houses up, Walter and Allen decided they could run a litter business in conjunction with what they were already doing. Today, Lucas Poultry Litter Service cleans out 62 poultry houses in Page County every six to seven weeks or every nine to 12 weeks, depending on if they are broiler or turkey houses. Allen tries to haul the litter straight out of the houses, but because of nutrient management plans most of the litter in the winter time is hauled back to their main farm and dumped in a litter storage facility. The litter is then hauled out to farms when time and weather permit. Allen typically dumps 75 percent of the litter for

www.lucascabin.com

s

s

s

While still in high school, Allen would often drive his family’s litter truck and get out early on work release to haul litter. He would make it back just in time for sports.

Allen takes pride in every log cabin he is involved with building and Sharon enjoys decorating and taking care of the cabins they rent. The family works hard to provide a pleasurable getaway for their guests.

With so many different things going on in their lives, the Lucas family likes coming together to care for their cattle.

his customers and spreads the other 25 percent. “We went through a phase when litter was good, then it went downhill to the point it was totally worthless because everyone wanted commercial fertilizer. For the last ten or so years it has been going uphill and business has been good,” says Sharon.

In addition to the poultry side of the farm, the Lucas family currently runs around 200 commercial cows. Their top 20 heifers are kept back each year for replacements, while the other heifers, along with the steer calves, are sold as feeders. Allen is working to split their herd to be half spring and half fall calving in an effort to spread their income and workload out that much more. With Nathan having a lot of interest in the cattle, the family hopes to get up to 300 head. In addition to the 170 acres they currently own, the Lucas family leases another 800 to 850 acres of hay and pasture ground. Typically, they bale around 1,500 round bales a year and sell the surplus. “We usually try to sell enough to pay for our expense of making all the hay,” says Allen.

To compensate for the seasonality of their litter business and their hydro

seeding sod-focused landscaping operation, the Lucas family adventured into the snow removal business a few years. They also have eight monthly rental houses and two vacation cabin rentals that overlook their farm. With Luray Caverns and the Skyline Drive being close by and the area being a top wedding site, the cabins draw people from all across the country.

The cabins were built by another family business, Lucas Homes, LLC. Allen aims to build at least two log cabins each year for others as another way to help keep income flowing.

With so many things going on, the Lucas family has a tight schedule and everyone has to pull together to make it happen. Walter mainly tends to the broiler houses, while Sharon stays busy keeping all the bookwork straight and managing their home and cabin rentals. Allen is on the road bright and early most days either heading to northern Virginia to take care of a landscaping job or is tied up with their litter business. Shannon does most of the mowing and will likely take over the bookwork in the future. Everyone pulls

together to help out with feeding cattle, and cleaning out their poultry houses. With the help of one full-time employee and two part-time employees, the Lucas family is able to get everything done and still find time to be active in their community, church, and sports.

Not having had a family farm to expand from, the Lucas family feels fortunate that Farm Credit believed in them to get started on their own. They had always dealt with a local bank until they built their first poultry house. “Farm Credit gave us our start in farming. They have been there when we wanted to expand and they are someone we can sit down and explain our complicated family business to. God has blessed our family with farming and the good people at Farm Credit who are making our dreams come true,” says Sharon.

With farming being so seasonal, diversification is what has allowed the Lucas family to pull through and be so successful. For some it may seem like they have too many irons in the fire, but they have found that one heats another and everything works together. l volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com | 11

OUR ASSOCIATION

Talkin’ Shop Social media isn’t just for posting vacation pictures or birthday messages. It’s also a great way to connect with other members of the ag industry from around the world! We asked some of our followers a few questions about farming and here is what they had to say: MidAtFarmCredit @MidAtFarmCredit

How do you prepare your operation for severe weather?

My husband shuts down the irrigation switches and manually starts our generator to make sure our poultry houses have power in case we lose current from the main line.

Jody Dulin Story of Barclay, MD

MidAtFarmCredit @MidAtFarmCredit

MidAtFarmCredit @MidAtFarmCredit

What advice would you give to a beginning farmer?

Believe in yourself and what you do, even if others don’t.

What is the funniest thing you have ever been asked about farming?

Do brown cows really give chocolate milk?

Michael Brannon of Martinsburg, WV

Stacy Krall of Jonestown, PA

Work hard and learn to improve on all that you can, but learn to accept that there are things that will happen that you will have no control over.

What do you do with all the feathers?

Dee Ann Mason

Matt Miller of Martinsburg, WV

Get to know your local Cooperative Extension office and go to all their workshops!

What do you use tractors for?

Emily White of Middletown, MD

Michele Dorsey Walfred of Lewes, DE

Blue Ribbon Tastes

MidAtlantic Farm Credit co-hosted the Blue Ribbon Tastes from Farm Credit in Washington, D.C. on June 10 and 11, 2014. MAFC partnered with AgChoice Farm Credit and Colonial Farm Credit to cater a lunch for House and Senate representatives to provide locally grown products from Farm Credit customers to show the diversity of farm operations served by the cooperatives.

The associations selected caterers Gourmet Central, located in Romney, 12

| volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com

West Virginia, and Fish Hawk Acres, located in Rock Cave, West Virginia, to design a custom menu for the event.

The menu included a variety of farm products from the region, many of which were grown or produced by Farm Credit borrowers.

“This event gives us the chance to showcase Farm Credit customers’ products and connect them directly with legislators who may not see how we impact agriculture on a daily basis,” says

Bob Frazee, CEO of MAFC. In addition to the luncheon, staff and board members from each association met with representatives from their regions over the course of both days.

The Tastes from Farm Credit event is held each year in Washington, D.C. For more information about this event, including detailed information on the customers who provided ingredients and recipes of the items served, please visit www.blueribbontastes.com/index.

Centreville, Maryland

Church Hill, Maryland

Awesome private location just outside of Centreville.

Large timber home sits back from road. Lower level of home recently remodeled, second floor has private entrance with two bedrooms. Huge 40’ X 72’ shop with electric, water, concrete floor, and 24’ x 24’ area for office, all on 5.6 acres. Great for hunting. $284,500.

35 acres just minutes from 301! Thirteen stall barn, three pastures with run-ins, 1/2 mile race track, and six acres of wooded trails. Property known locally to be great hunting, equipped with a fully stocked 1/2 acre pond! House fully renovated in 2003 including HVAC, roof, kitchen, drywall, and much more. $549,000.

Contact Chris Rosendale, Rosendale Realty, 410.758.0333.

Contact Gretchen Wichlinski, Rosendale Realty, 410.758.0333.

Denton, Maryland

Three+ acre home in a water accessible community offering five bedrooms with four and a half baths.

Guest quarters, sunroom, beautiful gardens and relaxing deck. $399,000.

Contact Traci Jordan, Exit Latham Realty, 410.310.8606.

Easton, Maryland 37+/- acres situated on the

Boyds, Maryland

East Wye River and Quarter Cove. Great hunting and farming opportunity or build your dream home. Two thousand feet of shoreline with eight +/- feet of water depth. $1,350,000.

Spectacular eight acre lot in Hunt Country of Montgomery County Ag Reserve.

Rolling lot with wooded perimeter. Miles of equestrian trails. Adjacent to the Breezy Loop trail. Beautiful sunsets. Additional land available for lease. On quiet, rural and rustic road. Close to MARC train station. Excellent schools. $395,000.

Contact Pat Smith, PBS, Inc. 301.530.9152.

Easton, Maryland

Contact R. James Latham, Exit Latham Realty, 410.822.2152.

2.9 acres on Dixon Creek. Jarboe Pointe is located between Easton and St. Michaels. This building site is awaiting your dream home and situated in an estate area. $550,000.

Easton, Maryland 37+/- acres situated on the Jarboe Pointe on Dixon Creek.

Six lots available from 2-5 acres. Waterfront or inland with lovely views of farm fields and situated in an estate area.

Starting at $175,000.

Contact Alicia Gannon, Exit Latham Realty, 410.200.6378.

Earleville, Maryland 22 acre income producing property! Great location for produce sales. Farmhouse with two rental units, U.S. Post Office Building leased thru 2022 with commercial use and 19.5 acres tillable. www.mrisHOMES.com/CC8317225. $324,000.

Contact Sharon Clarke, Sassafrass River Realty, Ltd., 410.778.0238 or 410.708.7854.

Elkton, Maryland

20.30 wooded acres of vacant land perfect for hunting or timber! $82,000.

Contact Donna Planck, Patterson Schwartz Real Estate, 302.545.2500.

Contact Jennifer Gardner, Champion Realty, Inc., 443.988.1355.

EQUAL HOUSING

Contact Greg Gannon, Exit Latham Realty, 410.829.5430.

Glyndon, Maryland

Greensboro, Maryland

Federalsburg, Maryland

This is a wonderful opportunity to own a 10.6 acre farm with seven stall center aisle barn. A modern ranch house and the original farm houses are on the property. You have an easy ride into Fair Hill. The price has been recently reduced. $429,900.

OPPORTUNITY

Properties for sale

COMMUNITY

An 1800’s federal style brick home rich in Baltimore history! Two+ acre stocked pond. Gourmet kitchen and hardwood floors throughout. Great views and privacy. Bank barn, stable, caretakers apartment, and riding ring. Extensive riding and walking trails. Green Spring Hunt Territory. Come enjoy the country life! $1,850,000.

Contact Denie Dulin, Berkshire Hathaway Homesale Realty, 410.804.7141.

Spacious home just outside of the town of Greensboro! Huge back yard with privacy fence. Two decks with more than enough space for entertaining.

Great room addition with tons of windows and extra space including a bar and hot tub. Brand new carpet.

Move-in ready! $235,000.

Contact Megan Rosendale, Rosendale, Realty, 410.758.0333.

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

Need financing for any of these properties?

Call your local Farm Credit office.

All of the properties listed on these pages are offered for sale by local, licensed Realtors and Auctioneers. MidAtlantic Farm Credit is REALTOR ®

not affiliated with these properties, nor are we responsible for content or typographical errors. Please call the Realtor or Auctioneer listed for more information.

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

volume 19 | Issue 3 | mafc.com | 13 EQUAL HOUSING

REALTOR

®

OPPORTUNITY

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

COMMUNITY Hagerstown, Maryland

REDUCED! Customized layout . Brick, three bedroom, two full bath home, 2,300+ living space. Two car garage plus studio/office building, family room, living room, dining room, large sunroom, eat-in kitchen, computer/ playroom. New roof, central vacuum, ceramic floors, picture windows, crown moulding/chair railing, and intercom.

Room to expand too! $269,900.

Contact Frank Getz, Coldwell Banker Innovations, 301.992.9652.

Henderson, Maryland

Beautiful 93 acre tract of farmland with no improvements. There are 79 acres tillable, balance in woodland. Not in ag easement program. Frontage on four roads. $499,000.

Contact Jeff Wright, Wright Real Estate, 410.829.0467.

Hurlock, Maryland

26 +/- rolling acres with substantial barn that could be converted into a second floor apartment with barn access beneath. Stream, woods and building site for a future home. Goose, deer and turkey hunting. $175,000.

Contact Greta Corkran, Exit Latham Realty, 410.822.2152.

Millington, Maryland Millington, Maryland

Hydes, Maryland

Unique property on 43.5 secluded acres.

Two ranch homes plus two apartments for family or office for home-based business, family compound or farm. Great for hunting. Backs to Gunpowder State Park for walking and riding trails. Horses possible. Additional development right for additional home site. 10 acres clear. $899,999.

Contact Ed Garono, RE/MAX American Dream, 410.688.3707.

Myersville, Maryland

Marydel, Maryland

Fantastic rural setting on three acres, waiting for you to build your dream home. Located just outside of Millington. Close to Rt. 301 midway between Wilmington, Delaware & Annapolis. $75,000.

98 acres Eastern Shore Farm with 2,000 sq. ft. “New England Salt-box style” home. Private setting with four bedrooms and two baths, hardwood floors, gas fireplace, spacious kitchen with island, screened-in slate-floored porch leading to a deck with hot-tub!

Good soil test for farming 61 acres tilled and 37 acres mostly wooded. $840,000.

Contact Yvonne Andres, Champion Realty, Inc., 410.778.3357 or 410.310.8347.

Rock Hall, Maryland

95.06 +/- acres with an abundance of wildlife. Home sited on one open acre.

Four bedroom, three bathroom Cape Cod with front wrap around porch, two car garage, full walk-out basement, large country kitchen with island, office with handmade cabinetry, utility room, pantry, and lots more. $675,000.

Contact Debbie Meikle, Champion Realty, Inc., 410.778.3357.

Rocky Ridge, Maryland

Amazing views of Upper Middletown Valley in Frederick County, Maryland from this 35 acre farm. Bank barn with electric, milk house, three-stall horse stable, wagon shed, concrete silage trench, and other small outbuildings.

Farmhouse has four bedrooms and one bath. $575,000.

Contact Ann Harne, Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc., 301.730.0695.

Sudlersville, Maryland

Contact Jeanne Kent, Ashley Premier Properties, 410.739.8664.

Preston, Maryland

Custom-built 3000 sq. ft. Colonial situated on 30 private, wooded acres.

Offering a split floorplan with three bedrooms and three baths, new hardwood flooring, huge bonus room, second floor recreational room, living room with woodstove and cathedral ceilings, formal dining room, and generous kitchen. Huge two+ car garage with electric. $449,000.

Contact Bryan Wieland, Benson and Mangold, 410.829.5913.

Well-maintained house in the Rock Hall area. One+ acre with fenced area for animals and two ponds. The main house has three bedrooms and three baths. There’s an older home attached to the main house that has unlimited possibilities. Just add the kitchen, plumbing is all there. Close to Chestertown amenities. $249,995.

Gorgeous four bedroom, three and a half bath colonial on over 32 acres.

Offers a gated in-ground swimming pool, board on board pasture fencing, auto waterers, two stall horse barn, cattle barn with loft and large overhang with roof and head locks. Fabulous hay field and beautiful views. Bring the animals! $749,900.

Beautiful lot just under two acres with a variety of mature foliage just outside of Church Hill. Various outbuildings and two separate rental opportunities complete with two bedroom, one bath each! Possibilities are endless. Convert back to private home or restore for a business.

Contact QAC for permits. $225,000.

Contact Tammy Rosendale, Rosendale Realty, 410.758.0333.

Contact Cindy Grimes, J&B Real Estate, Inc., 301.788.5354.

Contact Tom Boeshore, Rosendale Realty, 410.758.0333.

Still Pond, Maryland 185 acre, 138 cropland, 130.8 tilled, 7.4 CRP. Lovely farm overlooking Still Pond Creek and Mill Pond. Great waterfowl hunting farm with 40 acres of woods for deer hunting. Farm is protected with an ag easement. www.mrisHomes.com/KE8354667.

Contact Jack Fernwalt, River Realty, Ltd., 410.778.0238.

Sudlersville,37+/Maryland acres situa Hard to find ANNEXED property to the town of Sudlersville with the potential of 796 finished lots. Could not be more strategically placed. Currently farmed and hunted with annual income over $30,000. $1,850,000.

Contact Jack Ashley, Ashley Premier Properties, 410.310.0800.

Need financing for any of these properties? Call your local Farm Credit office.

14

| volume 19 | issue 2 | mafc.com

Taneytown, Maryland

Thurmont, Maryland

Vienna, Maryland

79 acres in Carroll County! Four bedroom dwelling in good condition, replacement windows, some updates; wood floors refinished, new paint, updated kitchen, and appliances. Bank barn. Great working farm in farmland preservation. Crops reserved. $555,000.

Lovely historic four-five bedroom stone Colonial overlooking your own large Koi pond with footbridge on the most picturesque 19 acres in Carroll County.

This stone home has a sunny spacious solarium, large country kitchen, patio, front porch and upper balcony.

Workshop, stable and gazebo. A must see! $420,000.

“Civility”. A serene 87 acre estate built 24 years ago and surrounded by Monocacy River. Lovely all brick home, carriage house, koi pond, Trex deck, five stall barn, pond, windmill, good soil.

Property well-maintained, continually updated and gently lived-in. $1,300,000.

Ten acre estate with beautiful water views across Fishing Bay. Three ensuite Cape style home with relaxing screened porch and front porch. Two fireplaces, gleaming wood floors and located close to community boat ramp and dock. $695,000.

Contact Larry Haines, Haines Realty, 410.876.1616.

Contact Karen Carroll, Haines Realty, 410.375.8898.

Contact Leslie Kinkead, Real Estate Teams, LLC., 240.674.0266.

Contact Walt Trice, Exit Latham Realty, 410.463.0500

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania

Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania

White Hall, Maryland

Worton, Maryland

Enchanting 65 acre farm boasting winsome views and a lovely turnkey abode appointed with quality custom millwork, details and finishes. Salt water pool, hot tub, chef’s kitchen, surround sound, wet bar, pool house, simply paradise. Amish constructed center aisle barn is a premier equine facility. $1,595,000.

Contact Arabella Brockett, Long and Foster, 443.824.7666.

Eastern Shore 81-acre waterfront farm.

Handsome tidewater Colonial home, circa 1850 with original fireplaces and detail is sited on pastoral landscape of 81 acres, including 59 tillable acres, barn and sheds. First floor guest suite with kitchen. Beautiful waterviews along the banks of Still Pond Creek. $1,350,000.

Contact Richard Budden, Realtor GRI, Coldwell Banker Chesapeake Real Estate Co., 443.480.1181.

Perkasie, Pennsylvania

Beautiful seven acre lot with a large barn and pasture area and a renovated three bedroom, two full bath rancher.

Property previously housed many horses. Barn still has some stalls. View blueschoolrd.com. $475,000.

Contact Cynthia Bishop, Keller Williams Real Estate, 215.340.5700, ext. 150.

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

86.18 acre working equestrian farm complete with 100 first class stalls, tack rooms, wash stalls, cafeteria. Large indoor and outdoor riding arenas, six bay equipment repair garage, equipment storage outbuildings, bank barn and two homes. This well-appointed farm is nestled close to some of the highest priced homes in Dauphin County & is only minutes from Penn National Race Course & Hollywood Casino. Paved roads to all buildings. $1,600,000.

Contact Michael Yingling, RE/MAX Delta Group, Inc., 717.652.8200.

35.3 acre industrial zoned ground with large updated farmhouse, 24’ x 30’ barn and a fully rented (good tenants) fourunit apartment building. Only industrial zoned ground in Fulton Township!

Many possibilities/uses available with additional rental income as well. Easy access to major roads such as Rt.95, Rt.30, etc. $2,500.000.

Contact Christ W. Taylor, BeilerCampbell Realtors, Farm & Land Division. 717.786.8000.

Cape Charles, Virginia

Fort Valley, Virginia

Luray, Virginia

Historic Estate. Charming 1800’s federal style home on 10 +/- acres. Traditional landscaping and new plantings.

Three bedrooms, four fireplaces, two and a half baths. Box garden, English courtyard garden and “secret” garden.

“Schoolhouse” with loft and outbuildings. 56’ x 32’ barn, paddock, electric fencing, and round ring. Lap pool, pool house. $799,995.

Impressive log home and horse farm on 41+ acres overlooking the Shenandoah Valley Mountains. The spacious home has 3,400 square feet with upgrades throughout. Barn and stalls with extras, and deeded access to the Original Old Dominion 100-Mile Horse Trail through the National Forest. $850,000.

“Windy Ridge”. Breathtaking views and upgrades! 3,700+ sq. ft. with full walkout basement, birch flooring, ceramic tile, high ceilings, guest wing (with two huge bedrooms and full bath), gigantic master with tray ceiling, walk-ins, granite, Corian, marble, covered front porch (40 ‘x 7’), rear patio (30’ x 12’), deck (17’ x 17’) with hot tub, and more. $585,000.

Contact Elizabeth Goffigon, Ralph W. Dodd & Associates, LLC., 757.678.5377.

Contact Robin Gochenour, Skyline Team Real Estate, 540.325.6837.

Contact Beth Waller, Weichert Realtors, 540.682.0282.

EQUAL HOUSING

Properties for sale

Taneytown, Maryland

OPPORTUNITY

Need financing for any of these properties?

Call your local Farm Credit office.

REALTOR All of the properties listed on these pages are offered for sale by local, licensed Realtors and Auctioneers. MidAtlantic Farm Credit is ®

EQUAL HOUSING

EQUAL HOUSING

not affiliated with these properties, nor are we responsible for content or typographical errors. Please call the Realtor or Auctioneer listed for more information.

OPPORTUNITY

OPPORTUNITY

volume 19 | issue 3 | mafc.com | 15 EQUAL HOUSING

REALTOR

®

OPPORTUNITY

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE BALTIMORE MD PERMIT NO. 7175

45 Aileron Court Westminster MD 21157

Stay connected to Farm Credit!

facebook.com/midatlanticfarmcredit

Our customers have their hands in everything these days—from farm markets and fairs to vineyards and dairy operations. With agriculture constantly evolving, we like to keep up by covering industry news and hot topics that are important to you. Stay in the know by signingup to receive our blog posts directly to your inbox. Visit mafc.com/blog today!

And don’t forget follow us on our other social networks!

@midatfarmcredit mafc.com/blog MidAtlantic Farm Credit MidAtlanticFarmCredit

Relax— We’ve got you covered.

Do you have so much to do, and not enough time?

No worries—we’ve got you covered! With our Autodraft program, your bills can be the furthest thing from your mind this season.

Autodraft is the easy way to automatically pay your Farm Credit loan by having it electronically deducted from your bank account—simple as that!

We know you have lots going on, but we can help you cross one more thing off your to-do list. To sign up for Autodraft, give your local Farm Credit office a call today or visit mafc.com.

Lending support to rural America®

888.339.3334 | mafc.com |