Embracing Change

Leader
Farm Credit
Financing Rural America for More Than 90 Years
CHANGING
YOUR OPERATION
STOCKHOLDER MEETING
OVERVIEW
S
LT
SU
RE 9
ON 1
TI GE
EC PA
EL
Embracing Change
volume 14 | issue 2 | $3.95
EASE THE STRESS
OF CHANGE
in this issue
Leader
farm | land
volume 14 | issue 2
4 Schmidt Farms Profits
MidAtlantic Farm Credit, ACA
from Changes
6 Crumland Farms is
J. Robert Frazee, CEO
4
Reinvented after more than
60 Years of Dairy Farming
Fred R. Moore, Jr.
Chairman
8 One Change-up that has
Gary L. Grossnickle
Vice Chairman
Turned into a Home Run:
From Baseball to Birds
10 ‘Change’ is in Gary
Bushong’s Vocabulary
home | garden
6
12 Easing the Stress of Change
14 The Inflexible Gardener
15 Your Loan Information—
A Click Away!
your association
16 2009 Scholarship Winners
18 Annual Stockholder
Paul D. Baumgardner
Kenneth R. Biederman
Deborah A. Benner
Gary W. Bushong
Dale R. Hershey
Walter C. Hopkins
T. Jeffery Jennings
Harry M. Kable
M. Wayne Lambertson
Jim A. Long
Kenneth S. Meck
Dale J. Ockels
Jennifer L. Rhodes
Dudley H. Rinker
Ralph L. Robertson, Jr.
Paul J. Rock
Lingan T. Spicer
Robert N. Stabler
Christopher R. Stiles
Rodger L. Wagner
Fred N. West
8
Questions or Ideas
If you have any questions or ideas for the
editorial staff of the Leader, contact Donna
Dawson at 800.333.7950, e-mail her at
[email protected] or write her at MidAtlantic
Farm Credit, 680 Robert Fulton Highway,
Quarryville, PA 17566. This publication is for
you, our reader. We’d love to hear from you!
Meeting Wrap-up
19 2009 Election Results
20 Enter our Photo Contest
20 Out and About
20 Book Contest Winners
MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Board of Directors
The Leader is published quarterly
for stockholders, friends and
business associates.
10
community
21 Properties for Sale
2
16
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:
Jay Wise, 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
P.O. Box 770, Westminster, MD 21158-0770
message from the president events | deadlines
JUN event
place
14 Greystone Farm
Horse Show
Brookeville MD
16-20 Kempton Country Fair
But I know that well-planned, strategic
changes can make a good business
even better.
In this issue, you’ll find plenty of
inspirational stories about local farmers
who have bravely made major changes
to their operations. On page 4, you can
read about Schmidt Farms on the Eastern
Shore. In the last 20 years, they’ve transitioned from hogs and beef cattle, to
grain production, then to hay and valueadded crops. They haven’t just accepted
changes in their marketplace—they’ve
embraced them!
You’ll also read about two ex-dairy
farmers—one farm sold their cows in
2000 and opened a now-thriving agritourism venture; one sold in 2007 and
is enjoying a slower pace while raising
feeder steers and corn, barley, soybeans
and hay.
Finally, on page 8, you can read about
Gene Garber and his son Mike, who operates a successful emu farm in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania. I remember Gene
from his days on the baseball field, and
it’s interesting to see the many changes
that he’s seen in his career. I’m sure his
son will continue the family tradition of
embracing the well-timed “change up.”
Speaking of timing, I had a great time
seeing so many of you at our annual
stockholder meetings. If you couldn’t join
us, you can see a complete wrap-up on
pages 18-19. As you know, we’ve seen
a lot of changes in the past 12 months—
from the collapse of the financial markets
in September to wildly volatile commodity prices, to our own exciting merger
with Valley Farm Credit in December.
I spoke about all of these events at the
meeting; if you’d like to hear my presentation, you can check it out at mafc.com,
or search for MidAtlantic Farm Credit on
facebook.com (I’ve posted the full text of
my presentation there, and you can see
updates from each of the meetings).
To be honest, a lot of this technology is still new to me, but I’ve learned to
be excited about the future, and all the
changes that it brings. After all, change is
the one thing in life that’s constant—it’s
in our best interest to embrace it!
JUL event
place
1 Deadline: Fall crop premiums due
3 Independence Day observed
MAFC offices closed
15 Deadline: Acreage Report
0-25 Kimberton
2
Community Fair
Kimberton PA
21-25 Plainfield Farmers Fair Stockerton PA
25- Lebanon
ug 1 Area Fair
A
Lebanon PA
25-31 Carroll County Fair
26- Schuylkill
ug 1 County Fair
A
Westminster MD
Summit Station PA
27- Goshen
Aug 1 Country Fair
West Chester PA
28-30 PANTS
Oaks PA
31 Deadline: End of insurance
period for small grains
AUG event
place
3-8 Reading Fair
Reading PA
8-15 Howard
County Fair
West Friendship MD
7-9 Dauphin 4-H Fair
26 Delmarva
Poultry Conference
Bob Frazee
President, MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Harrisburg PA
Ocean City MD
For a complete list of fairs and events,
visit our website at mafc.com.
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
I’m not always comfortable with change.
Kempton PA
3
1
Alan (left),
Hans and Jennie
Schmidt, of Schmidt
Farms Inc., have 20
acres of vineyard on
their Queen Anne’s
County farm, making
it the largest commercial vineyard on
the Eastern Shore.
Both couples recently
launched an LLC to
provide management
and custom vineyard
services such as
planting, spraying,
pruning and harvesting to commercial
grape growers on
Maryland’s upper
Eastern Shore.
1
SCHMIDT FARMS PROFITS FROM CHANGES
story and photo 1 by GARY HORNBACHER, photos 2-4 courtesy of the SCHMIDT FAMILY
In an industry where, it seems, change is the one
constant, the Schmidt family in Maryland’s Queen
Anne’s County is recognized statewide for its success
in responding to—and, yes, anticipating and managing—changes impacting the agricultural landscape
and their livelihood.
So much so that last year the third-generation farming family was one of only two Maryland farm families
inducted into the Governor’s Agricultural Hall of Fame.
It’s a well deserved honor, says Sharon Redding, a
MidAtlantic Farm Credit loan officer working out the
Chestertown office, citing the family’s longstanding
innovative, progressive approach to agriculture and
keenly honed planning and business skills that have
kept the large family farming operation on the cutting
edge of change.
“It’s exciting to be working with them,” says Sharon.
“Especially when it’s a new venture for us too.”
That new venture Sharon is referring to is Schmidt
Vineyard Management LLC, started earlier this year
to offer management expertise and custom vineyard
work such as planting, harvesting, spraying, pruning
and hedging.
4
By way of background, the LLC is part of Schmidt
Farms, an 1,800-acre family farming operation, located
near Sudlersville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, which
is owned and operated by Hans and Alan Schmidt.
The two brothers, together with their wives, Jennie and
Brenda, respectively, are also principals in the LLC.
“We purchased the farm from our Dad, Walter
Schmidt, about 10 years ago,” says Hans. “He’s retired
now but still very active in our farm grain operation.”
value-added approach
The new LLC is a natural extension of the Schmidt
family’s proactive approach to farming, as exemplified by their now six-year-old venture into growing
wine grapes.
It’s all part of a carefully thought out Schmidt
Farms focus aimed at maximizing the profitability of
existing acreage through agricultural diversification
and value-added crops. Current crops include corn,
soybeans, wheat, barley, string beans, tomatoes, hay
and, since 2003, wine grapes.
That’s a far cry from the hogs and beef cattle the
family raised until the 1990s, when they shifted to grain
production, purchased an adjoining farm, added irrigation and began transitioning to their present farming
emphasis by doing contract vegetable growing.
“We’re always looking ahead and we could see the
handwriting on the wall,” says Hans, referring to the
developing environmental movement and profitability
issues in the livestock market. “So we decided to get
out and move toward hay and vegetables.”
Their goal, adds Alan, was building a farm operation big enough to support two families.
Their strategy: avoid getting into bidding
wars over additional acreage needed to expand
2/3
The
Schmidt’s
1,800-acre farm
family operation
is very diversified,
including corn,
beans, wheat, barley,
hay, string beans,
soy beans and, since
2003, wine grapes.
Walter (shown below
with Hans) is retired
but remains very
involved in the
grain operation.
Everybody, says
Jennie, who
functions as vineyard
manager, has their
own specialized role.
4
Three
generations
of the Schmidt
family include (back
row) Walter and
Nancy, Alan (far left)
and his wife Brenda,
and (far right) Hans
and Jennie, and, in
front of each couple,
their children, Jacob
and Tyler, and Katrina
and Zachary.
Give them high marks for their
success.
wine grapes open new doors
Moving into wine grapes has proven a great
fit for the family farming operation but it also
brought some unique challenges.
“It’s not like any other agriculture we have
done,” says Jennie, who is vineyard manager
for the family’s Golden Run Vineyard, a name,
incidentally, which draws from the 1920s when the
original farm was a dairy and creamery.
Those challenges included entering a highly labor intensive
agricultural venture, getting through those first couple of years
when plants are in their infancy, and, adds Jennie, “doing it all
the 4-H way—learning by doing.”
“We started looking into viticulture in the late 90s,” says
Jennie, who is currently serving her second term as president
of the Maryland Grape Growers Association. “We saw there
was a market for grapes but it took several years to determine
whether it would be feasible, whether it would pay for itself,
and whether we could do it.”
2
In 2003, buoyed by the number of new wineries being started
in Maryland and a demand for Maryland grown grapes that is
increasingly outpacing what Maryland vineyards produce, the
family converted three acres into a pilot parcel for grapevines.
Six years and a lot of hard-won lessons later, the family now
has about 14,000 vines planted on 20 acres, making it the largest commercial vineyard on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and one
of the largest in Maryland.
changing agricultural landscape
Against the backdrop of their beautiful, well maintained vineyards
and discussions on how to not only grow their grapes but also their
business, the Schmidts assess their future and see opportunity.
“Even though we have only been doing this since 2003,” says
Jennie, “we have the background knowledge in agriculture, specifically a lot of knowledge about spraying and managing disease;
equipment; skill sets gained in our own vineyard; and we have the
labor—a well trained crew of four who work for us year-round.”
All of which, not so incidentally, are often in short supply in
the still developing commercial vineyard industry where many
vineyard owners do not have an agricultural background or
lack time to meet labor-intensive demands of growing grapes.
“After visiting a number of vineyards,” says Jennie, “we realized there are folks out there who have a need for somebody
to help with certain aspects of vineyard management and do
task-specific jobs that will help them keep their vineyard under
control and ensure good fruit quality.”
Call it a win-win situation for all. For Schmidt Vineyard
Management LLC, which targets growers in Maryland’s Cecil,
Kent and Queen Anne’s counties, Hans says the expansion not
only creates a new profit center but it also enhances the family’s
own vineyard operations, enabling them to retain highly trained
employees and to leverage purchases of expensive, specialty
equipment through Farm Credit.
“We already have the trucks to transport grapes to the wineries,” says Alan, “a tractor for vineyard spraying and we are in the
process of getting a hedger-deleafer that will make the tasks of
hedging and leaf removal more efficient. Hedging takes about 25
man-hours per acre when done by hand whereas an acre can be
done mechanically in an hour and a half.”
Hans attributes the Schmidt family’s success in finding the
beneficial side of change and profiting from it to always looking
ahead and staying well informed.
n
4
3
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
3
“Today,” says Hans, “when you
look at our different crops, for
the most part we are looking at
value-added premiums. We are
growing identity-preserved grains
like soybeans, wheat and popcorn for the
Chesapeake Fields Farmers Cooperative;
beans and barley for seed companies; hay for
a race-horse focused market; green beans and
tomatoes that are value-added; and we got into
grapes because we saw a new market there.”
“In our family,” adds Alan, “we all bring ideas to the table
and discuss them. If everybody doesn’t buy into it, it is not likely
to be successful.”
farm | land
commercial grain
production and finding
alternative ways to return
higher profits on existing acreage.
5
1
In addition to the
two llamas sharing
their affection with
Judy Crum, the farm is
also home to several
llama offspring, two
shaggy Highland cattle,
a very vocal turkey and
several other types of
fowl and high-wirewalking goats. “Most
people don’t think of
llamas as very friendly
creatures, but ours
come running to greet
you and, of course,
hoping to get a treat,”
says Judy.
2
1
THE SECOND ACT:
CRUMLAND FARMS IS REINVENTED AFTER
MORE THAN 60 YEARS OF DAIRY FARMING
story and photos by SUSAN WALKER
The novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote,
“There are no second acts in American lives.” Clearly,
Fitzgerald never met Denny and Judy Crum, owners of
Crumland Farms in Frederick, Maryland.
The family history of their farm dates back to 1940,
when Denny’s parents purchased the farm in what was
then the rural community of Frederick in west-central
Maryland near the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains.
On 110 acres, John and Lib Crum started out milking 16
cows by hand each day, introducing milking machines
after Denny’s birth five years later. As their operation
grew, they eventually joined, with other local farmers,
to form Capital Milk Producers Coop, which eventually
grew to 150 producers who owned the High’s Dairy
Stores selling their own milk. It was sold to Southland
Corporation in the 1980s.
Denny and Judy, who was born and raised in Iowa,
met at Iowa State University and though he had not
planned to return to his family’s farm, when the opportunity arose that’s precisely what Denny did in 1968.
“We graduated, got married and then started working
on the farm about four days later,” remembers Judy.
Over the years, the farm grew to 800 acres and a
herd of more than 600 dairy cows. In 2000, however,
6
there were decisions to be made. Frederick was no
longer primarily rural farming country, but an increasingly population-dense suburb of Washington, DC with
a new upscale continuing care retirement community
being built next to the farm. The Crums’ three sons did
not share their parents’ passion for dairying and the
facilities and equipment used in the farm’s operation
were 30 years old.
“We needed to upgrade or get out of the dairy business,” Judy explains. “It was a difficult decision, but we
sold the cows in June 2000. It felt strange to be here and
not farm. We were at loose ends in the beginning, used
to being on call 24 hours a day to care for the cows. We
started to think about what our next move should be,
doing a lot of reading and research to see what other
people who had made this transition had done.”
One part of the plan was to continue farming, raising corn, soybeans and wheat. Their main cash crops
are hay for livestock feed and straw, which they sell
to construction companies around the state. They had
also read about “agri-tainment” farms while doing their
research and the idea piqued their interest since their
farm is located on a major highway with about 30,000
cars passing by daily.
Denny (left) and
Judy Crum have
worked with John
Stump (right), their
MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Loan Manager for more
than a decade. They
consulted with John
about the financial
aspects of making the
switch from dairying
to agri-tainment as
part of their decisionmaking process. “It’s
important to ensure
that your debt is at
a level that can be
serviced by any new
enterprise to get your
new business off on a
sound financial footing,” John notes.
3
Crumland Farms’
extensive play
area offers children
and their parents a
chance to use old farm
equipment in a fun and
unique way. Most of
the play structures are
built of recycled farm
equipment and other
items that would have
been thrown away. The
thresher in the center
of this creation was
donated by a local farm
equipment dealer.
4
Most of the buildings at Denny and
Judy Crum’s farm are
adorned with brightly
colored murals painted
by a young family
friend, Emily Chesly.
In addition to this
pumpkin and gourdthemed mural, there is
a silo painted to look
like an ear of corn, and
a portrait of the farm’s
mascot, Maizy the cow.
farm | land
2
“Dairy farming is capital intensive and at this point, exiting out
of the dairy business made good business sense for the Crums,”
explains John Stump, the MidAtlantic Farm Credit commercial loan
manager who has worked with the Crums since 1994. “Making
a switch to agri-tainment was one way they could continue to
produce income with their farm and diversify their business.”
Once the dairy animals were gone, 33-year-old son Chris
showed an interest in returning to the farm, especially in the
agri-tainment end of it. He left his career in TV production at
a Washington DC station to work with his parents and he and
his family now live nearby. Chris, along with Denny and Judy,
found the North American Direct Farm Marketing Association
to be a great source of information and creative ideas as they
considered the transition and it’s a resource they continue to
rely on eight years into their new business. In addition to the
research they did to learn more about the business potential
of the options they were considering, they also consulted with
their accountant to determine what financial issues they would
encounter switching from dairy farming to agri-tainment.
Today, Crumland Farms is a popular destination for families and school groups and it’s much more than a corn maze.
The Crums have built a large, farm-themed picnic and play
area with a “moo-choo train” made of old soap barrels, a grain
elevator converted into a slide, a corn cannon, a variety of farm
animals and some very friendly llamas. The farm employs two
full-time employees and adds about 12 high school students to
the employee roster during corn maze season.
Their latest addition is a pizza garden, where they showcase
all the vegetables, grains and the calf that are needed to
make the ingredients of kids’ favorite Italian food. The
garden expands their working season, providing
school groups with an interactive educational exhibit they can visit before the
pumpkins ripen and the corn maze is
designed and sculpted.
“It’s very interesting and fun to
educate people about farming and
4
where their food comes from,” says Judy, who puts her background in both farming and education to work sharing information with school groups and other visitors. “It’s also a chance
to give the public an appreciation of farming and teach them
about the costs and issues that surround it. I tell the kids that
each tractor tire costs upwards of $600, for example, and imagine how much it would cost to replace all four tires. I can tell by
the look on many of the parents’ faces that they never realized
how expensive running a farm can be.”
“life after cows”
Although it felt a bit strange at first to have hundreds of people
on their farm each weekend, the Crums have found a lot to love
about Crumland Farms’ second act.
“There is life after cows!” says Judy with a laugh. “We like
that there is an end to the work day, unlike the 24/7 life of a
dairy farmer. And we have learned to travel, something we
never did before.”
Denny and Judy joined a nationwide farm group that travels
the U.S. and the world visiting not only the usual tourist spots, but
also local farms where they have the chance to see the differences
between farming operations around the globe. Their first trip took
them to Switzerland just three weeks after they sold their herd.
They’ve also been to Oregon, Washington state, New Zealand,
Australia, England, Scotland, Costa Rica, and Scandinavia.
While the agri-tainment operation provides a good source of
additional income for the Crums, that’s not the only thing that
makes the work worthwhile. “It keeps us involved with farming and it’s fun,” says Judy. “That’s what makes it worthwhile.
It’s nice to see the people who come back year after year
because they’ve enjoyed their experiences on our farm
and it’s become part of their
family traditions.”
For information
about the events
at Crumland
Farms visit
crumland.com. n
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
from cows to corn mazes
3
7
1
Mike and Erica
Garber stand
with a few of the
farm’s emus. Erica is
holding a week old
chick while juveniles
look on curiously in
the background. An
emu will grow to full
size within two years,
weigh as much as 150
pounds and stand five
to six feet tall.
2
1
ONE CHANGE-UP THAT HAS TURNED INTO
A HOME RUN: FROM BASEBALL TO BIRDS
story and photos by MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Transition has been a hallmark of Gene Garber’s life.
Over his 19-season career, the sidearm pitcher—now
farming full-time in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania—
managed to keep two jobs going: working on the home
farm in Lancaster County, where he partnered with his
brother in running a dairy operation; and pitching for
four different professional franchises.
Gene entered baseball in the 1965 amateur draft
and over the years pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates,
the Kansas City Royals, the Philadelphia Phillies, and
the Atlanta Braves.
During those seasons he racked up 931 career
pitching appearances and ranks second on the Atlanta
Braves all-time save list, behind John Smoltz. He is,
however, perhaps best remembered for a pitch he
delivered on August 1, 1978 while he played for the
Braves. In the ninth inning he threw a change-up, his
go-to pitch, to strike out Pete Rose and end his 44-game
hitting streak. Today he is ranked 32nd amongst Major
League Baseball’s all-time saves leaders.
family operation
8
Gene, who was raised on a dairy farm that he can see
by looking out of his living room window, never really
left farming. In the early 1980s he bought his father’s
share of the partnership and he and his brother, Herb,
managed the 90-cow operation.
“I bought my father’s share of the partnership so my
father could semi-retire, which means that he worked
while I was in Atlanta, but when I came home over the
winter he didn’t work quite as much,” he says.
Gene and his wife, Karen, raised two sons, Greg and
Mike. “I was in Atlanta for ten years,” he says. “During
baseball season they went to school in Atlanta, and
then came home [to Lancaster County] during winter
months. They attended schools here and worked on the
farm, and then at the beginning of February we went
back down to Atlanta. They had two sets of classmates.”
After baseball, Gene returned to farming full-time,
and was soon joined by his sons.
“In 1997, when Greg graduated from college and
wanted to return to the farm, we decided to split the
brother partnership and make it a father/son business,”
explains Gene. In 1999 they started a family corporation and bought a farm with an 82,000 layer house
and rented three farms already owned by Gene. GMG
Farms, in addition to the egg operation, grows corn,
beans, wheat, and barley on 400 acres. “One thing that I
insisted on was that they weren’t working for Dad when
they got out of college,” says Gene. “It makes a big
difference for young guys trying to start out, that they’re
not working for Dad, they’re working for themselves.”
Since 1992 Garber has been the chairman of the
Lancaster County’s Ag Preserve Board, a nine-member
Emus breed and
lay eggs during
the winter season.
The eggs, which are
a unique emerald
color, range from
five to seven inches
long and 10-14
inches round. Eggs
that are not incubated are blown out
and sold to crafters
for etching, carving,
or painting.
3
Garret Barbush,
MAFC loan officer
(left) worked closely
with Mike and Gene
to offer the best
program to meet
their needs. MAFC’s
StartRight program
won them over. Gene
says, “It’s a great
program for Mike to
get started—it is a
good fit.”
4
The Garbers
keep four
breeding pairs of
emus outdoors on
grass with sheds to
protect them. With
their thick layer
of back, they can
walk around with
six inches of snow
on their backs and
they don’t seem to
mind it at all. With
their powerful legs,
emus can run up to
40 mph.
farm | land
Consequently Garber began investigating solutions for
making small acreage viable, and as a result ran across the idea
of raising emus. “I began reading about how emus would fit on
a small farm and eventually I thought, ‘You know what? I think
we ought to have these,’” he says. “It was neat to learn something totally different.” In 1996 Gene bought his first emus, and
now has four breeding pairs, a barnyard full of juveniles, and
two chicks, plus two incubators full of fertilized eggs.
Besides yielding about one to two gallons of oil per bird, emus
also provide meat, which they make into a lot of bolognas and
meat sticks, hamburgers, and steaks as well. Also, emu hide
makes beautiful leather.
Mainly, though, the oil is the key profit prospect of an emu.
“It’s an incredible product! It’s a skin conditioner and provides
pain and injury relief,” says Gene. Emu oil penetrates the skin
extremely well and contains essential fatty acids the skin needs.
The oil, produced from a thick layer of backfat, improves virtually
all skin problems—dryness, eczema, psoriasis, cuts, burns, and
bites. “It also has natural anti-inflammatories which help reduce
swelling from arthritis and muscle sprains and strains.” Emu oil
is not a greasy product and because it penetrates so well, doesn’t
stain and has no odor.
2
pure relief
Interest is increasing for the oil, which they market under the
farm’s “Pure Relief” label. In February the family launched a
website, PureReliefEmuOil.com, to help market the oil. Prior to
that the Garbers had been selling emu oil primarily word-of-mouth,
directly off the farm. They plan to expand their line of products from
strictly oil to a muscle and joint cream and hand and body lotion.
“Lancaster is full of farmers with a niche,” says Gene. “Mike felt
that we already had the emus, we should start marketing the oil.”
“Basically the challenge is you have to self-market,” says Mike.
“The product is excellent; we just have to get people to try it.”
3
“Long term, I see demand growing, and with our breeding pairs
it won’t take long to increase the size of our flock,” says Gene.
“We can hatch out what we know our demand is going to be.”
StartRight
“The StartRight program was what won them over,” says loan
officer, Garret Barbush. “I met with them, discussed what they
needed, and thought this would be the best solution for them.”
Gene adds, “It’s a great program for Mike to get started—it is a
good fit.”
4
organization that administers a program to purchase development rights to farmland.
small acreage solution
It was his involvement with the Ag Preserve Board that led him
to another change—an agricultural diversification—raising emus.
“When I first got into this business of preserving farmland, there
was resistance from farmers before they understood what the
program was about,” says Gene. “They said things like ‘I only have
30 acres—why should I protect it if I can’t make a living off of it?’”
The “Start Right” program for young (younger than 35) and
beginning (less than 10 years of experience)
farmers is designed to help farmers launch
or maintain their businesses and to keep
agriculture viable, “Which is one of the
goals of Farm Credit,” says Garret.
The Garber family has seen a
lot of change over the years. Being
back home in Lancaster County
has brought them full-circle,
back to where it all started—on
the farm.
n
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
Gene worked with Farm Credit a number of years ago, so he
was familiar with them and knew the strengths and reputation
of Farm Credit.
9
1
Today, Meadow
View Dairy Farm
focuses on fattening
feeder steers and
raising corn, barley,
soybeans, alfalfa and
grass hay. For 46
years, Gary Bushong
ran a dairy operation
in the Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia. His
mornings no longer
start at 3:00 a.m.,
but he is still up
early to tend to the
daily farm chores.
2
1
‘CHANGE’ IS IN
GARY BUSHONG’S VOCABULARY
Longtime Virginia farmer lives by change in his operation.
story and photos by BECKY BRASHEAR
Things around Meadow View Dairy Farms Inc. are
a little quieter these days for Gary Bushong.
There’s no longer a milk truck that rolls
in and out of this third generation farm
lane in New Market, Virginia. There’s no
rolling out of the sack at three in the
morning for the daily milking chores.
There’s no being on call 24 hours a day.
And if he and his wife, Carolyn, want
to take a weekend and do something…
off they go!
These are big changes for a
man who has been milking
10
on the family farm for 46 years. But all of this quietness and free time doesn’t mean that he’s has given
up farming, it’s just that he’s regrouped since he went
out of the dairy business through the dairy herd buyout
program in April 2007.
Gary submitted a bid for the buyout, not thinking his
would get first consideration. But he got a phone call
that his proposal had been accepted, one of only two
accepted farms in Virginia. “I didn’t get much sleep
that night. I was in shock. At that point I couldn’t have
backed out even if I wanted to.”
“Of all of the cows on this place, I raised all of them,
except one,” he says. Under the requirements of the
Gary talks passionately about
his former dairy
operation. There
are no longer milk
trucks rolling down
the farm lane to pick
up milk—so it’s a
little quieter these
days. Gary says
farming isn’t a job
to him—it is a way
of life and one that
he enjoys every day.
3
At the end of
the day, Gary
heads for home to
spend time with his
wife, Carolyn. Now
that he isn’t on call
24/7, the Bushongs
have more time for
weekends away from
the farm. Gary has
seen many changes
over the years—his
philosophy is you
might as well accept and be part of
change, something
he has lived by all
his life.
But now, Gary seems relaxed and in tune with his “new”
farming ventures in the Shenandoah Valley area. He’s fattening
Holstein steers, and he’s got a 150 head beef herd. “After I got
the news of being accepted in the buyout, we started gearing
down. I was in limbo for a while as to what to do next.”
With the money from the cows and the milk check, he
bought 100 Holstein heifers and started buying some beef cows.
He still keeps 25 heifers on the farm until they are bred and just
ready to calve before being moved to other farming operations.
“We’ve still got 300 head of stock to feed and look after every
day,” he says.
“Nowadays, I’m out of the house between 7:30-8:00 a.m., and
in the winter months, the work day ends by 5:00 p.m. It used to
be that if one of the hired help didn’t show up for the 3:30 a.m.
milking, I’d get a peck on my bedroom window from the other
hired help, beckoning me to get dressed and come to the barn.
“My routine is a whole lot different now, but then again I’m
older, too. I’m afraid to stop now—I’ve been farming for so
long. It’s not a job; it’s a way of life. I always liked being on the
farm and always wanted to farm.” Gary’s farming operation also
entails raising 230 acres in corn, 40 acres in barley, 40 acres in
soybeans, 75 acres in alfalfa and 70+ acres in grass hay.
when things are good,
get ready for the bad times
Gary holds some reservations for what the year may bring.
“This year you can’t give hay away. Last year good prices were
paid for hay. I don’t know what to expect with this year’s crop.
challenges come with change
Since going out of the dairy business, Gary says his biggest
change was going from a steady monthly milk check to an
annual payment. “Back when I was milking, the milk check
was stretched to buy feed, fertilizer, tires, hoof trimming
services, equipment and veterinary costs. The challenge then
as it is now is to get expenses in line with income.”
Over the years Allan has guided Gary through his farm
acquisitions, about four of them to date. “Gary said I was
‘green’ when we first started working together,” Allan says,
adding that they have come to know and learn from each
other over the years. And now they are transitioning together
through another change—the recent merger of MidAtlantic
Farm Credit and Valley Farm Credit. Gary, who serves on the
MAFC board of directors, says he has learned a lot more from
Farm Credit than Farm Credit has learned from him.
farm | land
buyout, all of his cows went to slaughter. “The decision was made
for me. It was hard for me to let loose after the milk truck went in
and out of this lane for 80 some years—that’s a long time.”
“As we get older, we might as well accept and be a part of
change,” Gary says. “My dad always said that when you get up
in the morning to always be ready for changes, and I’ve lived
by that all of my life.”
In the next 10 years, Gary projects that it will take sharp
farmers to make things work. “They’ll have to be conservative,
do more planning, cost analysis, and know their operations
better. Farmers may not have done business plans in the past
but the biggest change is that they need to have one now.
I never had a business plan, but I went slow with my farm
growth and development and adapted to making changes in
order to have a successful operation.” n
2
“I’ve got plenty of hay on hand. My dad always told me that
when things are good, get ready for the bad times because they
are coming. And I’ve seen three or four of those bad times in
my lifetime.
Gary’s loan officer and good friend Allan George of the
Woodstock office agrees. Allan says that farmers can get around
most all of the problems facing them, “except the impact from
health or divorce situations. Either one of those will break up a
farming operation quick.”
“When I came back to the farm from college in 1961, I was
rearing to go with lots of new ideas and concepts,” Gary says. I
knew whatever new idea I presented it had to pay for itself and
I had to prove to my dad that it would. If I wanted to do something I had to work hard to prove it because it was dad who
wrote the checks.”
3
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
“Farmers—like anyone else—need reserves,” he continues. “I’ve always operated under the practice of having a little
extra (money). If you have a good year, you plan and spend in
December for seed and fertilizer to be ready for the next growing season. I’ve had three good years of growing seasons and
it’s a bit worrisome to me as to what to expect for 2009.” Gary
adds that “there aren’t enough margins in farming today to get
ahead. I’ve worked all my life to do that. When the good years
have been good, I’ve taken advantage to update my assets such
as equipment.”
11
EASING the STRESS of
Change
story by SUSAN WALKER
If change is the only
constant in life, why aren’t
we used to it by now?
Some people welcome change and the new
opportunities it can bring. Others dread it
and try to either ignore it or fight it. But no
matter how you feel about change, it can
put stress on both your personal and work
relationships.
That can be especially true in the farming world, where family and business
relationships are often tightly entwined.
Explains Bill Whittle, Extension Agent with
the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Page
County, “In the past, the norm was that at
least one child in a farming family always
stayed on the farm and continued the work
into the next generation. Today, that’s
no longer true, which raises a number of
issues about what transitions need to be
made and how they should occur.”
A successful transition starts with
the process of answering several key
questions:
1
What type of farm are you transferring? Is it a profitable working farm
operation? A lifestyle farm where
primary income does not come from
farming? Farmland you own but rent
to others?
2
3
Can the farm financially support more
than one family, for example, parents
and a child who wants to take over
farm operations?
Does the next generation have not
only the production management
skills but also the skills needed
to manage financial and human
resources decisions?
4
5
What do the people transferring the
farm want to do? Continue being
actively involved in farming for as
long as possible? Retire, and if so, do
you have the financial resources to
retire comfortably?
How many children or other family
members have a stake in the farm and
what do they want to have happen to
the farm and their involvement with it?
12
Bill Whittle
Dan Hess
Extension Agent,
Virginia Cooperative
Extension, Page County
Senior Consultant,
LMA Consulting Group
These basic questions can form the
foundation of your decisions about how
to transfer your farm, but you need to start
thinking about them well in advance of
when the transition will take place.
Team members can include:
• your extension agent or a similar
person you can bounce ideas off
• an attorney familiar with farming and
any legal and tax issues that affect farm
transitioning in your area
• a financial planner or someone at your
bank who can help with information
about how to effectively divide assets
other than land, how to prepare for
and move into retirement with financial
security
• a good friend, preferably a fellow
farmer or small business person, who
can be completely frank with you and
knows your specific situation to act as a
sounding board
• family members who will be affected by
the transition
• in some cases, a facilitator who can
help initiate tough conversations among
family members
dealing with feelings
In addition to the business considerations
raised by transitioning your farm, there are
powerful emotional issues tied up in the
decisions. How can you minimize the stress
associated with these issues?
“You need to respect the fact that
change takes energy and tension is one
way our body and mind prepare us for
a challenge,” says Dan Hess, a Senior
Consultant at LMA Consulting Group who
has a background in psychotherapy and
leadership and organizational issues. “You
need to figure out where you fall on the
continuum of comfort with change and
think about where the others who will be
affected by the change fall.”
Leadership and openness are essential
to successful change, so it is important
for each person’s role within the farm to
be defined, to make sure everyone understands their role in the running of the farm
and the decision-making process and that
keeping it all in balance
Change and the stresses surrounding it can also take a physical toll. Dan Hess,
of LMA Consulting Group, recommends that you attend to the basics of life that
can become distorted by stress, what he calls “the planks across the swamp.”
The planks include:
Nourishment: Avoid under or overeating and strive for mindful eating versus
emotional eating.
Sleep: Keep the context for sleep consistent. You may not sleep as well as you’d
like, but you should avoid staying up all night worrying or sleeping during the day
to “hibernate” from the stress.
Exercise: Cardiovascular exercise helps release the tension generated by high
emotion. Taking a walk, going to the gym or chopping wood can help clear your
mind and the physical exertion releases brain chemicals that promote a sense of
well-being and calm.
Learn to read your body: Aches and pains can be an early warning signal that
you are not relieving stress and need to take better care of yourself.
Spotting stress in others: Everyone reacts differently. Some people talk more,
others not at all. Sometimes you can see it in the faces of those around you on the
farm. As a leader, your job is not to calm them down, but to be aware and take positive
action to help them deal with the stress by taking a break, using humor or sitting down
together and offering everyone a chance to vent without judgment.
everyone can communicate their honest
feelings and share ideas and concerns
frankly without fear of reprisal.
“In a time of change, someone has to
articulate the vision of where you will all be
after the change is complete,” adds Hess. “The
leader of the process needs to give clear information about what the vision means—here’s
where we are, here’s where we want to go
and this is the path that will take us there.
When the people affected by the change are
involved and invested in the process, it can
help make the experience much more positive for everyone.”
It is also important to recognize that
people may pass through a range of
emotions during the course of the change,
including disbelief, resistance and exploration of the possibilities. All these feelings
move toward understanding and commitment to the change, though not everyone
moves at the same pace.
“Farm transitioning is complicated
and convoluted and anyone who tells
you that is not the case is wrong,”
notes Whittle. “There is no straight
line from the current situation to the
completed transition and you will
walk the same ground several times
during the process.”
But being more thoughtful and
purposeful in how you think about
change can impact how you experience it. “No doubt about it, change
is difficult. But you can find your way
out and, if you approach it wellarmed with the right tools and a
positive mindset, it can be an empowering experience,” says Hess.
n
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
Whittle suggests that you gather a group of
trusted advisors who can provide information, objective opinions and insights to help
make the transitioning of your farm as problem-free as possible. “You should develop
a management team which will be a little
different for each type of farm,” he says. “It
can be a formal or informal group of people
who have the knowledge you need to make
your decisions and the objective distance
family members might lack.”
home | garden
build a team to help you
make a successful transition
13
THE
Inflexible
story by SANDY WIEBER
GARDENER
There is a war going on in my garden.
Like most of these things, it involves a border dispute.
There has been evidence of spying, reconnaissance
missions, and casualties. Sometimes, civilians have
been hurt. There are surprise surges, weekend attacks,
and outbreaks that looked small at the outset, but which
ended in blood.
It soon became all out war.
I should begin at the beginning.
Remember when you were in school, and you learned
about the different types of conflict? Man versus Man,
Man versus Himself, Man versus Nature. I always
thought that Man versus Nature was the most boring of
conflicts…after all, Man had dominion over Nature (or so
I thought at the time). And writers seemed to agree with
me…even today, I can only think of two examples that
we put in that category—The Old Man and the Sea and
that one short story about a man trying to build a fire.
When my husband and I bought our little house at the
beach, there wasn’t much of a garden there. There was
a yard, definitely, but the grass was not lush. In fact, it
looked as if 300 people, 400 children and a mid-sized
herd of elephants had stampeded it the night before
(which may have actually happened—I’m not sure how
the old owners celebrated their last night in the house.
I do know that they did not spend any time cleaning or
packing up their trash, so anything is possible).
On one side of the house, next to the trash cans, there
was a large stand of orange daylilies, straining to stick
their brash flowers out of the shade.
I, of course, pictured rolling waves of colorful plants
around the entire house, and I soon set to mapping out
that picture with a flexible garden hose and a sharp,
flat-edged shovel. I jumped up and down on that shovel
all weekend—slicing into the grass (which, although it
was patchy, seemed determined to hold onto whatever
dirt it could), and etching in the shape of my new beds.
I soon called in a landscaper and a team of professionals to help me with the task, and they made my
vision a reality, just two days and a thousand gallons of
Gatorade later.
I was not going to lose this conflict. I grabbed the bottle
of Round Up and attacked the errant daylilies.
Why did I revert to chemical warfare? The Hague
Convention of 1899 banned chemical weapons against
your enemies on the battlefield, but this battlefield
was under my control. And I was tired of pulling the
daylilies, because they broke off in my hand. If you’re
an experienced gardener you know that is the true sign
of a weed: weeds have roots that extend somewhere to
Asia, whereas “real” plants pull out easily, sometimes
even popping out of the ground with no provocation
(this usually only happens to the really expensive ones
that you’ve sent for through a catalog). I tried using a
shovel, but these combatants left little sleeper cell roots
behind, springing up with enthusiasm to attack when
I least expected it. So I reverted to blanketing the area
with poison. And lots of it.
My vision had no room for garish orange, and the
daylilies ended up in a sad wilted stack on the back of
the landscaper’s truck.
It was satisfying at first. The remaining daylilies shriveled up and turned brown.
The battle began soon after.
That’s when I noticed the collateral damage. The
beautiful purple columbine and pink astilbe that I had
planted nearby were withering and dying as well.
It was stealthy at first. One weekend I noticed a few
stray blades of grass, creeping stealthily back across
the border. I didn’t think much about it, but simply
pulled them out and threw them on the ground as a
warning to their friends.
In a few weeks, I found myself in a small skirmish
with the daylilies, their troops lined up in formation
exactly where they had been when I bought the house.
I attacked with vigor…pulling them out and digging
away the roots.
14
The daylilies marched back with vigor, destroying
the prettier, but less strong plants in their path. They
moved like Sherman, deliberately, as if they knew that
they would win in the end.
I cried out when I saw what I had done. And then I
went to the store and bought new columbines and
astilbes, both of which cheerfully grew where I had
killed their comrades.
Today, I have come to terms with having a couple of
orange daylilies in the midst of my otherwise calm
color palette. I still pull out the orange daylilies when I
see them, but sometimes I wait until the following day.
That’s what I call embracing change in the garden.
n
home | garden
Your loan information
story by DONNA DAWSON
A click away!
You’re burning the midnight oil paying bills and you need a current account balance.
Maybe you meant to put the next payment on your loan in the
mail, but didn’t have a stamp and you didn’t have time to go
to the post office. Or you need money transferred from your
line of credit and it is after hours; your local office is closed
for the day.
No problem. With Farm Credit’s online AccountAccess you
have 24/7 access to all of your loan information. Save yourself
some time and money by performing these transactions online:
you. Also, you can schedule your payment to be drafted from
your account up to 35 days in advance of its due date!
New feature – electronic billing statement:
Yes, you
can go paperless! View your loan statement(s) or AutoDraft
notice(s) online. No more paper to recycle once you’ve made
your payments! An automated email will be sent to you advising you when your statement is available – another convenient service to aide in being sure your payment is made on
time, every time!
Transfer funds (FastCash):
Account Summary:
When you select this feature you can
easily access your account balance, see your stock balance,
view your account history, and review and print your annual
loan activity statement as well as view and print IRS tax forms
1098 and 1099.
Make your loan payment:
Save yourself time and money!
You can have your payments drafted from your checking or
savings account, whichever account is most convenient to
As you can see, no matter what time of day or night it is, no
matter what information you might be looking for, you can
find it online quickly and easily. Save yourself time and money,
use AccountAccess. You’ll be glad you did!
Just go to mafc.com and click on the link for AccountAccess,
at the top right-hand portion of the home page.
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
Yes, you can do it with the
click of a mouse. You don’t need to call the office and then
realize you don’t remember your pin number. If you use
AccountAccess, you can transfer money from your line of
credit to your checking or savings account. Whenever you
need to, at any time of day or night!
15
Curtis Rhoderick
Parents: Wayne and Lucinda Rhoderick
Mount Airy, MD
Hannah Smith
Parents: John and Paula Smith
Clear Spring, MD
Jacob Bassler
Parents: Ralph and Stacey Bassler
New Windsor, MD
Curtis Rhoderick has always had a
passion for the dairy industry. He grew
up on his parent’s dairy farm, and is
currently a junior at Virginia Tech,
studying dairy science with a minor
in agricultural and applied economics.
“I have learned about so many different fields in the dairy industry that are
interesting,” he says. “My number one
goal is to return to the family farm and
help make it a success.”
Hannah was four years old when she
received her first Holstein calf. Today,
she is a junior at Virginia Tech, studying
Dairy Science. “I plan on becoming a
large animal veterinarian specializing
in dairy cattle,” she says. “I would like
to continue my education and attend
veterinary school at the VirginiaMaryland Regional Veterinary College on
the Virginia campus.”
Jacob is only a freshman at the
University of Maryland, but he already
has a good handle on what he wants
to do. He’s studying Fire Protection
Engineering, a field that will allow him
to design fire protection systems that
will help reduce the loss of life and
property due to fire. “I want to help
public safety,” he says. “I want to find
solutions that are both functional and
economically feasible.”
2009 Scholarship Winners
story by SANDY WIEBER
16
Benjamin Crooke
Parents: David and Christine Crooke
New Hope, PA
Kelsey Bollinger
Parents: James and Judith Bollinger
Manheim, PA
Lindsay Hetrick
Parents: Joel and Lisa Hetrick
Bernville, PA
Benjamin is one of six boys in his
family, but he is the only one who is
interested in returning to the family
farm. “Everyone has a role to play in
our society,” he says, “and I hope to
follow in my father’s footsteps and
keep on producing milk for a growing
population.” Benjamin is a sophomore
at Penn State University, majoring in
dairy science.
“I have always enjoyed helping others,”
says Kelsey, explaining one of the
reasons that she’s chosen to study nursing. The other reason is more practical:
“Nursing provides a stable job that
would allow me to continue working and running the family farm,” she
says. Kelsey is currently a high school
senior with plans to attend Bloomsburg
University in the fall.
Lindsay wasn’t involved in her parent’s
dairy farm when she was a child. Not,
that is, until she joined FFA. Within a
short time, she went from visiting the
farm to being in charge of 130 calves
under two months of age. Today, she
is a freshman at Virginia Tech, majoring in dairy science with a minor in
ag economics. “My love for agriculture
definitely developed,” she says.
Jessica Gundry
Parents: Anthony and Terry Gundry
Seaford, DE
Emily Strong
Parent: Rebecca Strong
Millington, MD
Megan is a high school senior who has
plans to teach agricultural education.
“You would be surprised to go into the
public school system and see how little
children know about animals and agriculture…they think that chocolate milk
comes from a brown cow,” she says. “I
hope to bring agriculture back into the
school system, and get children more
involved in it.”
For the past three years, Jessica has
handled her grandmother’s books. That’s
a pretty tall order, especially since the
job includes handling all the deposits from Mernie’s Market, the family’s
watermelon and produce stand. “I have
decided to major in accounting because
of my experience with our family’s
market,” she says. Jessica is a freshman
at James Madison University.
When the racehorse Barbaro was
injured in the Preakness Stakes in
2006, Emily Strong realized what she
wanted to do with her life. “I knew
[then] I wanted to become an equine
veterinarian,” she remembers. “It is
my wish to treat, and hopefully save,
such injured racehorses.” Emily is a
high school senior, and plans to major
in biology next fall.
your association
Megan Dempsey
Parents: Charles and Cynthia Dempsey
Dover, DE
In early January, stacks of scholarship applications began to flood the MidAtlantic offices.
Each one represented an impressive young student, full of dreams and potential. It’s not an easy
job, but we ultimately narrowed down the almost-eighty applications to the final nine winners.
Kristina Ruffner
Parents: John and Holly Ruffner
Stanley, VA
Heather Estep
Parents: Donnie and Shirley Estep
New Market, VA
Allie French
Parents: Doug and Shirley French
Woodstock, VA
Kristina grew up on a small beef cattle
farm; it was there she found her love
of animals. That love, plus a desire to
pursue a career in agriculture, inspired
her to major in animal and poultry
science, specializing in the pre-vet
program at Virginia Tech. “If possible,”
Kristina says, “I would like to work both
as a large and small animal veterinarian
in Page County.” Kristina is currently a
college freshman.
Since she was a little girl, Heather
has loved dolphins. So much, in fact,
she is majoring in marine science at
Coastal Carolina University, where she is
currently a freshman. “I would [eventually] like to work in an aquarium, leading educational programs for children,”
she says. In 2007, Heather completed a
mission trip to Puerto Rico as a representative of Virginia youth.
For years, Allie had planned to be a CEO
of a major corporation. But with the
recent economic distress, she says, she
has rethought that goal. “I wasn’t sure if
being a CEO would be a rewarding job,” she
says. “I have been tutoring [lately], and
I have seen how rewarding it is to be a
teacher.” Allie hopes to teach high school
math and business. She plans to attend
James Madison University in the fall.
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
Please join us in congratulating the best of the best!
17
2009 annual meetings | the tools you need
Dover
TAKE IT TO THE BANK: Although
Richard (Dick) Lester, Jr. may
prefer to take the large check to
the bank, he’s pleased with his
patronage check this year – part
of $13 million returned in cash
this April.
FARMERS REALLY CAN RETIRE:
Well, maybe not from farming,
but Howard McHenry (left) and
D. Wheatley Neal were honored
for their years of service on the
Farm Credit Board. They will retire
this year.
18
Salisbury
New Holland
QUICK AND EASY REGISTRATION:
That’s what Lloyd and Alice
Brittingham were thinking. They
were two of over 1,800 people to
attend the five meetings throughout the MidAtlantic territory.
STRAW HATS: The annual meeting
held at Yoder’s Restaurant draws a
large number of Amish customers
each year. The straw hats stacked
on the shelf is an interesting sight.
READY TO START FARMING:
Matthew Nagel, 17, is ready to start
farming with his father’s patronage
check. Dad Dennis is on the right.
TOOLS YOU NEED: Not only does
MAFC have the tools for your
financing needs, but we had a
nice toolkit to give out. Several
members at Dover were impressed.
MORE THAN JUST A BUSINESS
MEETING: Maryland’s Secretary
of Agriculture Roger Richardson
(right) did not attend MidAtlantic’s
meeting just as a work function,
but as a member-owner as well. He
was happy to hold a check showing
over $24 million returned to stockholders with President Bob Frazee.
Photos by Matt Ritenour
Photos by Angel Adams
EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT: MAFC
is proud to offer over $13,000 in
scholarships this year. At this meeting, scholarships were presented to
(from left): Roy Hetrick of Bernville,
PA representing his granddaughter,
Lindsey Hetrick; Benjamin Crooke
of New Hope, PA; and Kelsey
Bollinger of Manheim, PA.
A WINNER’S SMILE: Joan Schmidt
of Landenberg, PA won one of the
two tubs of spring flowers.
Photos by Donna Dawson
Winchester
MidAtlantic
Farm Credit
2009 Election
Results
your association
Walkersville
Board of Directors
Chesapeake
Election Region
(3-year term)
Jennifer L. Rhodes
Keystone Election Region
(3-year terms)
Deborah A. Benner
Rodger L. Wagner
Valley Election Region
(2-year terms)
Jim A. Long
Christopher R. Stiles
2010 Nominating
Committee
(all positions 1-year terms)
Central Maryland
Election Region
Gary Dell
Samuel K. Roop
Chesapeake
Election Region
DANDY DAFFODILS: Brenda Nowell
of Rocky Ridge, MD was the winner
of a beautiful arrangement of
daffodils. In addition to daffodils,
a second tub of flowers and a quilt
were awarded to the lucky door
prize winners.
UNDER LOCK AND KEY: Customer
Richard Pry deposits the ballots he
collected into the ballot box.
Photos by Matt Ritenour
ENJOYING THE BUFFET: A happy
guest smiles and she receives
her sliced top round and Virginia
ham. The staff of the Lee-Jackson
Conference Center quickly served
the more than 200 guests present
that evening.
PROUD WINNER: Pam Walker of
Luray (Page County) was the grand
prize winner of the hand-made
Amish quilt.
AN ENTERTAINING EVENING:
James Gochenour and Mary
Anderson say goodbye after
sharing some laughs.
Photos by Matt Ritenour
Delaware Election Region
Timothy J. Rogers
Richard F. Carlisle
Keystone Election Region
Timothy R. Kurtz
Leon E. Ziegler
Marva Election Region
Brian T. Johnson
Susan B. Arnold
Valley Election Region
Guy M. Gochenour
William H. Cline
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
CHECK PLEASE: Carroll Leatherman
gladly accepts his patronage check
from Frederick loan assistant,
Bonnie Ogg.
William C. Malkus
Jennifer A. Debnam
19
your association
Out and About
ANNUAL
Photo CONTEST
1
We want your best photos of what you think living in the
country is all about! Your photo(s) can spotlight agriculture
or any aspect of country living! We love kids, animals, streams,
barns, or fabulous scenic landscapes. We’ll look at all the
pictures we receive and the top picks will appear in our 2010
calendar. We could also feature some of the entries in an
upcoming issue of the Leader or our annual report.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
• Complete a Photo Submission Form for each photo you send.
Three (3) photos maximum per person will be accepted.
• If submitting digital photography: 1) please print on paper stock
designed for photos. This will allow us to obtain the best reprint
results. 2) Send your high resolution photo files to Donna Dawson,
[email protected]. If you forward your digital photo by email,
you’ll need to include the same information from the submission
form. If it is not included your photo will not be eligible.
• Attach the submission form to the photo or to the envelop
containing the photo(s). DO NOT USE STAPLES OR PAPER CLIPS.
• It is recommended that photos be placed between two sheets of
cardboard or other protective materials to avoid damage.
• For best reproduction, photos should be a minimum of 5x7—however
—smaller photos may be submitted. HORIZONTAL photos are preferred.
• All photos must be received no later than August 16, 2009.
• Due to the volume of entries, we will not be able to return any
photos, so make sure you keep an original.
MidAtlantic Farm Credit Calendar Photo Submission Form
Your Name (please print)
Photographer’s Name
State
Zip
Phone (include area code)
Email address
Briefly describe the photo (location, what is in the photo, what season was it taken, etc.)
Signature of Contributor
Mail to:
20
3
1
LEADING DELAWARE AGRICULTURE: Members of the first Lead
Delaware class received their graduation certificates at the Governor’s Conference on Delaware Ag in February. Two of those graduates
were MidAtlantic Farm Credit employees—Jim McCabe and Marty Desmond. From left to right: Cory Whaley; David Marvel, Jr.; Todd Davis; Jim
McCabe; Brandon Bonk; Robin Talley; Colleen Kitzmiller; Dennis Wilson;
Laurie Wolinski; Will Carlisle; DE Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee; Marty
Desmond. Missing from photo: Steve McCarron. Photo by Holly Porter
2
NO HORSIN’ AROUND: Loan officer Paul Shipper wasn’t horsin’ around
at all when he presented Karen Kirby of Tom Kirby Racing Stable with
a gift card to Southern States for $500. Karen was the winner from the
Maryland Horse World Expo held in January. Photo by Holly Porter
3
FOOD FOR HER HORSE: Terry Dopirak and her husband Stephen of
Cochranville, PA accepted a $500 gift card to a local feed mill from
loan officer Dale Peifer (right). Terry won the door prize raffled at this
year’s PA Horse World Expo held in Harrisburg, PA. MAFC is a proud sponsor of the show and is a supporter of the equine industry throughout its
territory. Photo by Donna Dawson
Giveaway
Address
City
2
MidAtlantic Farm Credit
2010 Calendar
680 Robert Fulton Highway
Quarryville, PA 17566
I/we own the images submitted and hereby authorize MAFC to use the photo(s) and/or reproduction of the photo(s)
including the individuals in the photo(s) and/or the property in the photo(s). This includes the following media [and
others not specifically mentioned] for the purpose of advertising and publicity of our services: brochures, flyers, and other
collateral materials, newspaper and/or magazine advertising, direct mail campaigns; annual report, and electronic media.
Winners!
Congratulations to the Leader readers whose
names were chosen as part of the giveaway in
our last issue. The following people received a
copy of the book Green Goes with Everything:
Simple Steps to a Healthier and a Cleaner
Planet by Sloan Barnett.
Katie Green-Robertson, New Windsor, MD
Pat Leach, Bally, PA
David Lim, Bishopville, MD
David Nelson, Yardley, PA
Kathy Zentz, Middlebrook, VA
You could be a lucky winner in the future!
Watch upcoming issues for other giveaway opportunities.
Milford, Delaware
SALE
Georgetown, Delaware
Cross Junction, Virginia
This is your chance to own a beautiful rolling farm with Mispillion River frontage. 156
acres offers waterfowl and deer. 110 acres
are tillable. Several outbuildings and a large
pole barn. Great opportunity! $1,248,000.
70 secluded acres, 20 minutes from ocean.
Improved by a two-story, four bedroom, 3.5
bath log cabin with decks on both floors.
Full basement, large in-ground pool with
cabana & sauna. Two hot tubs, a two car
detached garage, a 1,936 sq. ft. airplane
hanger, a 1,200 ft. runway, and much more.
$1,700,000.
Brick Cape Cod with panoramic
mountain views on 74+ acres. Offers
2,500 sq. ft., four bedrooms, three
baths, walk out basement, two level
deck, three car garage, paved driveway. Rolling pastures for horses,
cattle and cross fencing. Stocked
pond, 30x40 bank barn with electric
and hot water. Sub-dividable.
$950,000.
Contact Jamie Masten, Masten Realty.
302.422.1850.
Contact Ed Lester or Tom Marvel, Lester
Realty. 800.837.8374.
Contact George Johnson, Jim Barb
Realty, Inc. 540.232.2222.
Harrington, Delaware
Greenwood, Delaware
Excellent
farming
& hunting
opportunity. Two
parcels
totaling
337.40
acres with good soils and ample road frontage. Mature hardwoods give added value
and excellent deer hunting. 150+/- acres of
tillable ground consisting of mostly Sassafras
soils. $2,200,000.
Poultry farm
featuring 28.6
acres with two
40x500 chicken
houses (50,000
capacity), manure
shed, compost shed, back-up 40KW generator, fenced pastures, and plenty of room
for expansion. Residence features three
bedroom, one bath and new gas furnace.
$649,000.
Contact Russell Hamel, Harrington ERA
Realty. 302.222.2885.
Contact Wes Cromer, Masten Realty.
302.422.1850.
Myersville, Maryland
Westminster, Maryland
community
PROPERTIES FOR
Hedgesville, West Virginia
This four bedroom, two bath Cape
Cod sits on a knoll overlooking a
stream. 5+ acres lushly landscaped
with 1,000+ flowering plants.
Organic garden, four bay barn,
fruit trees, greenhouse. The home
features hardwood floors, bookcases, woodstove, cherry kitchen
cabinets, and a two car garage.
$279,900.
Contact Charlotte Sherman or
Susie Wimer, RE/MAX Enterprises,
LLC. 304.754.9033.
Open meadows with elevated views and
sensational vistas in all directions. These
12.68 +/- acres can be your little slice of
heaven. $225,000.
22+ acres, 50% wooded, four acres fenced,
four stall barn with electric and water.
Cape Cod with four bedrooms, two baths,
fireplace and hardwood floors. Family room,
large country kitchen two car attached
garage, partially finished basement, blacktop
driveway and new metal shed/garage building with concrete floor. Well maintained.
$595,000.
Contact Tom Rozynek, Frederick Land
Company. 301.662.9222.
Contact Chris Cull and the Cull Group, GRI.
410.876.1666.
Private 25 acre estate welcomes
horses and offers majestic mountain views! Custom eight bedroom,
4.5 baths, front porch Victorian
boasts a gourmet kitchen, finished
lower level in-law suite, in-groundEQUAL HOUSING
pool, gardens and four car garage.OPPORTUNITY
48x40 workshop/stable with stall
and a two-story door for RVs &
horse trailers. $1,300,000.
Contact Diane Derr, RE/MAX 100.
301.695.5500, Ext. 454.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Harford County, Maryland
36 acre gentlemen’s horse farm. Architectural masterpiece, eight wood burning fireplaces, coffered
ceilings, granite kitchen, two master suites and many cozy nooks. Heated pool and cabana. Nine
stall aisle barn has everything for the horseman, loafing shed, automatic waterers, stocked pond
and more! $1,750,000.
REALTOR
®
EQUAL HOUSING
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
Middletown, Maryland
OPPORTUNITY
Contact Frank Durkee, O’Conor & Mooney Realtors, 410.935.4260.
REALTOR
®
21
PROPERTIES FOR
SALE
Conowingo, Maryland
This property features
a custom home, three
bay out building
(30x70) with service
ready shop and pool
on 3.5 acres. Room
for chicken houses,
greenhouses, or truck crops. A great place to
call home and be self sufficient. $499,000.
123+/- acres for sale. Magnificent setting
with majestic mountain views in all directions. $1,750,000.
23 acre
farm, old
style three
bedroom
farmhouse with
wraparound
porch,
fenced rear
yard, barn,
garage, springhouse, and storage buildings.
Most of the acreage is cropland but could
be nice setting for horses. Pond and small
orchard too. $449,900.
Contact Debbie Meredith, Benson & Mangold
Real Estate. 410.310.8922.
Contact Tony Checchia, Frederick Land
Company. 301.662.9222.
Contact Charlie Roosa, Key Realty, Inc.
410.287.7241 or 410.398.1247, Ext. 16.
Preston, Maryland
Upperco, Maryland
Jefferson, Maryland
Westminster, Maryland
Mount Airy, Maryland
Country Colonial on 25 acres with almost
new barn/stable, board fence paddocks.
Room to grow and play. Privacy plus. Home
only five years old. Country location you will
love. $574,900.
Magnificent colonial on 25+ breathtaking
acres. Formal living room and dining room.
Unwind in the family room, fully finished
basement, or cozy up to either of the two
stone fireplaces. All the extras: gourmet
kitchen with granite counters and 42” cherry
cabinets. In-law suite, five bedrooms and
4.5 baths, master bedroom with full bath.
Intercom system and attached two car
garage. $799,000.
Contact Allen Codd, Long & Foster Realtors.
410.456.0654.
Contact Ali Haghgoo, RE/MAX Advantage.
443.858.3667 or 410.871.2600, Ext. 208.
Gently rolling land
comprised of 25
acres. Surrounded
by woods and land
(in a perpetual
easement) that will
never be developed. Can be divided once
creating two lots or potential for easement
donation. Located on Black Rock Road just
north of Ridge Road in Baltimore County.
$900,000.
Contact Herbert A. Davis, Prudential
Carruthers Realtors. 410.828.4700, Ext. 144
or 410.979.8201 (cell).
Rocky Ridge, Maryland
285 acre farm with three development rights.
Three homes with annual income of $27,000.
Two loafing sheds: 136x69 and 165x60, bank
barn, 100x40 machine shed, Monocacy
access. $2,185,000.
Ladiesburg, Maryland
Dickerson, Maryland
Exquisite farm. 227 acres with two ponds.
Ten minutes from Frederick. Brick rancher
with two fireplaces, master bedroom with
master bath, four garages. Huge farmhouse,
bank barn, milking parlor with holding pen,
freestall shed, metal shed, and block building. In farm preservation. $1,675,350.
25 acre farm lot at the base of Sugarloaf
Mountain. Improved with a 36x72 pole barn
with water and electric. The perimeter is
fenced with three board, 20 acres in pasture,
five acres is wooded. Perc approved with a
well. Miles of trails in all directions. Mountain
views are assured! $1,000,000.
Contact John or Bonnie Speak, Long & Foster
Real Estate, Inc. 410.984.2302.
Contact Tim McGrath, Mackintosh Realtors,
Inc. 800.292.3547.
Contact Gary Duckworth, RE/MAX
100-Frederick. 240.285.5787.
Easton, Maryland
Waterfront farm. 29+ acres on Glebe
Creek with existing home and perc site.
Several outbuildings. Great for horses!
Additional 25+ lot with perc also for sale.
Great opportunity. $649,900.
Contact Jeff Plummer, Century 21 Rosendale
Realty. 410.758.0333.
Myersville, Maryland
Earth-sheltered, passive solar award-winning home on 3.63 acres. Three
bedrooms, two full baths. Known as the “Earth House.” Open, airy and lots
of natural light. Easy to heat and cool. Modern top of the line appliances,
Ethernet wired, grass roof, clerestory glass full length of house. $449,900.
Contact Michael Kurtianyk, Tyler-Donegan Real Estate. 301.401.0039.
Need financing for any of these properties? Call your local Farm Credit office.
22
MidAtlantic Farm Credit is not responsible for content or typographical errors. For more information on any of the properties listed on these pages, please call the Realtor listed.
At this time, we can only accept listings from licensed real estate agents.
Centreville, Maryland
Impeccable home on 6.61 acres. Formal
living room and dining room. Family room
with wood burning fireplace, kitchen with
Corian countertops and cherry finished
cabinetry. Sunroom, laundry room, master
suite with bath and rec room. In addition a
two car garage and 50x28 storage building.
$794,500.
149 acre farm with 130 tillable acres. One
current perc site, all TDRs present. Property
has rail access with road frontage on Rt. 304.
Currently zoned agricultural and is noted
as a County Business Park Use designation in the 2002 QAC Comprehensive Plan
and 2007 Centreville Community Plan draft.
$1,900,000.
Contact Cynthia Grimes, RE/MAX Advantage
Realty. 443.506.0359.
Contact Jonathan Olsavsky, Century 21
Rosendale Realty. 410.758.0333.
Washington & Carroll County, Maryland
Washington County: Three acre lots, awesome view starting at $119,900.
Washington County: Gorgeous lot with spectacular views, perc approved, 7.05 acres for $199,900.
Westminster: Country setting, city convenience – two lots available starting at $210,000.
Contact Ted Lapkoff, RE/MAX All Pro. 301.695.2996.
New Ringgold, Pennsylvania
New Tripoli, Pennsylvania
Church Hill, Maryland
community
Taneytown, Maryland
210 acres, 190 tillable, 100x50 pole
barn, irrigation, Priced to sell! More
information at: homesdatabase.
com/QA7008650. $1,385,000.
Contact Wm. David Leager,
Sassafras River Realty, Ltd.
410.778.0238 or 410.708.0891.
Myersville, Maryland
60+ acres of
land near the
Cunningham
Falls State
Park. House
needs work, five barns, some
wooded and some fields. $499,000.
Contact Maureen Olson, Long &
Foster. 301.606.8362.
Gap, Pennsylvania
Prime Lancaster County farm. 92
acres with farmhouse, bank barn
with 46 cow set-up, two silos, and a
wagon shed/corn barn. $1,249,000.
Contact Christ W. Taylor, BeilerCampbell Realtors. 717.371.1915.
Contact Gary L. Coles or Jonathan D. Coles,
New Pennsylvania Realty, Inc. 570.386.5000
or visit newpennrealty.com.
Annville, Pennsylvania
Denver, Pennsylvania
Gem of a horse property! Three bedroom Cape
Cod on four acres, state-of-the-art two stall
barn, heated tack room, wash stall, paddocks
with vinyl fencing and stream. $324,500.
Contact Cindy Stys, Cindy Stys Equestrian &
Country Properties, Ltd. 610.849.1790.
Christiana, Pennsylvania
18 acre horse farm, 3-4 bedrooms,
two-story house with two bathrooms. Custom kitchen with island,
stone fireplace in living room,
beautiful sunroom & over 3,580
sq. ft. of living space. 60x52 twostory barn with 8 stalls, tack room,
office, wash bay, powder room.
Plus 80x120 masonry building
with seven stalls & 60x120 indoor
ring. Level, fenced and watered
pastures. $974,000.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Contact Roger Kline, Kingsway
Realty. 717.859.2001.
Hamburg, Pennsylvania
Custom built home on 11.9 acres. First floor
master suite, 4.5 bathrooms, kitchen with
granite countertops and maple cabinets, two
gas fireplaces, central vac, in-ground pool,
oversized four car garage and so much more.
Property can be used for equestrian purposes.
$1,195,000.
Operating horse farm located near Chester
County. 3,052 sq. ft. home with three
bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Includes a pond,
fenced pasture, 24 stalls, 10 paddocks, indoor
area, and two full service barns. Turn-key
operation. $1,750,000.
87 acres
of farm
land zoned
Agricultural
Preservation.
Very low taxes as it is in the Clean
and Green program. $875,000.
Contact Michael Yingling, RE/MAX Delta
Group, Inc, 717.652.8200.
Contact John Gainer, Town and Country
Realty, 717.898.9136.
Contact Jan M. Pasko, Century 21
Call First, 610.698.2061.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
REALTOR
®
volume 14 | issue 2 | mafc.com
20 acre horse farm, close to other equine
facilities and many racetracks. The farm
features a large three bedroom ranch
house, 13 stall block barn, 1,200 sq. ft. living
quarters and indoor arena. Beautiful views.
Additional acreage available. $595,000.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
REALTOR
®
23
MidAtlantic Farm Credit
P.O. Box 770
Westminster MD 21158-0770
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
BALTIMORE MD
PERMIT NO. 7175
Have a funny video to share?
Here’s your chance to prove it! Send us your best video and
you could win money! We are looking for your funniest,
most inspiring, unusual, bizarre, or amazing rural-themed
videos. Our Keepin’ it Rural contest runs through October 31,
2009. If you don’t have a video to send, grab your video camera
and get started!
For more information on the contest and the official rules visit
mafc.com or iKeepItRural.com.
888.339.3334
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