There's Nowhere I Would Rather Be

THERE’S NOWHERE

I would rather be

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SUSAN WALKER | EVEN THOUGH SHE’S ONLY THREE YEARS OLD, ALLI RHODERICK IS ALREADY MAKING A CONTRIBUTION ON THE FAMILY FARM. WITH HER FATHER, CURTIS, BY HER SIDE, ALLI LOVES TO HELP TAKE CARE OF THE CHICKENS, FEED THE HEIFERS AND GATHER STRAW. CURTIS, 29, HIS BROTHER NATHAN, 27, AND SISTER MALORIE, 31, ALSO STARTED WORKING ON THE FAMILY FARM IN MOUNT AIRY, MARYLAND AT A YOUNG AGE.

“It’s a great place for kids to grow up,” says Wayne Rhoderick, Malorie, Curtis and Nathan’s father. “The kids took care of the goats they raised for 4-H before school, then helped with milking and driving the tractor after school,” he adds. “You learn a lot of valuable lessons that you carry with you throughout your life, like how to manage your responsibilities.”

Farming has always been a part of Wayne and his wife Cindy’s life. Wayne’s maternal grandparents bought the family farm in 1937, then sold the operation to Wayne’s parents in 1965. In the 90s, Wayne and Cindy purchased the farm from his parents. Since the beginning, it’s been a dairy operation. The Rhodericks currently have 60 head of full registered Holsteins and milk 20 cows.

The farm includes 500 acres under management, with the Rhodericks owning more than 300 of those acres, including farms that Curtis and Nathan purchased with their parents. In addition to dairying, they also grow hay, corn, soybeans, and wheat. Curtis and Nathan help with the crops, while Wayne handles the milking. Malorie and her husband are also dairy farmers, with a farm in Iowa where they have a large scale milking operation with 4,700 cows. In addition to their work on the

farm, Wayne and Cindy both have taken on leadership roles in their community. Cindy has been a member of 4-H leadership for 15 years and secretary of the Holstein club for 12 years. Both of them are active in the Farm Bureau and will be joining committees and the board respectively this fall.

Although dairying can be tough in today’s tight market, diversification offers additional sources of income. Other farmers in the area turn to Wayne for advice and help with a wide range of projects, from equipment repair and soil preparation to wrapping silage. “We’ve been blessed with a lot of good people in our life,” says Wayne.

Careful financial management is also an important key to the Rhodericks’ success. “Before they make any financial decisions, Wayne and Cindy always put pencil to paper and run the numbers,” explains Farm Credit loan officer Mary Jane Roop, who has worked with the family for 14 years. “They assess all opportunities, like purchasing the farms with Curtis and Nathan, very carefully.”

Mary Jane adds, “Good financial stewardship is something that Wayne and Cindy have taught their children as well. It’s not very common for us to lend money to people in their 20s, but Curtis and Nathan are responsible and very savvy.”

When Wayne and Cindy purchased the farms with their sons, they set up a shared bank account for expenses, but they handed the responsibility for the finances of those farms over to Curtis and Nathan. “We want them to be prepared to handle all aspects of the farm after we decide to stop farming,” explains Wayne. “We contribute some money to the account, but they’re the ones who pay all the bills and take care of decisions like choosing insurance. They’re accountable, so when things go right, that’s because of what they’ve done, not something I’ve done for them.”

Looking toward the future, Wayne is considering switching his operation to beef next year. “Dairy is so unpredictable,” he says. “And it requires you to stay close to the farm at all times. There really aren’t days off. Switching to beef would give us the flexibility to visit Malorie and our three granddaughters, which is hard to do now.”

While he’s considering switching the focus of his farm, he’d never switch jobs. “What I like most about farming is that I’m not working for someone else,” says Wayne. “I have the freedom to set my own schedule and priorities. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than on our farm.” •

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FARMING AND FAMILY ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN WAYNE AND CINDY RHODERICK’S LIVES. YOUNGEST SON, NATHAN, EVEN GOT MARRIED ON THE FARM HE PURCHASED WITH HIS PARENTS, TRANSFORMING THE BARN INTO A UNIQUE WEDDING VENUE FOR THE OCCASION.

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