Support Comes in Many Ways

SUPPORT COMES IN MANY WAYS

Story by Andrea Haines, photos by Andrea Haines and Cloverdale Farm

In the middle of what has been described as an “economic disaster”, a certain family drives through every day as a tight unit, each member playing a vital role in their team dynamic. One family member in particular juggles roles as a farmer, event-venue owner, and nurse. Caroline “Dixie” Boyd Scheulen of Winchester, Virginia, comes from a long line of farmers, so strong work ethic is ingrained.

The Boyd family farm is now home to an event complex, hosting a variety of events from weddings to baby showers and corporate meetings. “We welcome anything,” shares Dixie. “Weddings are our niche, but we welcome with open arms, any type of gathering of people.”

Dixie’s interest in the event complex began with her mother, Claire Boyd. As an event host herself, Claire began inviting guests to their family’s farm after holding their own events at Cloverdale Barn. “The barn was rapidly deteriorating,” explains Claire. “Hefty snows, winds, and a direct hit by a tornado seemed to guarantee the end.” Construction started with some hurdles, later to call in reinforcements from Amish builders. “All was completed for our son, Stewart’s wedding in August 2008,” she shares.

“Dixie was married there in September of 2011.”

As Claire had almost 10 years of experience leasing Cloverdale Barn for events, she was invaluable to the process of developing Fox Meadow Barn, a new construction. “We approached the local county office in spring of 2017, our final permits were issued in July 2019,” explains Dixie. The family had many challenges to overcome with the building project and learned many hard lessons along the way.

One decision, however, was a “no brainer” according to Dixie. “We did not second guess the idea to work with Farm Credit,” she shares. “There is a strong team of lenders that truly want to see your vision unfold. Their commitment did not stop at contract signing and it feels good to patronize a company that is so supportive of our community.”

Cloverdale Barn

Farm Credit loan officer Ryan Clouse says, “Taking heed of past experiences in their business and leaning on their strengths, the family saw a growing market for their services and built a plan.” The family has worked with Farm Credit with an “open mind” for generations.

“Farm Credit has always influenced our family over the years, financing two homes and numerous loans for our family farm,” shares Dixie. Her father, Bob, has been working the farm for 36 years. The premise of the family operation is 300 head of beef cattle, hay crops, and 80 sheep farmed on the approximately 1,000 acres, and sometimes rented acreage. Cloverdale Farm was started in 1952 by Frederick Boyd and his son, Dr. Robert Boyd, making Dixie’s children the fifth generation.

Formerly, the fields were an orchard and are currently grazing and hay fields for their beef cattle. “My siblings, Stewart and Katie, and myself grew up helping with hay, resurrecting newborn lambs in the sink and calves in the kitchen,” explains Dixie. “In the sixth grade, I was given a loan to start a herd of 30 sheep and was able to learn the trade and repay the debt within two years.”

This strong work ethic has helped Dixie in her other job as a nurse. Although a graduate from Virginia Tech in Animal Science, she was able to explore many fields of interest, rounding back to a nursing career. “The hospital kept me intrigued as my grandfather was a surgeon,” she shares. “I completed schooling at Shenandoah University and was able to start a job in the emergency department. I loved coming to a work environment that each day involved critical thinking.”

“We are excited about what the future holds for our children being raised on the farm and having the venue in the family.”

“When the pandemic struck, I will never forget the first day clocking into the hospital’s COVID-19 unit, the initial nervousness of what I could bring home to my family, and the fear of using a PAPR (positive airway pressure respirator) for the first time in real life,” explains Dixie. “From the venue standpoint, it was a paperwork and email nightmare. I dreaded each new panicked email. Standing alongside us was support, including Farm Credit — the lenders became family and helped us along our path.”

Maintaining a nursing career, farming, and an event venue has its challenges on a regular day, but with the pandemic, Dixie’s family has been pitching in full-throttle. “We schedule everything anyway,” she explains. “We maintain a shared calendar, texts, and emails to manage children, sheep, and cattle.” Each guests’ plans had to be tweaked due to COVID-19. “Most have not been able to unveil the same wedding they had anticipated, but we have allowed transfers in dates,” she says.

Fox Meadow Barn

Although challenging, Dixie says, “There’s no better feeling than being surrounded by people who are enjoying the happiest day of their life at our venue. We are excited about what the future holds for our children being raised on the farm and having the venue in the family.”