Farmers on the Rise
HISTORYAND A
New Venture
COMMITTING TO FUTURE SUCCESS DRIVES THE CROTHERS’ FOCUS ON IMPROVEMENT Story and photos by Michelle Kunjappu
One step at a time. One area at a time. One category at a time. That’s the approach Caleb and Alice Crothers decided to take when they came back to Caleb’s home farm in Rising Sun, Maryland seven years ago.
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VOLUME 27 | ISSUE 1
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he move wasn’t totally out of left field. Moving back to Long Green Farms was part of a longterm plan for them, but when Caleb’s father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, that plan moved into first gear. The couple, along with their two young children at the time, sold their home in suburban Tennessee, quit their jobs, and moved north to begin a new chapter and manage the farm’s 300 cows and heifers. Despite a financial adviser proposing they should sell the cows, “we ended up making the decision that we would find a way,” Caleb shares. “The farm has had dairy cows since 1759, and I think we both just looked at each other and said, ‘We’re just going to figure it out.’” “It was a hard decision to make, but I didn’t come here unwillingly,” says Alice, who grew up in suburban Tennessee and worked as a healthcare administrator at a hospital. “I looked at it as a new opportunity for our family and for our children, and that was my goal.” Growing up on a dairy operation gave Caleb a good background, but years off the farm could have worked against him. He shifted gears back to agriculture after playing football at Carson-Newman University, working as a graduate assistant for the football team, and then working as a Knoxville police officer. However, Caleb decided to look at those years off the farm as an asset. “A blank slate is probably not a bad thing,” he adds. “With time, you can become constrained in habit and routine that’s difficult to step outside, so I think that not knowing is not necessarily a bad thing because you can approach something with an open mind.” “Our mindset is different when with our fresh set of eyes,” says Alice, “because our goal is not just survival. Our goal is really to thrive and provide an opportunity for our children.” Since their arrival at the farm, the Crothers have added to their family that now includes daughters Saralyon, Henley, and Baylor. “Caleb and Alice impress me with how they continually rise to the occasion,” says Farm Credit loan officer Geoff Delamater. “I feel their future is a bright one because of their ability to focus on improving each category of their operation, which is driven by their desire to make a sustainable operation for their
