6 minute read
History and a New Venture
Story and photos by Michelle Kunjappu
Committing to the future success drives the Crothers' focus on improvement.
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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.
The 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 children to grow with as they get older.”
Caleb tackled re-learning dairy farming by asking questions, researching, and making one aspect of the operation more efficient at a time. “I learned on the fly in the first three years,” says Caleb. “My nutritionist acts as my consultant, and I asked Dad for advice.”
“We have some family that lives right around the corner – they came over and helped, along with a few other neighbors,” he continues. “We are grateful for people that have stuck with us.” Three full-time employees provided ‘a sounding board and a guiding voice,’ Alice explains.
Caleb shares, “We tried to focus on one thing at a time. We started with how to feed the cows. We looked at how do we feed better, then how do we breed better, then how do we milk better, then how do we raise better calves – a little bit at time.”
The farm now includes 560 acres with an additional 20 rented acres, since the Crothers recently acquired 73 acres attached to the farm. Farm Credit has been a part of the family’s operation for many years, dating back to Caleb’s father’s friendship with a neighbor and Farm Credit loan officer. Choosing Farm Credit to help steer them through the land acquisition and other renovations and improvements to the farm was an easy one for the couple.
“The family has a long-standing relationship with Farm Credit,” says Alice. “We reached out to Farm Credit so they could help us finance the funding of the HUA (heavy use area).” The institution provided a bridge loan so they could build a barn and then the subsequent farm improvements.
“We met Geoff in 2017 and soon after started working on getting a loan for the barn and parlor. Farm Credit was able to help us facilitate the way that process worked for us, to fund certain portions of the project,” she continues. The $10,000 prize from the Farmers on the Rise award will go into their cost share portion of a sand separator and the structure around it on their farm.
“I think there was a great deal of trust on both sides,” observes Alice. “From my perspective, Farm Credit is very familiar with the programs that we are dealing with – more than dealing with a typical bank. I would mention the name of a program, and they said, ‘OK we have done that before and we know what we’re doing.’”
With her administrative and accounting background, Alice was able to appreciate what Farm Credit brought to the table as she began managing the farm’s finances.
“I took over the business aspect and the accounting side, so I think that kind of helped me find my role,” she adds. Alice also realized that she had a unique opportunity to showcase ‘farm mom life’, so she shares her family’s journey on Facebook @HeelsAndHolsteins and Instagram @heelsandholsteins.
Why are Alice and Caleb farmers on the rise?
—Geoff Delamater, Farm Credit loan officer
