Looking Ahead While Planting Roots

Story and Photos by Maria N. Listman

As you drive into Millsboro, Delaware, the seasonal shift is on full display. Cornfields have been cleared, while soybeans are ready for harvest. Chicken houses dot the corners of a country road. Agriculture runs deep in this area. And one local resident is looking ahead, while planting roots.

Brandon McCabe is a sixth-generation farmer in Millsboro. He lives with his family on the homestead that was built in the 1920s. It’s surrounded by crops, out buildings and the barn that he and his wife, Jacki, got married in. Stringed lights still hang inside from their wedding, offering a welcoming glow.

During the 1970s, Brandon’s parents started buying land around the family home, and they’ve been expanding the farm ever since. His parents and brother live right down the road, making it their mission to continue farming while creating a legacy for the next generation. “You always want to look for opportunities. What do we need to do to make sure there’s something for them, should they choose to continue the family tradition,” explains Brandon. The entire family works as a team to care for the land, producing poultry, corn and soybeans.

Four of the chicken houses are managed by Brandon, which he rents from his parents. His father built two of them in the 1970s. They stand strong alongside the other two that were eventually needed. Brandon tends to 72,000 chickens at a time, nurturing the flock for an eight-week period.

“The amount of technology that we work with on a daily basis is at least as much as the average American, if not more,” says Brandon.

"It’s really just getting the kids to see what different trades are available; gaining a little skill for each one, so at the very least, they can do some of their own work growing up.”

In addition to maintaining the flock, Brandon is the agricultural structures and engineering teacher at Sussex Central High School. With years of experience on his own family farm, it was a natural transition for him to become an agriculture science teacher. However, it wasn’t always his plan.

After college, he went on to play for a minor league baseball team, until the team folded. As a result, he headed back home to the farm, and made a deal with his parents that he would oversee the chicken houses full-time. Not wanting to give up on his favorite sport, he began teaching youth travel ball. “And that’s where I really started to enjoy helping them achieve a goal,” he says.

Brandon started teaching at the same high school he attended, and has been a part of their staff for twelve years. His class is a multi-year commitment. Students learn safety, power tools, job interview skills, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, masonry, and more. He explains, “It’s really just getting the kids to see what different trades are available; gaining a little skill for each one, so at the very least, they can do some of their own work growing up.”

In addition to his classroom curriculum, Brandon is an advisor for his school’s FFA program. His dedication to teaching agriculture has not gone unnoticed. Brandon was named District Teacher of the Year for the Indian River School District in 2020.

Farm Credit has been involved in several milestones for Brandon and his family. He started with an operating loan at the age of 24, then utilized a home improvement loan to fix up the family homestead. He also built a new pole barn after the previous barn was damaged in a blizzard. But, the most precious milestone of them all, was when Brandon and his wife were ready to start their family. “Me and my wife were trying to get pregnant and couldn’t. We had to go through IVF and it’s expensive,” he says. “As a farmer, I was eligible for a personal loan through Farm Credit, and it took a lot of stress off of the bills for the farm. I could tell Jacki that everything’s going to be okay.”

They have two children now, who are the seventh generation to live on the family farm.

“Brandon and his family are wonderful to work with, and great customers of Farm Credit,” shares Amy Rowe, Farm Credit loan officer. “Brandon does so much for the community and ag education, and we are happy to support him and his efforts.”

As Brandon takes root in his community, his eyes are on the future. He wants the same for his students. “I want my students to have a game plan when they leave high school; to get that ball rolling, where ever they end up.”