The Elgin’s granddaughters, Carly and Emily, live on the farm and are active at J-Team every day.
By Donna Olinger, FSA
Jim and Terri Elgin took a leap of faith when they purchased their Orange County, Virginia, farm in 2002. They had been involved in a family farming operation in Fauquier County when they decided to venture out on their own, along with their three daughters, Erin, Ashley and Molly.
Wanting to be creative when deciding the operation’s name, the Elgins decided to take the first letter of each name – Jim, Terri, Erin, Ashley and Molly – to create “J-Team Dairy.” Terri thought the name was a good fit because they operate as a team.
“After the girls went to college they all had new ideas and we made it a point to meet as a family and listen to them,” said Terri. “We couldn’t always incorporate the ideas they had, but we would meet together as a family and make a list of the pros and cons before making a decision.”
The dairy milks 175 cows three times a day. The farm also grows approximately 170 acres of corn each year and harvests around 150 acres of small grain forage.
Working with FSA
The farm is enrolled in Agriculture Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage Program (ARC/PLC), administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency. This safety net program provides revenue and price loss coverage for eligible commodities.
FSA’s farm loan programs offer direct and guaranteed loans to farmers and ranchers to promote, build and sustain family farms for a thriving agricultural economy. A loan from FSA also helped the Elgins build their new barn.
“I would highly recommend farm loans to anyone considering a large purchase,” said Jim. “We needed a barn for a long time and just wish we had done this sooner.”
Like many dairy farmers across the United States, the Elgins participated in the Margin Protection Program for Dairy, which was replaced with the new Dairy Margin Coverage Program (DMC) by the 2018 Farm Bill.
Carly, who is older, feeds the calves and is beginning to help milk.
DMC provides financial protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.
Being Open to Change
The Eglins believe that to be successful in farming you must be open to change.
In the spirit of change, Molly’s goal for the farm is to eventually move to using robotics to milk cows and feed calves.
“Mom and Dad are open to change. They may not be the fastest to agree, but are always willing to listen,” she said. “It’s what makes us work.”
More Information
USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan, and conservation programs to help agricultural producers in the United States weather ups and downs in the market and recover from natural disasters as well as invest in improvements to their operations. Learn about additional programs.
For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.
