Perry protects his oysters with FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

By Leila Naylor, Rhode Island Farm Service Agency

Perry Raso is the owner of Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, where he serves oysters and vegetables fresh from his farm. This farm-to-table restaurant shucks thousands of oysters year-round and serves over 600 meals a day.

Working on the Water

Perry established his oyster farm in 2002 when he decided to lease acres on Potter Pond, a saltwater pond in South Kingstown. He began selling his oysters at a local restaurant and later branched out to selling at farmers markets and eventually wholesale.

Perry’s oyster farm now spans seven acres on Potter Pond, the oysters arranged in rows underwater. The farm gets seed oysters, about one millimeter in size, from a hatchery in Maine. These tiny oysters go into a nursery system where they grow in a carefully maintained, safe environment until they are big enough to grow out in Potter Pond. Continue reading →

Amy grows fruits, vegetables and cut flowers on her farm in Charles City.

By Laura Fisher, FSA Farm Loan Specialist

Amy Hicks, owner and operator of Amy’s Garden in Charles City, Virginia, developed a passion for playing in the dirt at an early age. She grew up eating a variety of vegetables fresh from her grandparent’s garden and watching her grandmother can and preserve garden crops – memories that would impact her later in life.

Amy and her husband, George Ferguson, had a backyard garden at their home in Richmond until they moved to the countryside in 1998 where they began their small farm operation. The couple now grow a large variety of USDA Certified Organic vegetables and small fruits, along with cut flowers, on their farm.

Expanding the Operation

Microloans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) helped Amy grow her garden operation. Microloans provide flexible access to credit for small, beginning and niche agricultural operations. Continue reading →

The family started Paul Family Sugarbush in 2014.

By: Savannah Halleaux, FSA

Jesse and Tracey Paul of Paul Family Sugarbush in Trout Creek, Michigan, and their five children – Austin, Daltin, Priscilla, Bethany, and Mitchell – work together as a family to produce up to 4,000 gallons of pure maple syrup every spring from 300 acres of maple trees in the state’s Upper Peninsula.

Path to Ownership

Wanting to give their children a new opportunity, Jesse and Tracey started Paul Family Sugarbush in 2014.

“In our hearts, we wanted to give our children a different opportunity than we had, so Tracey suggested the farm,” said Jesse.

Jesse had concerns about the challenges he and his family would face purchasing and sustaining a new farm. He and Tracey looked to USDA’s Farm Service Agency for assistance in farm ownership. FSA farm ownership loans help producers become owner-operators of family farms as well as improve and expand current operations.  Continue reading →

Emery expanded her herd to 20 cows with operating loans from FSA.

By Lauren Moore, USDA

Spring planting is starting across the country when many agricultural producers are investing in their future. It is no doubt that farming and ranching is a capital-intensive business. From growing row crops to raising livestock or running a specialty operation, operating funds are essential. The stakes are even higher when it comes to purchasing a farm or ranch.

As farmers and ranchers continue to be impacted by natural disasters and the changing farm economy, farm loans become increasingly important. Fortunately, the 2018 Farm Bill provides increased loan limits and more flexibility to farm loans, which gives producers more access to credit when they need it most.

Farm loan programs from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offer direct and guaranteed loans to farmers and ranchers to promote, build, and sustain family farms for a thriving agricultural economy. Here are just a few examples on how our farm loans have helped agriculture operations across the country. Continue reading →

Kevin and his wife, Missy, now run a cow-calf operation in Apache County with the help of their five children.

By Shelby Johnson, Arizona FSA

As a high school student in Round Valley, Arizona, Kevin McFee worked for local ranchers and began growing a herd of his own.

From Angus to Longhorns, Kevin and his wife, Missy, now run a cow-calf operation in Apache County with the help of their five children. Before purchasing their ranch, the McFees picked up leases and bought cattle whenever they could.

“Agriculture is in my blood,” said Kevin. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Working the Land

After years of leasing, Kevin and Missy looked into buying land of their own. With a farm ownership loan from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), the couple became landowners in 2011. 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.

“It’s still a work-in-progress, but we’ve done a lot of infrastructure work since 2011,” said Kevin. “We’ve dug a lot of post holes, put in pipe lines, and built interior fences, all to get it where we want it to be.” Continue reading →

Pleasant View Farms provides feed to almost 700 farms, which includes feed purchased on the farm and bulk loads delivered to customers.

By: Dawn Pindell, FSA

Jeffrey, Louis and Jacob Lipton are owners and operators of Pleasant View Farms in Somers, Connecticut. The farm has been in the Lipton family since 1918. Originally a dairy, the farm has transitioned into growing 600 acres of small grains and 650 acres of hay.

Filling a Need

When a local grain mill went out of business a few years ago, livestock producers approached the Liptons to purchase local feed. At the time, the family was selling small amounts of bulk and bagged feed. To meet the needs of the local agriculture community, they decided to expand their sales by adding improved storage and handling facilities.

Jeffrey reached out to his local USDA Farm Service Agency office and was able to purchase a scale and grain vacuum through the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program. This program provides low-interest financing for producers to build or upgrade facilities to store eligible commodities. Continue reading →

Tammy is the sole manager of 800 acres of native and improved grasses, 80 head of cattle, and three dogs.

By: Janlyn Hannah, Farm Service Agency and Mary Collier, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Tammy Higgins is a cow/calf operator in Okemah, Oklahoma, who has met cattle market, drought, and financing obstacles head-on and come out on top. Tammy is a positive, high-energy rancher who has worked hard to extend her family’s legacy.

Ranching Roots

During Tammy’s childhood, her father’s farm was home to over 500 cows, 700 yearlings, 300 feeder pigs, and 400 sheep. A self-proclaimed cattlewoman “since the day I was born,” Tammy has been checking and feeding livestock – and driving tractors and farm trucks – for as long as she can remember.

Tammy earned her degree in ranch management from Eastern Oklahoma State University before returning to the family farm. Today, Tammy is the sole manager of 800 acres of native and improved grasses, 80 head of cattle, and three dogs with big personalities.

“For me,” Tammy reflects on her farm proudly, “it’s not a way of living, but a way of life.”

Continue reading →

The Harlows have been farming in Westminster, Vermont, for over a century.

By Lauren Moore, USDA

The Harlow family has been growing vegetables on their farm in Westminster, Vermont, for over a century.

Paul G. Harlow bought the property in 1917, where the family milked cows and sold vegetables at a roadside stand. Now, 102 years and three generations later, Harlow Farm is a certified organic operation, producing a variety of vegetables, cattle, hogs, and poultry.

Improving the Operation

From a young age, Paul helped his father around the farm. He purchased the farm from his family in 1975 after he graduated from college.

Paul remarked that the soil in the Connecticut River Valley provides “excellent growing conditions” for their vegetables. Lettuce is one of their largest crops, followed by beets, carrots, sweet corn, squash, kale, and cabbage.

The Harlow family works with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to implement nutrient management and pest management plans through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. They have also added an irrigation system, pipeline, a high tunnel, and established cover crops with the program. Continue reading →

Tanner Pace utilized FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan program to construct a hay barn.

By Jessica Claypole, Missouri Farm Service Agency

Agriculture has always been a way of life for Tanner Pace, a Howell County, Missouri-native.

“I have been involved in agriculture in depth ever since I was a young teenager, helping put up hay in the summers and helping work the cattle whenever needed,” Tanner said. “I knew that I would be a farmer of some kind because that is what my dad had taught me and that is what his dad had taught him, so it’s just in our blood.”

After graduating from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in business, Tanner decided he wanted to return to the farm to carry on the legacy. Continue reading →