Nevada rancher, Ron Cerri, takes care of his cattle and land with the consumer and his family in mind.

By  Scott Whittington, Public Affairs Specialist

We’ve all seen those family business signs that say “Serving our community since 19-something,” but one rancher’s family has most of those beat.

Ron Cerri, a fourth-generation rancher, has followed his family’s legacy that started in the 1800s and he is keeping tradition alive, raising beef cattle in Nevada. His son, daughter and their families live and work on the property. Even his granddaughter, a sixth-generation family member, joined 4-H and is showing an interest in ranching. Continue reading →

With a six acre lease on Ninigret Pond in Rhode Island, Jules Opton-Himmel produces up to 500,000 oysters each year that are sold to local markets in New York and Rhode Island.

By Cassie Bable, Public Affairs Specialist, FSA Office of External Affairs

Beginning farmer Jules Opton-Himmel left his New York desk job to start his oyster operation, Walrus and Carpenter Oysters. The business venture started seven years ago and today, Opton-Himmel’s oysters have secured a spot on local restaurant menus across Rhode Island.

Opton-Himmel started with a 1,000 square-foot lease permit on Ninigret Pond, a coastal lagoon, in southern Rhode Island. As the business grew, he worked to expand his operation such that his lease permit now includes six acres which produce from 300,000 to 500,000 oysters each year. Continue reading →

Main Street Farms owner Allan Gandelman discusses the upcoming growing season with his FSA Farm Loan Officer, Roger Thomas, while Swiss chard transplants are planted by the farm crew.

By Lynnette Wright, Public Affairs Specialist, New York Farm Service Agency

In the days when high school social studies teacher Allan Gandelman taught kids about the history of the world, he began to notice the food his students were eating before class. He didn’t consider soda and chips a healthy breakfast. He also noticed that many of his students were from limited resource families, which made access to nutritious food outside of school difficult. Continue reading →

Chad and Melissa Wise started their livestock operation in 2012 and their herd has grown to 55 head today.

By Lauren Moore, Public Affairs Specialist, FSA Office of External Affairs

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo are just five of 55 beef cows living on Chad and Melissa Wise’s cattle farm in Fort Scott, Kansas.

Aside from the farm, Chad is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and an assistant professor at the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Melissa is a certified public accountant (CPA) and runs her own accounting business. After getting married in 2000, Chad and Melissa lived in eight states and over the last 15 years, Chad has been deployed to Korea, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In 2012, when Chad was notified that he would be serving back-to-back deployments, the couple decided to put down roots in Fort Scott, Melissa’s hometown. The same year, Melissa opened her CPA office and they started their beef cattle operation. Continue reading →