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"I'm the third-generation dairy farm. My grandfather milked here, my dad milked here, now I am."
Garrett Moyer grew up always wanting to farm. After high school, he worked in construction, but the life of independence that farming offers still called out to him.
When he was 20, he bought some cows and equipment and started getting his own milk check, along with continuing to help his parents with their dairy operation in Middleburg.
But he could already tell it wouldn't be enough.
"The milk industry has too many ups and downs. Back in the day, a family could live off of milking cows. That's not the case, anymore," Moyer said. "Dairy's going out more and more every year. I think with the farming life, anymore, you have to have other sources of income to make it."
After considering some options, he saw that a hog finishing barn would be his best choice to supplement his family's dairy farm because the contract through Country View offers a steady paycheck.
Now, at 26, Moyer is fulfilling and continuing his lifelong goal of farming with a loan partnership with SEDA-COG and First National Bank of Mifflintown. SEDA-COG's $200,000 Small Business First loan and FNB's $900,000 loan helped make the $1.1 million project possible.
Tina Shirey, assistant vice president of Commercial Lending at FNB of Mifflintown, said they were pleased to offer a loan that was beneficial to the Moyers.
"The First National Bank of Mifflintown was pleased to work with SEDA-COG to make the hog operation a reality of the Moyers," Shirey said.
Moyer's parents, Darren and Debra Moyer, contributed real estate equity from their farm to complete the funding package.
"I always wanted to farm, my whole life. This gives me a better opportunity to stay in it and with peace of mind," Moyer said.
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