And the Cows Came Home

Believing in Your Grown Child's Dreams

by Alicia Wright

When you hold your child in your arms for the first time, you wonder where life is going to take this baby. Will the fates smile? What will be her dream? My oldest daughter, Jillian, married a farmer—a farmer without land. She took on Ben Prout’s dream of owning his own farm. As parents who want to help children reach their goals, this dream became our dream, as well. Sometimes, however, fulfilling a dream takes a lot of people, a lot of effort, a lot of money, and a lot of faith.

A Farm of Their Own
My husband, John, and I were in a position to help Ben and Jillian purchase their own farm. We loaned them the down payment and a year’s operating capital. They calculated that raising heifers would give them the best chance of success. The farm would only be able to pay for itself once they were able to get cows in their barn—the cows would cover the mortgage, and a roadside vegetable stand would allow them living expenses.

The laws governing farming have become so "earth friendly" that agri- business has had to become specialized. Farmers can’t raise a variety of animals or an indiscriminate number of them. They have to consider how much waste the animals produce and how much of it can be distributed on their land as fertilizer, so it doesn’t seep in and pollute the streams or groundwater. Raising large farm animals only becomes cost effective if, in the case of heifers, a dairy farmer purchases the animals as little ones, then turns them over to a heifer farmer to raise, leaving his or her own barns and land available for milk production. John and I looked into purchasing heifers for Jillian and Ben, but at $1,000 for one good-quality calf, we decided the investment was too large for our pocketbook.

Before they could take in another farmer’s herd, though, Ben and Jillian needed to clean up and repair the farm, which had been abandoned three years earlier. It was grueling, dirty work. They also plowed the fields, planted grasses for animal feed, put in a vegetable garden, and repaired the vegetable stand. Like most farmers, they worked hard, from dawn to dusk. We were proud of them and their accomplishments.

Out of Money
After six months, however, all of the operating capital was gone. It was to have lasted a year, but equipment and materials for repairs and totaled more than Jillian and Ben had anticipated. In addition, another vegetable stand had opened directly across the road from theirs, which diluted their customer base and reduced their projected income. And, there were still no cows. To date, they had been unsuccessful in attracting a boarding herd. The Prout farm was an unknown in the dairy farming community. At $1,000 an animal, or $350,000.00 per herd, it was difficult to convince a dairy farmer to take a chance on a newcomer. Then the price of milk dropped. The dairy farmers couldn’t afford to expand their herds. Ben and Jillian had no “Plan B.”

John’s initial reaction was for Ben and Jillian to put the farm up for sale and use the profits to find a smaller, less expensive farm, one where they could just grow produce. He couldn’t understand why Ben hadn’t been out every waking hour selling his services to the dairy community. He thought Ben and Jillian could ready the farm once they had a herd. Instead, Ben had been raising vegetables and animal feed in preparation for the animals, and preparing the barn for an open house to introduce his operation to perspective dairy farmers.

John was in a panic. He just couldn’t see how the project could move forward. There was a lot of money involved, and the situation was scary for everyone. John wasn’t ready for the response he received, however: Ben and Jillian refused to sell.

About the same time, a large dairy farm operation began to show interest in placing their heifers in the Prout’s barn. Our hopes soared, but John refused to invest any more money in the venture to help them wait it out. So, I made the decision to dip into my retirement funds and give them another two months of operating capital. Each week, we would call and ask how the deal was going, and each week, the dairy operation had another demand. When the money ran out again, and it looked as if it would only be another few weeks before the barn was filled with cows, John found a way to make Ben and Jillian a second loan.

The dairy operation strung Jillian and Ben along for another three months. They asked for report after report, causing delay after delay. In the end, they decided not to go with the Prout farm. They felt they were buying the farm for Jillian and Ben, and if they were buying a farm, they wanted to own it outright.

Enough Is Enough
So, finally, after more than a year of funding the farm, John and I said enough was enough. By this time, Ben and Jillian had two good growing seasons behind them. They had feed in storage for the elusive animals, and they had produce at their roadside stand. Despite the competition, the stand was doing well—well enough to pay the mortgage for a couple of months. This was a good stopgap measure, but they still needed the cows to make the farm viable. Cows in the barn would provide year-round financial security. And, still, there were none.

In July, we told Jillian and Ben that we would have to stop funding the operation. John and I thought the farm would go up for sale. It didn’t. August, September, and October went by, and we saw no "For Sale" sign. And, there were still no cows. Finally, I asked Jillian how they were paying their mortgage. She said, to my amazement, "One of Ben’s fraternity brothers invested in the farm. He and his wife chose careers that give them wonderful salaries and their financial needs are met. He had received a hefty bonus for the year and needed a place to invest it. They wanted to give Ben the opportunity to achieve his dream, so they invested in the farm." They received the money in August. It would run out in March.

Perserverance
Jllian went to work outside their home. Ben continued to talk to dairy farmers about putting their cows in their barn. He worked hard on the farm, did side jobs for neighbors, and sold hay to local horse owners. January came and went, and still no cows. I began to worry in earnest about their dream and their added debt. When I worry, I pester Jillian unmercifully.

One Friday in mid-February, I was about to dash out the door, late for an appointment. I was on the phone with Jillian and off-handedly asked about the progress on the farm. I was shocked and amazed at her response: She said they were expecting 165 head of steer that Saturday, with the possibility of another 40 in a couple of weeks. Eureka!

A million questions flew through my mind. Who came through for them? How did it happen? On Sunday, John and I went to the farm to see the steer. Ben’s family was there en masse. We were all grinning ear to ear. These animals would allow Jillian and Ben to become independent of outside financial help. How did this all happen in such a short time? My daughter can be so secretive when she doesn’t want to be pestered.

As it turned out, the parties involved had been working on this deal for more than a month. Word had gotten out that the Prout farm had feed for sale. One of Ben and Jillian’s neighbors needed feed for his steer. He came over to check it out and saw all the high-quality feed and the beautifully equipped barn standing empty. He asked why. Ben said all the right things. Amazingly enough, the neighbor happened to need a place to put his new herd. And so, for Ben and Jillian, and also for those who believe in them, the cows came home.

Ben, teaching Alicia how to drive the tractor. Alicia Wright and her husband, John, live in Perkiomenville, PA. They support their four grown children and two foster children however they can. As for major projects, they’ve helped Miko open a bicycle shop and Ben and Jill buy their farm.