My Agricultural Enterprise

By: Traci Stroupe

I am lucky to have been raised as an Army brat, which afforded me many opportunities to travel and experience the world. I’ll never forget the feeling of my first visit to West Virginia that stirred in me a sense of coming home. I remember explaining to my husband Gary that West Virginia looked and felt like my birth place in South Korea – especially the hills.

Our dreams of owning land, building a home and raising a family were realized when we moved to Harrison County, West Virginia. We had tried our hand at farming when living on a small farm in Pennsylvania and wanted to expand. In 2004, we built some fencing and purchased baling equipment and 25 Katahdin sheep. Our herd grew. We added more fencing and had just started constructing a barn in 2006, when I lost my job of 10 years.

I was in despair of having to give up sheep farming when I received an FSA newsletter offering low interest business loans to women and minorities. I stopped by the Harrison County Office of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and felt welcomed immediately by the approachability of all the women I encountered there. Furthermore, I was impressed with their breadth of program and farm business knowledge, as well as their professionalism. Farm Loan Manager Karen McBee assessed my financial situation and informed me of the options for starting a new agricultural career. She guided me in the preparation and execution of a farm business plan and quickly processed my loan application. Karen also introduced me to other federal agencies that could provide additional services. She even helped explain my qualifications to other agencies that were not familiar with working with sheep farmers and gave me advice on farm business management. All of this preparation enabled me to talk to my accountant more confidently.

Today, my sheep operation continues to thrive. I am thankful to the women of Harrison County FSA. They are valuable partners that are quick to respond to new opportunities as they arise.

Traci Stroupe is pictured here in one of her ewe pens holding a Katahdin lamb. The lambing pens and barn in the photo were made possible by funding from her FSA loan. Traci and her husband Gary raise Katahdin sheep on their 235 acre farm in Harrison County, West Virginia.