Blakslee Masters is a fourth-generation farmer in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and two children.

While the Masters’ family farm first began as a dairy farm back in 1925, today, Blakslee and her family do so much more. 

Diversifying the business
When Blakslee took over the operation, she quickly realized that for the farm to be financially viable growing the crops she wanted to grow, she had to diversify her income in another way.

Horses first came to mind. She had always loved them and the farm already had barns and stables. So, that was that. Blakslee decided to open a horse boarding stable, as well as an Air B&B. 

“We thought it would be a great opportunity to have guests on our property and learn a little bit from them as well as share our story,” she said. 

Blakslee hosts guests, as well as horses in the stables. She also teaches riding lessons and other workshops on the farm. 

Farm Credit was there to help 
Throughout this big transition on their farm, Blaklsee and her husband decided it would make the most sense to restructure the farm from a sole proprietorship into a limited liability corporation, an LLC. But they needed help. That’s when they turned to Horizon Farm Credit. 

Blakslee remembers her positive experience with Horizon Farm Credit and especially appreciated the detailed records they shared. 

“Horizon provided us with a record of our financial statement over the past five years, as well as a projection into the future. We often come back to that paperwork as we work towards our goals with the LLC and its development on our farm,” she said.