In 1981, Steve and Cindy started with 80 acres and a creative strategy to lease brood mares they weren’t yet ready to buy. Today, Hunterton Farm spans 1,600 acres in central Kentucky, standing as the largest Standardbred breeding operation in the world that doesn’t raise stallions.
Steve and Cindy’s journey from a modest start to managing more than 300 mares is a testament to scaling a specialized agricultural business. The couple credits their success to a divide and conquer partnership. Steve manages the front-end breeding and foals, while Cindy, a former teacher, handles the yearlings and sales with meticulous detail.
The Power of Specialized Partnership
A pivotal shift occurred in 2011 when Hunterton Farm moved its financing to Farm Credit Mid-America. After years of navigating traditional banking hurdles and repetitive applications, they say the transition was a breath of fresh air.
“Farm Credit Mid-America is agriculturally based, so they know how it works,” Steve said. “It’s a partnership and they do what they say they’ll do.”
When someone ask me about Farm Credit Mid-America, I can list all the reasons they’re great to work with and add the fact they send you a patronage check.
Beyond flexible financing for land and barns, Steve and Cindy benefit from the cooperative’s Patronage† Program, where eligible customers receive a portion of their earnings, based on their contribution to the Association’s total net interest income and origination fees. “Your financial officer calls you in the spring and says he’s sending a check,” Steve said. “It’s an added bonus and one I put toward operating costs with the farm.”
Quality Through the Environment
For the first 20 years of their career, Steve and Cindy didn’t own land, operating entirely on leased property. When they decided to invest in real estate, they were unwilling to settle for just any Kentucky acreage. For them, the environment is a functional tool. They believe high-quality soil and expansive fields are essential for building the muscle and spirit required for championship racehorses.
“The fields had to be big enough to allow those horses to run until they get tired,” Cindy said. “If you can’t raise a good horse, trainers aren’t going to come back to you.”
By partnering with Farm Credit Mid-America to secure the right land, the couple ensured that their horses had a competitive advantage before they ever reached their first sale.
A 24/7 Calling
The equine industry is a seven-day-a-week commitment. While the 24/7 nature of livestock could be a deterrence, Steve views that difficulty as a calling. “Don’t ever get into a business that’s easy to do because everybody would do it,” he said.
Despite the scale, the work remains deeply personal. To Cindy, the horses are individuals with distinct personalities. Seeing a Hunterton-raised horse win a major race provides an emotional reward she compares to seeing a child graduate or compete in the Olympics.
Cindy shared, “the horses have to trust us and we have to trust each other, Steve and I. No matter where you look, Hunterton Farm is built on that trust.”
Ready to learn more? Discover how a trusted partnership with Farm Credit Mid-America can help you scale your business through land loans and discover our specialized financing options today.
† Patronage is an annual decision made by the Board of Directors to return earnings to eligible customers. To learn more about patronage or patronage eligibility, please visit our Patronage page.
