Amy Martin Balances Career, Family and Farming

Amy grew up on a livestock, crop, poultry and greenhouse operation in the Moorefield, W. Va. area. She was given a great deal of responsibility around the farm at a young age, which fostered a strong work ethic and a passion for agriculture. She attended West Virginia University and graduated with a degree in agriculture, then became a broiler service technician for Pilgrim’s Pride, a job she held for 15 years. In this role, she learned to work with a variety of people, developed strong communication skills and built lasting relationships. 

In 2015, Amy had the opportunity to work for Mountainview Veterinary Services, where she continues to work today. She was instrumental in building their Moorefield animal supply store from the ground up. In her role role as store manager, she helps producers develop vaccine protocols, assists with feed plans, oversees a warehouse where bulk feed and minerals are purchased and supports general customer education. She works closely with and maintains good relationships with area farmers, pharmaceutical representatives, feed representatives and anyone else who comes through the store’s doors. And that’s just her day job.

Outside of her work at Mountainview, Amy plays a key role at her husband’s family farming operation, Lovers Lane Farms. Brothers Bill and Jim Martin have been farming together since 1984. Over the course of four decades, they have significantly grown and diversified their operation. The Martins raise about 500 brood cows, background about 3,000 stocker cattle annually, manage 6 pullet houses for Pilgrim’s Pride and raise corn, hay and soybean crops. All of that didn’t happen overnight. The brothers and their families have been strategic in their growth, from leasing land to purchasing, staging the construction of their six poultry houses, expanding the cow herd slowly, increasing backgrounding numbers gradually, adopting new technology and refining the overall functionality of their farm through infrastructure improvements. 

Amy pitches in with nearly every task on the farm, but she primarily keeps the farm’s financial records in order, pays bills, books Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) and, perhaps her favorite responsibility on the farm, takes care of their 90 first-calf heifers. Amy enjoys choosing solid replacement heifers each year, assessing them to ensure they will be able to have unassisted births, checking on them first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening during calving season, tagging new calves and watching them thrive.

Farm Credit played an integral role in the story of Lovers Lane Farms. The Martin family has worked with Farm Credit since the farm’s inception in the 1980s, and their loan officer, Trey Keyser, has been instrumental in helping the Martins grow the operation in a thoughtful and sustainable way. The family appreciates that Farm Credit’s consistent knowledge of and passion for the agriculture industry. Their loan officers, like Trey, understand the challenges producers are facing. The Martins are thankful for the open line of communication and closeness they have with their lender.

As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, Amy has worked hard to earn the respect of the producers she interacts with and gain their trust. A piece of advice from a previous manager at Pilgrim’s that stuck with her many years later: Get to know your customers and their families. This simple but meaningful action can have a great impact on people and build long-term rapport. Amy’s advice for other women in this industry is to lift each other up in support, rather than being envious of one another. She also emphasized the value in seeking advice and mentorship from those with more experience. 

Amy feels a great sense of pride working in agriculture. She shared, “Being a part of agriculture is something I’ve always known I wanted from a very young age. It’s been in my blood my whole life; I don’t know another industry. I’ve always had a passion for cattle, for being outdoors.” She also recognizes the importance of educating consumers. “It’s really important to me to be a part of the industry that feeds our world. People need to know where their food comes from.” 

“For agriculture to survive, we must pass on our knowledge and experience. It takes great passion, perseverance, confidence and faith to stand strong in today’s agriculture industry. I am thankful to have been raised with such values, and to pass these values and perspective along to my children.” Amy and the rest of the Martin family are proud to continue being good stewards of their land, producing high quality livestock and being great advocates for agriculture.

"We will prevail" is Amy’s personal mantra she repeats to herself and her family when faced with challenges, both on the farm and in life.