MARBIDCO 2018 Annual Report Features
Southern Maryland Revolving Loan Fund Recipient: 804 Cattle Company
While specializing in beef cattle at veterinary school, Roxann Motroni, DVM, PhD, realized she wanted to have a beef herd. However, that day came much sooner than she anticipated when she moved to Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County. After starting her family business, 804 Cattle Company, in 2016, she heard about an opportunity to expand her farm with help from the Southern Maryland Ag Revolving Loan Fund.
The fund was designed by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) and MARBIDCO to assist Southern Maryland agricultural producers with smaller agricultural projects that typically might not be financed by traditional commercial lenders.
Motroni heard about this opportunity to grow her business from her mother, Chantal Brooks, who in turn had read about it online.
“It was really easy to put together an application,” said Motroni. “The hardest part was getting all the signatures ,” Upon receiving the loan, they were able to build up their infrastructure, put more fencing around the property, as well as purchase three additional cows and a bull. Some of the loan proceeds also went into a chute and head gate system used to load the cattle, perform artificial insemination and vaccinations, as well as to oversee general herd health and perform pregnancy checks.
Motroni lives beside the farm property with her family. Her mother and father live on the farm, and also help take care of the cattle. Her brothers, who are co-owners of the business, live in White Marsh, Maryland and Richmond, Virginia.
“I want my daughter to learn to love the land, to see hard-working people and see the world,” said Motroni. The family currently has 13 cows in their herd, four of which are calves. The farm consists of 33 acres, 10 of which are in forest. In addition to working on the farm, Motroni works as the USDA Agricultural Research Service national program leader for animal health. When she is away, Brooks watches the cows and makes sure they are taken care of.
“I think we would definitely like to expand our operation, sell out our beef every time and get into more marketing and have a steady clientele for every year,” said Motroni. “We definitely want more cattle, but marketing to the public is our priority to expand our client base. Right now all our clients are people we know.”
The 804 Cattle Company has a website, 804cattle.com, and a Facebook page, where they offer a variety of information about their business and products.
Return to 2018 feature articles.
Read more annual report articles.