luck , it ’ s also a lot of science ,” says Tommy . Ryan likes to work on and keep a serious array of specialized farm equipment operational . “ That ’ s what it takes to make a business like ours go . You ’ ve got to be diversified ,” adds Tommy .
Lutman hay comes in a variety of blends — a custom menu depending on customer needs . It features hay for horses , sheep , cows and even rabbits . “ Chris likes to explain that our hay is cultivated hay . When we make a hayfield we take all the weeds out we give it the correct nutrients , the correct blend of grasses . Some people want specific grasses blended together . So we have a very diverse offering of types of hay ,” says Ryan .
To get to this place in their business was hard fought . To be a farmer is to be a gambler , a risk taker , an impossible optimist who with humility and faith always looks to the next season . Small farms today almost universally require additional income sources to survive . As farmers age out , the generations coming behind them often take a pass and head into a profession much less demanding and rigorous . So what are those key decision points in a farmer ’ s life that cause them to say yes to carrying on with the family farm and not walking away ?
In the case of Tommy Lutman ’ s father , Dan Lutman , it happened one night when Tommy was a young boy . “ We moved here to the farm in 1959 . It was a typical farm with cows and pigs and sheep . My granddad , Claude Lutman , had bought it sometime in the 1950s . He was a banker all his life and had worked his way up to being president and sat on the board ,” Tommy recalls . “ My granddad wasn ’ t really into the farming so much ... he was into taking care of the farm .” So Dan would work on the farm during the week , and Claude and he would do whatever they had to do between fencing , building and maintaining buildings , and keeping up with repairs to keep it going . “ They did that for years and years ,” Tommy recalls .
Give me ten dollars
Then one night everything changed : Claude Lutman — now in his late sixties — decided it was time to retire . “ The farm had always been in his name ,” Tommy recalls . “ Granddad showed up just after suppertime . He handed my dad a bunch of paperwork , explaining that he was going to transfer the farm to him , much to my dad ’ s surprise . He said to my dad ‘ give me $ 10.00 ’ And my dad said ‘ I don ’ t have $ 10.00 ,’” Tom laughs . “ So my granddad reaches into his pocket and pulls out a $ 10 bill and says to my dad , ‘ Okay , now give it back to me .’ My mom and dad that night I ’ m sure didn ’ t sleep much wondering how they were going to pay the bills , and the taxes , and keep the farm .”
Shortly after the transfer , Dan Lutman headed to Purceville and got a job at a truck shop . He was masterful as a mechanic and years later people would come from miles around to have Dan work on their farm equipment . Owning the 150-acre farm now meant it would only be weekends to keep up with everything . Tom ’ s dad loved machinery and today if you visit the Lutman farm you ’ ll find a huge
For the first time in its 47-year history , Loudoun Therapeutic Riding has a forever home in Lovettsville , Virginia . Equine-assisted services empower individuals with physical , cognitive , and emotional challenges to thrive . Veterans , at-risk youth , adults with learning delays , children with anxiety , and countless others benefit greatly from their time spent with horses . Riding horses helps a person develop core strength , balance , and focus ; caring for horses cultivates independence , discipline , and responsibility .
The new facility allows LTR to operate 99 more days per year to better serve the needs of the more than 15,000 individuals with disabilities living in Loudoun County .
But we can ’ t do it alone — we need the help of generous donors and volunteers to help us in our mission to help others , as only 23 % of costs are covered by lesson fees .
For more information , visit us at : ltrf . org