First-generation farmer an industry leader

It’s been a long and winding 30 years of farming for Chris Hoffman.

“When I started this journey, I had $300 in my pocket and a small car loan. Did not own a thing,” he says.

Last year, his hog operation, Lazy Hog Farms, had more than $2 million in revenue, and he has $6 million in assets. Not bad for a first-generation farmer.

“Life as a first-generation farmer has not been easy, but if you work hard at making the right decisions, it can be rewarding,” he says.

Hard to believe for a guy who never envisioned becoming a farmer. His grandfather had 120 acres and worked in a factory in Sunbury, Pa. His mother grew up on the farm, and Chris would come out in the summertime. “But it wasn't like a working farm,” he says. “In the summertime I would help, occasionally, to make hay, but it wasn't the same type of thing where we actually had a farm.”