The Greater Berks Development Fund (GBDF) an affiliate of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), has announced that it has secured a $180,000 Pennsylvania Catalyst loan for Travis and Emily LaFaver. GBDF, Berks County’s only Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO), facilitated the loan in conjunction with funding provided by Fulton Bank. The LaFavers received financing to construct a steer barn located on their farm in Hamburg, Pa.
The LaFaver Family Farm is a local, direct-to-consumer retail beef operation. Its products are non-GMO, free from injections and hormones and are offered for sale at their farm in Hamburg and LaFaver Farm Meats in Wyomissing. The farm operation is run by the couple and their three daughters. For more information and products, please visit their website at lafaverfamilyfarm.com.
“Low-interest funding through the PA Catalyst program was critical in the overall feasibility of the project,” said Travis LaFaver.
GBDF’s mission includes assisting local farms with loans and supporting the County of Berks’ agricultural initiatives.
“We are pleased to be able to assist the LaFavers with their project and to continue to provide financial resources in alignment with the ‘Growing Berks: Agriculture’s Economic Impact and a Roadmap for its Future’ study that was released earlier this year by the County of Berks,” said Debra L. Millman, President of GBDF.
For more information on the PA Catalyst loan program, please contact Kayla Hayick, Director of Lending and Business Outreach at khayick@greaterreading.org or 610.698.2703.