Making The Switch To Bank Local: Manatawny Farms
Day in and day out, Dwight Zook, owner of Manatawny Farms Inc., is managing the daily operations of his 900 acres of land in the Oley Valley with the help of a full-time individual and assistance from his son. His farm includes 350 steers and a variety of crops, mainly consisting of corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and hay. Of the crop entity that Dwight has, corn consumes about two thirds of his farm acreage. Most of his corn is sold locally either at Browns in Birdsboro or Lancaster County Feeding.
Taking care of the steers consumes the majority of Dwight’s day-to-day. He will purchase the steers – typically when they are between 800 to 900 pounds. Once they reach 1,600 pounds, they are then sold through auctions or directly to JBS.
Having attended Oley Valley High School, Dwight says it is nice to “still be here, and it is nice knowing the people that you grew up with in a small town.”
The Difference of Banking Local:
Dwight has found opportunities for growth of his agricultural business since following Relationship Manager, Kevin Bieber, (who he attended high school with) to Fleetwood Bank and moving all of his accounts in October of 2023.
In the past year, Fleetwood Bank has helped Dwight expand his business through purchasing land that he had previously been leasing to grow his crops. In addition to this mortgage, he utilizes a line of credit and checking accounts to perform daily transactions.
“The process of switching banks was pretty painless and was as simple as it could be. The experience of working with Fleetwood Bank, as opposed to my previous bank, has been a wonderful experience, and the people at Fleetwood Bank are very nice and easy to work with. I like Fleetwood Bank because it has a small, hometown feel.”
