Charlie Clark talks about how the natural gas industry gave him opportunity to start a new business in Cabot’s Looking Back, Moving Forward series.

Charlie Clark has made a life of dairy farming and truly enjoys it. He has owned and managed a farm in Springville since 1984 and has a herd of about 40 cows. As a father of four daughters, he has also proudly served as a 4-H leader for many years. His daughters reflect his love for agriculture and have taken up related studies, the oldest already working in the field of genetic research. Nonetheless, the hard work was not always paying off.

“The dairy industry as a whole is a roller coaster,” Charlie related. “There are good years and bad years and there seemed to be more bad years than good.”

He cites the arrival of the natural gas industry as the saving grace for many families in the area, including his own. “We wouldn’t have stayed in it this long had there not been an alternative source of income,” Charlie stated. Extra cash on hand allowed the Clarks to build a new barn, upgrade their equipment, and invest in better cattle stock.

Read more:

http://naturalgasnow.org/charlie-clark-gas-industry-saving-grace-for-susquehanna-county/