June 2016 Newsletter
News & Updates
This newsletter has updates on new business, the 6/30/16 record date, and farm news. Our Annual Meeting is around the corner - make sure to check out our local foods menu!
Iroquois Valley supports the Hudson Valley! New  funding for NYC based Local Farms Fund.
On June 15, Local Farms Fund purchased a 27-acre property in Columbia County, NY financed in part by a mortgage loan from Iroquois Valley. The farm is being leased to Saundra and Chad Williams, the owners of HoneyMade Farms, a grass-fed dairy and pastured animal operation. The property is protected from development via a conservation easement held by the Columbia Land Conservancy. This will be the first time in many years that the property will be an active agricultural operation. Iroquois Valley Farms  is excited to support such local farmland initiatives.
HoneyMade Farms focuses on grass-fed dairy (cattle) and organically raised meat. The dairy herd is mostly Jersey and Jersey-cross breeds raised on pasture. The cattle (and future livestock) are heritage breeds, chosen for their milk/meat quality and their appropriateness to the land and climate of the Hudson Valley.  The Williams family will also be developing a plan for pastured pigs utilizing the woodland forest on the property.  
 
 
The Williams Family 
Dairy cows on HoneyMade Farm
 
2016 distributions record date is set as June 30. The current PPM Offering has been extended.   
The Board of Managers recently approved an extension until  year end on our current Private Debt and Equity Offering.   

Those wishing to be eligible for any 2016 distributions must invest by the record date of 6/30/16.  

To review our Private Placement Memorandum, click here. To view the Update Report to the PPM, click here. Our Fact Sheet is available to view or download here.
 
News from the field
This Spring, we closed on a 320 acre purchase for organic farmers Anna Jones-Crabtree and Doug Crabtree of Vilicus Farms. The new fields were planted, growing durum wheat that will be used in Annie's pastas and field peas for green manure. Lentils are also a part of their crop rotation. Montana is the #1 growing state in the US for organic lentils, with Vilicus Farms specializing in the hard-to-find Black Belugas. Read more about these rare lentils in The Lentil Underground, which features Doug and Anna's operation. To learn more about lentil production in Montana and Vilicus Farms, check out this Montana State University report.
Harvested lentils (photo credit Vilicus Farms)
Growing lentils (photo credit Vilicus Farms)
Iroquois Valley women farmers making investment news in Green Money Journal.  
"Women are leading the way in sustainable and organic agriculture," according to Lindsay Lusher Shute, Executive Director of National Young Farmers Coalition - and why shouldn't they be? Former Executive Director of Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) and advisor to Iroquois Valley Farms, Teresa Opheim, shares that in her work at PFI, "almost half of the young farmers are women - they are bringing their commitment, skills, and a new vibrancy to agriculture in Iowa and all over the country." 

Read our article for Green Money Journal here, highlighting Mint Creek Farm and Vilicus Farms!

Upcoming Events

July 9th - 2016 Annual Meeting

To view our Meeting menu, click here. Pictured right is the dinner site at the Miller Farm.

Staff will also be attending these upcoming conferences:

SAFSF (Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders) Forum 6/27-6/30 in Louisville, KY.

ICCR (Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility) Annual General Meeting 6/27-6/29 in New York City. 
Connecting farm families, communities, and investors since 2007. 
 
As a corporate guideline, we do not look for specific farmland to purchase. We  develop relationships with farmers, mostly young and organic, that want to grow their farm business. We move to purchase if we have a ready, willing and able farm tenant in hand. 

For more information please visit our website.
 Connect with corporate staff at info@iroquoisvalleyfarms.com
Iroquois Valley Farms, LLC | (847) 859-6645 | info@iroquoisvalleyfarms.com |  iroquoisvalleyfarms.com
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