 |
Iroquois Valley Farms
Chosen for $944,715 USDA
Conservation Innovation Grant
|
Iroquois Valley Farms was recently chosen for a 2016 Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) for its pioneering work in conservation finance and restorative soil management practices. The Natural Resources Conservation Service funds will help the company develop Soil Restoration Notes, a new fixed income security designed to support farmers during the challenging three year transition to USDA Certified organic production. The grant also supports our partner, Chicago-based Delta Institute in assessing soil management practices and their relationship with soil health and carbon sequestration.
"A few years ago, we introduced Young Farmer Land Access Notes to the financial markets. These medium term notes are now issued in minimum amounts of $25,000 and held by investors across the country. The development of Soil Restoration Notes is an important next step" says CEO/Co-Founder Dave Miller. The new shorter term notes notes will correspond to the time frame for organic transition.
"Historically, our company has funded all development projects with private capital," according to John Steven Bianucci, Director of Impact and architect of this collaborative venture. "We are proud to be partners with the USDA and Delta Institute in developing a more regenerative agriculture, one that restores health to our food system and increases the planet's ability to temper climate change. By expanding public/private ventures, the scaling of transformative stewardship is achievable. "
|
Pending & Recently Closed Acquisitions |
Dairy cows in transition at the Zehr Family farm - soon relocating to new pastures
|  |
The Zehr Family (not all children pictured) |
|
|
The pending Susquehanna Farm in New York (see details below) |
|
Our farm pipeline is growing and we are currently raising capital to fund about $3 million of new farmland leases/mortgages in four states (see below). 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.
|
Tippecanoe Farm - Kosciusko County, IN We recently closed on a 116 acre purchase for lease to new millennial tenants, Dan Zolman and family in northeast Indiana. The farm will initially transition from conventional crops to organic grains, legumes, hay, and alfalfa.
Susquehanna Farm - Chenango Cty, NY Pending for October is a 280 acre acquisition for lease to Rachel and Jason Zehr, relocating to Chenango County in south central New York to grow their organic dairy.
Yker Acres Farm - Carlton County, MN Also pending for October is our first mortgage financing in Minnesota. Our 3rd generation farm family is raising heritage breed pigs on pasture and selling to specialty markets in Duluth and Minneapolis/St Paul. They are expanding their operations as they transition into new quarters on this 160 acre farm. More to come.
Strafford Farm, Orange County, VT Closing this week, is our first Vermont farm financing, a 178 acre diversified, organic farm which will include pastured, grass-fed lamb and beef, pastured wood-lot heritage breed pork, heritage breed broiler chickens, layer hens, a small number of Dexter-Angus cattle, and a plan to add a Red Devon herd. This family will also cultivate a maple sugar bush, grow table crops, and offer extended-season produce through the use of high tunnels.
Fair Acres Farm - Marion County, IA We are working to finance the acquisition of over 300 acres from the heirs/owners of an Iowa Century Farm to their younger cousins already farming this land. The farm includes about 100 acres of perennial pasture, various woodlands and terraced organic tillable soils, all subject to a conservation easement to be held by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
|
Iroquois Valley Farms Supports the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe |
We support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. The proposed pipeline would cross sacred lands in North Dakota to transport crude oil to a processing facility in southern Illinois. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline is based on protecting their lands, their waters, and their rights as a sovereign nation. . Halting the construction of the pipeline will secure threatened wetlands and waterways throughout the proposed route, including the Missouri and Mississippi River watersheds.
Others from the socially responsible investment community have expressed solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Organic farming and sustainable agriculture help keep our lands and waters clean. Further, we believe that we need to move beyond oil - whether in energy, in agriculture, or elsewhere - to combat climate change.
To learn more and support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, please visit their website. To learn more about the issues at stake related to water, please click here. |
Connecting farm families, communities, and investors since 2007.
As a corporate guideline, we do not look for specific farmland to purchase or finance. We develop relationships with farmers, mostly young and organic, that want to grow their farm business. We move forward if we have a ready, willing and able farmer in hand.
Connect with corporate staff at info@iroquoisvalleyfarms.com
|
|
|
|
|
 |