Pioneer’s Post

Did you know Farm Credit East is a member-owned cooperative with over 18,000 customer owners? In addition to having a say in governance, members share in Farm Credit East earnings through patronage dividends. Since the patronage program was first adopted, customer-owners have earned over $1 billion in dividends from ownership of their cooperative. #NationalCoOpMonth

After several vertical farms with the cultivation of lettuce or herbs had to cease their activities last year, this is now happening with a start-up with small-scale #specialty_mushroom cultivation. A proper analysis is needed to uncover the exact reasons for this exit. Nevertheless, I always wonder how much more consumers are willing to pay for fresh produce (in this case #specialty_mushrooms) from #smallscale local production units. Do we really have a clear view of what the consumer is willing to pay for this? Or do we keep falling into the trap of storytellers with a beautiful presentation and an impressive website? Because in my view in different parts of the world with consumers able to pay a little bit more for fresh produce, there is certainly a market for products that are grown in a controlled cultivation in an environmentally friendly way with an efficient use of inputs. However, this requires a smart combination of economies-of-scale with the attractiveness of offering fresh, high-quality, low-waste products close to the consumer.

With efficiency, cost-sensitivity and transparency being the values that guide us every day, we are proud to be working with individuals and businesses such as Andrew Milne and Spier Wine Farm. #FuturaSA #FinancialWellbeing #FundAdministration #Testimonial

Excellent article about my clients business Mayberry Farms in Mayville, Wisconsin. They received a grant to help them grow their honey, strawberry and goat milk soap business. Exciting things are happening in Mayville! Read all about it in link in comments. #locallyowned #localbusiness #clientsuccess #clientsinthenews

Happy New Year! Join our webinar on Jan 9th at 7PM CT to learn about our newest offering, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐒 𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐑𝐃 - 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐈! Here's what you will learn: 🍇 How Texas vineyards offer 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄 (⬅️ yes that’s correct) 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 🍇 How our operational plan makes us the 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬    🍇 Why we have 𝐍𝐎 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 in Texas and how we plan to maximize this opportunity   🍇 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 - use of funds, lending, and most importantly - the investor return model. Click the link in the comments to register 👇

Running a farm business is like managing any corporation—except harder. That’s why Trust In Beef provides you tools to make goal-setting, tracking, benchmarking and evaluating easier. #TrustInBeef  #BuildingABetterBeefSystem  https://loom.ly/CRbeJ2U

It's a great time to support farmers, families & small businesses. I thought this SALE would help get the taste buds going! If you have been waiting to try, or just need to stock up here you go! #farmtotable #farmtofork #supportlocalbusiness #veteranowned

New Post: Service Provider & Producer Association Grants Now Available for Vermont Businesses - https://lnkd.in/dfcjTX_T - Vermont-based businesses and organizations in agriculture, forestry, food, beverage, and fiber industries are invited to apply for Service Provider & Producer Association Grants aimed at supporting their business initiatives. With up to $370,000 available in total funding, grant amounts range from $10,000 to $25,000 for pilot projects serving a specific region of Vermont, and $25,000 to $75,000 for projects operating statewide. No matching funds are required, and the grant period will run from March 2025 to June 2026. Eligibility This grant is open to two categories of applicants: Service Providers – Organizations that deliver business support services to Vermont’s agricultural and forestry businesses, such as market development, business planning, and financial planning. Producer Associations – Industry trade groups representing and promoting Vermont-based agricultural, food, beverage, forestry, or fiber products. These associations can apply for grants aimed at improving their organizational operations or delivering services to their members. Eligible projects for service providers include offering assistance in areas such as market development, responses to crises like COVID-19 and flooding, business succession planning, and workforce development. Producer association projects may also focus on association development, including leadership training, board governance, and membership outreach. Applicants must be Vermont-based or proposing a project fully focused on Vermont’s working landscape and businesses. For out-of-state applicants, eligibility should be confirmed with the program contact. Key Dates and Deadlines September 20, 2024: Request for Applications released and application submission opens. September 24, 2024 (11 a.m. – 12 p.m.): Applicant webinar and Q&A session. Registration required. November 7, 2024 (11:59 p.m.): Application deadline. Early January 2025: Applicants notified of funding decisions. January 2025: Grantee documentation due. February/March 2025: Project start date. For further information, applicants can contact Clare Salerno at clare.salerno@vermont.gov or (802) 917-2637. This article, "Service Provider & Producer Association Grants Now Available for Vermont Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends - #news #business #world #jobs #school #passion

Finance tip no.7 - stepping stones to a successful finance proposal. It’s a bit like the video of my dog Mowgli. Large complex projects needs to be taken one step at a time. Pick a finance partner who understands your market. They will pick the right funder and give a fully completed proposal. Possibly a visit by the funder and then you will get a fully funded approval even your staged payments could be covered. Pick the right finance partner always!! #foodanddrink #southwestfinance #foodindustry #finance #assetfinance #ceo #financedirector #distribution #mhe #tasteofthewest #thegrocer #drinksindustry #meatindustry #frozenfoods #bakery #agriculture

If you ran a Nonprofit like this Business, you'd end up in jail - we need to end this narrative Details from Red Lobster’s bankruptcy filing are wild and so much mismanagement: * $1B in debt, $30m in cash * Previous PE owner sold land and leased it back to Red Lobster at “above market rates” * $20 Endless Shrimp cost it $11m but the interesting part is that one of the chain’s owners is Thai seafood firm Thai Union (which also owns Chicken By The Sea) and it may have used Endless shrimp to dump its own shrimp supply through the 578 restaurants in North America * Thai Union became the only Red Lobster shrimp vendor, overcharging for shrimp and skipping quality reviews (Thai Union has written off its $500m+ investment) * Red Lobster has had 5 CEO in the last 5 years (!!!) * Sales down 30% since 2019 Source: https://lnkd.in/eDcRyt8j