Help for the Family Farm

Financing Resources:

 

USDA Farm Loans:

Farm loans are provided to family-size farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank, Farm Credit System institution, or other lenders. These loans can be used to purchase land, livestock, equipment, feed, seed, and supplies, and construct buildings or make farm improvements.

USDA Rural Development Loan and Grant programs:
USDA Rural Development  programs support loans to businesses through banks and community-managed lending pools and offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural and other cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their member services. Rural Development helps rural individuals, communities and businesses obtain the financial and technical assistance needed to address their diverse and unique needs. Follow the link for a listing their Business and Cooperative programs aimed at helping the family farmer.

National City PNC, a SBA Lender:
SBA Loans offer flexible terms and competitive rates, plus they’re partially guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.  National City is proud to be one of the top 10 SBA Lenders in the country.

 

Greenstone Farm Credit Services:

GreenStone FCS provides financial services to the agricultural industry – including short, intermediate and long-term loans, equipment and building leases, life and crop insurance, accounting and tax services, and appraisal services. GreenStone Capital Markets provides lending services to commercial producers and agribusiness.

 

Business Consulting and other services:

 

Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center:

The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center^TM (MI-SBTDC^TM) enhances Michigan’s economic well-being by providing counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies.

SCORE:
SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources:
The MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) can help you develop and commercialize high value, consumer-responsive products and businesses in the agriculture and natural food sectors. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur or an established company, the Center is your key to the front door of MSU’s vast and varied technical expertise, research, outreach, and educational services.

The Center connects you to university resources through the ANR Innovation Counselor’s Network. ANR Counselors are professionals from MSU and partnering organizations who are positioned around Michigan as your initial Center contact. They are educated to assess the developmental phase of your business/product, identify markets, innovate new products, help you make critical go, no-go decisions, and guide you from start-up to market.

When businesses, products or ideas are ready to move forward, an ANR Innovation Counselor connects clients to Client Services. Client Services is the MSU Product Center’s coordinating unit. It’s their job to pinpoint the necessary resources at MSU as well as the resources of state and federal agencies, and private companies, to move projects forward. Client Services works in conjunction with the Center’s Strategic Marketing Institute. The Marketing institute develops the information base needed to support the initial screening and evaluation of concepts, products and businesses.

Hamilton Farm Bureau:
Hamilton Farm Bureau offers nationally certified crop advisors that work in partnership with Michigan’s best producers of crops ranging from cherries and blueberries to corn and wheat. Their professional consultants make recommendations that are specifically designed to help each producer reach stated goals. The on-farm relationship is backed by a staff of skilled technicians who deliver and apply the custom fertility and crop protection solutions. With facilities in Hamilton and Traverse City, Hamilton Agronomy efficiently provides seed, custom fertility, crop protection and application services to the West Coast of Michigan.

Links to Organic Farming Information from Other Sources

Government of Saskatchewan, Crops – Organics, Canada
The Government of Saskatchewan has some fine publications on organic crop production on the plains.

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
The homepage for California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) is a good source of information generally. The CCOF handbook can also be downloaded.

California Organic Program
The text of The California Organic Foods Act of 2003 can be downloaded from this site, as well as organic sales reports.

Canadian Organic Growers
Canadian Organic Growers Inc. is Canada’s national membership-based education and networking organization representing farmers, gardeners and consumers in all provinces. Articles from past issues of The Canadian Organic Grower magazine and its predecessors are available online.

Center for Environmental Farming Systems – Organic Research Unit
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems conducts organic research and farming systems research, and has a project specific to organic grain production and marketing.

Guide to US Organic Certifiers
The Rodale Institute and the Organic Farming Research Foundation have collaborated to create an online resource where farmers can find comprehensive profiles of participating organic certifiers, including fee structures, available services and geographic areas served.

How to Go Organic.com
The Organic Trade Association offers this online collection of existing resources for anyone exploring how to transition to organic. Includes sections for producers and processors, as well as regional and national directories and a resource library.

International Organic Inspectors Association
IOIA is a non-profit, professional association of organic farm, livestock, and process inspectors dedicated to verification of organic production practices. The mission of IOIA is to address issues and concerns relevant to organic inspectors, to provide quality inspector training and to promote integrity and consistency in the organic certification process.

Iowa State University – Organic Agriculture
This site includes a calendar of events, research and educational reports, production information, resources, regulations, and other links.

National Organic Program
The National Organic Program Web site is the place to find and download copies of the Final Rule, learn about current NOSB recommendations, get a history on the National Organic Program, and more.

Opportunities in Agriculture: Transitioning to Organic Production
A 32-page publication from the Sustainable Agriculture Network provides a detailed overview of organic farming and ranching—from designing profitable rotations and building healthy soil to controlling weeds and pests.

Organic Agriculture at FAO
Sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Organic Consumers Association
Focuses on pro-organic and anti-GMO activism by building a network of organic consumers.

Organic Farming Research Foundation
Homepage for OFRF (Organic Farming Research Foundation) and its highly visible SCOAR (Scientific Congress for Organic Agriculture Research) Project. Site features the results of OFRF organic farming surveys, a study of land-grant university support for organic research, information on biotechnology, and lots more.

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) disseminates generic and specific (brand name) lists of materials allowed and prohibited for use in the production, processing, and handling of organic food and fiber. It also conducts scientific research and education on the use of materials by the organic industry.

Organic Price Report (OPR)
The New Farm® Organic Price Report ™ from The Rodale Institute® publicizes weekly price updates of organic prices for a range of goods alongside conventional prices in the same region.

Organic Trade Association
Homepage for the Organic Trade Association (OTA). OTA is the premier organization representing the US organic industry. The site has a large searchable database of organic businesses, including importers, exporters, buyers, suppliers, growers, and others.

planorganic.com
planorganic.com is a commercial site maintained by Jim O’Connor, of Co. Cork, Ireland. A good site for links to an abundance of organic resources, many of them European.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Organic Production Practices
Rutgers University has published a number of organic production budgets for the northeastern states that are available at this site.

Soil and Health Library
“The Soil & Health Library” is an excellent site that keeps many of the classic writings on organic farming—such as Sir Albert Howard’s books—accessible to us.

USDA – Economic Research Service – Organic Farming & Marketing
This briefing room site is maintained by the USDA’s Economic Research Service. A good site for current statistics.

Organic Food Program
The Web site of the Washington State Department of Agriculture Organic Food Program.

Michigan Department of Agriculture
MDA devotes a section of their Web site to news and information on organic farming.

NC Organic
An organic agriculture internet resource for North Carolina farmers.

Organic Production and Certification
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Program