Iroquois Valley is proud to share the stories of the six farms we partnered with this spring – this is the largest number of investments we’ve made in a two-month timeframe in our Company’s history. We continue to have a strong pipeline and have six additional commitments to farmers that we expect to close by fall. As always, each investment is the result of a farmer reaching out to us about a specific need. Our due diligence centers on an inclusive and holistic underwriting process, beginning with building a relationship with the farmer and understanding their business. These relationships often develop over months, or even years, in some cases. Meanwhile, we are developing new products to expand our work with farmers – we are excited to share more about those developments in the coming months. Our portfolio now consists of nearly 60 partnerships with independent farms, covering 30,000 acres in 17 states, representing more than $75MM in assets.
With our current commitments and other transactions in the due diligence phase, we expect our available capital to be fully allocated by the end of this month. We are very pleased to reopen our REIT Equity Shares and hope that with investors' help, we will be able to replenish our cash account and continue to support independent organic farmers. As a reminder, investing in farmland through our REIT Equity Shares serves as a hedge against inflation. The valuation of your REIT shares is based on the underlying farmland values, which typically rise during periods of inflation. We are on track to have our busiest year yet with new investments, reinvestments, and continued growth in our farmer network and pipeline. We are glad to be open for fundraising both equity and debt as we experience historic interest in our work.
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Our investments this spring |
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Close Farm - Indiana - closed 4/1/22
We made an investment with the Scher family to purchase land that will enable them to begin an organic transition. With the support of a nearby organic farmer, Daniel Scher will undertake his first organic transition following a diversified grain, bean, and corn rotation with cover crops. This investment offers an established fourth-generation farmer the opportunity to transition acreage for the first time, gaining the experience to transition more of his land over time.
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Temple Farm - Michigan - closed 4/18/22
We made another investment with the Vollmar family, who we featured in a recent newsletter here. This investment represents the purchase of an already certified organic farm that came up for sale from a longtime landowner. Mark Vollmar had been leasing the property from the previous owner and building the soil through organic methods for over 20 years. We are delighted to help keep these acres in the Vollmars’ hands so they can continue the regenerative and organic land stewardship!
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Pictured to the right is Mark Vollmar,
Tuscola County, MI
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Mantoan Farm - Illinois - closed 5/13/22
We worked with the sellers to support continued tenure for the long-time farm operator of this property in Illinois. The Lambert family has been farming this property organically for 25 years growing a crop rotation of grains, beans, and corn with cover crops. When the owners wanted to sell, Iroquois Valley purchased the land so that the Lamberts could continue farming it.
Tulip Tree Gardens - Illinois - closed 5/18/22
Rachael and Jesse Smedberg are the owners and operators of Tulip Tree Gardens, a diversified farm that grows vegetables, medicinal plants, and flowers, in addition to raising a small herd of livestock on pasture. Our investment with Tulip Tree represents three unique transactions, two of which allow the Smedbergs to refinance their mortgage for the property on more supportive terms as well as access working capital to grow. Jesse and Rachael have been using regenerative and organic methods on their farm but will certify organic as a result of our partnership.
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Tulip Tree Gardens in Will County, IL |
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Anderson Farm - Missouri - closed 5/20/22
Our first investment in Missouri! This is a reinvestment with Cindy Tolle, a farmer and entrepreneur we previously featured in our newsletter about our first investment in Arizona. Cindy continues to build out her vision to link a series of partner farms and ranches in strategic locations in order to create a dynamic supply chain leading to the processing facility she owns in South Dakota. This investment in Missouri is a partnership between Cindy and an experienced local rancher, Kevin Riutcel, who is also the supply chain coordinator for the Audubon Conservation Program. Kevin will run a herd of heritage cattle at the Anderson Farm using management-intensive, regenerative methods while certifying the property as organic. He also raises heritage hogs using Rodale Institute’s organic pork methodology and will expand this onto the Anderson Farm. In addition to this pasture-based system which will re-establish native plants, Kevin has also been fine-tuning a sprout fodder system funded by Audubon. This sprout fodder system will allow for the efficient production of nutrient-dense sprouted grains as an alternative nutrition source and supplement for the livestock, mitigating drought risk during times when pasture growth slows down. We are excited to continue working with Cindy and her partners as they grow and become an increasingly resilient force in the food system.
Norwich Farm Foundation - Vermont - closed 5/26/22
We were introduced to the Norwich Farm Foundation team through Karin Chamberlain, a financial advisor we work with at Clean Yield Asset Management in Vermont. We provided mortgage financing for Norwich Farm Foundation to secure the last working dairy farm in Norwich, VT. This historic property will be the site of a fully operating dairy farm and creamery managed by the nonprofit organization and in collaboration with the community. Norwich Farm will also source from other farms in the region and offer educational experiences to individuals, schools, and organizations. Norwich Farm Foundation plans to diversify the farm by planting orchards, raising pigs and chickens on pasture, and more. This investment is our second with a nonprofit organization.
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Now accepting investments in our REIT offering |
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We are excited to announce that our REIT Equity Shares Offering is now available for new investments at our updated share price of $686 per share. The minimum investment is $10,290 (15 shares), and both non-accredited and accredited investors are eligible to invest. The subscription agreement can be found on our website and includes instructions on how to invest via our online portal or mail. Your investment is essential to our ongoing work transitioning farmland to organic. We also continue to accept investments in our Series IV Soil Restoration Notes, and we encourage interested investors to make a tax-deductible donation to our partner, Healing Soils Foundation. If you have questions about our investment offerings, Healing Soils Foundation, or our Company, please reach out to invest@iroquoisvalleyfarms.com to schedule a call.
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Celebrating Dr. George Washington Carver's impact on sustainable agriculture |
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In honor of Juneteenth, we are celebrating the legacy of Dr. George Washington Carver, a Black farmer who was among the first to formally recognize the importance of cover crops (particularly the peanut) and diverse crop rotations.
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The information contained on this website is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security, insurance product, or service. Any product or service discussed in this website is intended for and is only appropriate for accredited and institutional investors and other qualified purchasers as determined by current SEC regulations and orders. The information available on this website is for informational purposes only.
Securities involve risk, and investment may result in a partial or total loss. Some of the statements herein may constitute forward-looking statements under federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described in offering circulars prepared for the purpose of offering and selling securities by Iroquois Valley. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any historical returns, expected returns, or probability projections may not reflect actual future performance.
Iroquois Valley and its affiliates are not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. It is strongly recommended that any purchase or sale decision be discussed with a financial advisor, tax advisor, broker-dealer, or a member of any financial regulatory body. The information contained herein has been provided as an information service only. The accuracy or completeness of the information is not warranted and is only as reliable as the sources from which it was obtained.
In particular, Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT, PBC is offering its common stock for sale pursuant to Tier 2 of Regulation A+, and as such intends to be exempted from state qualification pursuant to federal law. Offerings are only made through our Offering Circular, available here. No offer to sell securities or solicitation of an offer to buy securities is being made herein or in any state where such offer or sale is not permitted under the blue sky or state securities laws thereof.
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CONNECTING FARMERS, 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 who want to grow their businesses. We move forward when we have a ready, willing, and able farmer.
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Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT | Public Benefit Corporation
Certified B Corporation | Est. 2007
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