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Help A Small Organic Farm Get Off the Ground (Pun Intended)
Your help is urgently needed. If you care about the environment and sustainability, please read on.
We feel called to provide fresh, nutritious, sustainably sourced organic food to families. To that end, we have started a farm business in Shell Rock, Iowa. Between us, we have worked on 3 other organic farms for several years so we are knowledgeable and well-read about how to run this business well. We started a small but successful CSA farm in Wisconsin last year. We also donated some of our produce each week to a local homeless shelter for women and children to provide the best food to those who need it most, so we are very intentional about sharing what we produce.
Because we are expanding this farm business in Iowa, we are facing significant (to us) start up costs. So far, we’ve been able to manage the expenses that have come up. But to move forward, we need to invest in a few other larger ticket items that are harder for us with the lifestyle that we have. These include:
· A small tractor with a rotary plow, flail mower and power harrow, roughly $9,748
· Farmstand structure to sell produce in our town
· Deer fence so the deer don’t eat up our inventory
· Walk-in cooler to keep our fresh food fresh
We’ve looked into government grants but most of those monies go to conventional farmers who need thousands of dollars to help regulate run-off, erosion, soil health, etc. Small sustainably practiced farms like ours do not have many of those issues, but we do have other ones like pests (deer), initial operating expenses, and start-up costs. This is why it’s hard for small farms to get off the ground (pun intended) while avoiding debt. Because our profit margins will be small, we want to avoid debt, such as business loans.
Help us be able to provide healthy food for those who need it most in our local communities. With your help, we can care for the earth and for families in need! Thank you and God bless you.
Nellie and Stephen Kaus
Whistling Thistle Farmstead
Shell Rock, Iowa
Your help is urgently needed. If you care about the environment and sustainability, please read on.
We feel called to provide fresh, nutritious, sustainably sourced organic food to families. To that end, we have started a farm business in Shell Rock, Iowa. Between us, we have worked on 3 other organic farms for several years so we are knowledgeable and well-read about how to run this business well. We started a small but successful CSA farm in Wisconsin last year. We also donated some of our produce each week to a local homeless shelter for women and children to provide the best food to those who need it most, so we are very intentional about sharing what we produce.
Because we are expanding this farm business in Iowa, we are facing significant (to us) start up costs. So far, we’ve been able to manage the expenses that have come up. But to move forward, we need to invest in a few other larger ticket items that are harder for us with the lifestyle that we have. These include:
· A small tractor with a rotary plow, flail mower and power harrow, roughly $9,748
· Farmstand structure to sell produce in our town
· Deer fence so the deer don’t eat up our inventory
· Walk-in cooler to keep our fresh food fresh
We’ve looked into government grants but most of those monies go to conventional farmers who need thousands of dollars to help regulate run-off, erosion, soil health, etc. Small sustainably practiced farms like ours do not have many of those issues, but we do have other ones like pests (deer), initial operating expenses, and start-up costs. This is why it’s hard for small farms to get off the ground (pun intended) while avoiding debt. Because our profit margins will be small, we want to avoid debt, such as business loans.
Help us be able to provide healthy food for those who need it most in our local communities. With your help, we can care for the earth and for families in need! Thank you and God bless you.
Nellie and Stephen Kaus
Whistling Thistle Farmstead
Shell Rock, Iowa