FarmStart Seed Capital
Investing in the future of agriculture
How to Get Started
FarmStart offers a source of credit for startups who are not generally eligible for conventional lending programs. Click here to view the FarmStart report, which highlights 10 FarmStart participants and the approaches many participants are using to garner success in the competitive agriculture industry.
Farmers, forestry producers, fishermen, farm-related service businesses and cooperatives, generally in their first three years of business. Candidates are expected to be rural entrepreneurs or cooperatives with very little accumulated net worth and few financial resources. The applicant also must be an independent enterprise and cannot be affiliated with an established operation.
Business plan information:We're looking for substance, work ethic, responsibility and follow-through. A business plan is a productive way for new business owners to demonstrate their ability to successfully use their FarmStart investment. Please refer to guidelines, available in your local Farm Credit East branch or from your advisor, on how to write a business plan.
Advisors:Each FarmStart participant will work with a Farm Credit advisor who is knowledgeable in financial management. Advisors stay in touch with participants to help them follow through with their business plan.
CenterPoint Software:CenterPoint, a financial management software for agriculture, will be provided to FarmStart participants at no cost with the purchase of a Silver Level Customer Care Plan. Learn more about CenterPoint software.
Learn more by contacting your local Farm Credit East office or email FarmStart@farmcrediteast.com.
Profile of Successful FarmStart Participants
Colleen Francke, Summit Point Seafood Founder, Casco Bay, Maine
“It is rewarding to be able to work with beginning entrepreneurs through the early stages of their business and see how their hard work pays off over the next few years."
– Kathryn Bisson, FarmStart Advisor
Views From the Field
Colleen Francke, Summit Point Seafood Founder, always knew she wanted to be on the water, but after nearly a decade offshore lobstering, she set her sights on something new — kelp production.
Today, Colleen harvests macroalgae, the large brown kelp, on 18 acres in Casco Bay, Maine. Production starts indoors in the fall and in November is transplanted to horizontal lines that run about seven feet below the water’s surface. The kelp grows over the course of the winter and is harvested in the spring.
The FarmStart program invests working capital of up to $75,000 in Northeast agriculture, fishing and forest products ventures showing promise of success. Early in her business, Colleen was introduced to FarmStart and teamed up with a business advisor through FarmStart’s collaboration with SCORE.
“SCORE was the most valuable component of the FarmStart program for me. My advisor helped me think through every aspect of the business, helped to identify gaps, and prepare for potential market fluctuations. This helpful learning tool turned my project into something I could actually make a living at.”