Raising Capital | Edible-Alpha® Learning Center

Building Relationships to Propel Your Business

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

Accessing financing isn’t always a straight line for Value-Added farmers. Read about one farm’s path to growing their cheese business beyond just selling at farmers markets.

Article about Financial Management for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Field to Freezer Streamlines Meat Processing

55 minutes Free read by Edible-Alpha®

Brad chats with Field to Freezer founder Matt McCoy about what it takes to build a tech company and product in the food space.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Transform Your Farm Products and Boost Revenue with a VAPG

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

All USDA Local Agricultural Marketing Program (LAMP) grants application periods are now open! For those helping to boost sales of local food the FM/LFPP grant is for you and for farmers looking to grow their value-added income stream the VAPG.

Article about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

#2 – Why a VAPG Toolkit Read Through?

1 hour 45 minute read of Free resource by Edible-Alpha®

As part of the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant application, Rural Development provides applicants with a “toolkit” to guide them through the working capital or planning process. This 40+ page toolkit is an excellent way to organize the proposal, but it can be intimidating for first-time writers of federal grants.

Books or Guide about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

#1 – The USDA Value-Added Producer Grant is Out!

10 minute read of Free resource by Jim Gage

The USDA Rural Development office announced Notice of Funding Availability (NOSA) last week. This annual grant program has been used by thousands of rural entrepreneurs over its 15+ year history, and I have had the pleasure (and challenge) of being involved in the application process with many clients.

Books or Guide about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

7 Success Strategies for Value-Added Ag

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

For farmers looking to diversify their income and boost total revenue, value-adding can be a great way to go. At its core, value-added agriculture means transforming a raw commodity into something new and of greater value. Any of these opportunities can provide immense value to consumers, increase a farm’s notoriety and generate additional income for the farm business.

Article about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Tera Johnson Shares FFI’s Impact and Opportunities

1 hour 13 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Interim director Sarah Larson interviews Tera about founding the Food Finance Institute and growing its impact over eight years—and what’s next to come.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Dynamic Rhode Island Food Hub Connects Farmers and Eaters

1 hour 20 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Jesse Rye gives Tera the scoop on this innovative, multifaceted food hub that’s strengthening New England’s regional food ecosystem.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

How This Old Farm Built a Successful Meat Processing Business

1 hour 6 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Tera chats with Jessica Roosa of This Old Farm about what it really takes to launch a small meat processing business, from financing to facilities to inspections to marketing.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Get to Know USDA Local Food Grants

52 minutes of Free video content by Edible-Alpha®

This webinar reviews resources available from the USDA, digs into the details of LFPP and FMPP grants, and integrates a live audience Q&A to learn more about what is eligible for award. Listen to learn more about how to submit for these grants funds that support local foods!

Video about Raising Capital for businesses that are Startups | Pre-Venture | Growing and Scaling

The Nuts and Bolts (and Benefits) of Scenario Planning

53 minutes 39 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Scenario planning expert Eric DeLuca joins Tera to discuss this critical tool for scaling food and farm businesses. By mapping out plausible future stories, entrepreneurs can brace themselves for uncertainty and navigate disruption successfully.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

How to Keep Farmland in Farmers’ Hands

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

According to USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, the average age of the American farmer is 57.5, up from 56.3 in 2012. What’s more, a...

Meadowlark Organics Forges Path to Farm Ownership

1 hour and 2 minutes of Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Tera and John Wepking discuss Meadowlark Organics’ farm transition journey, from securing the first loan to buy breeding cattle to building the infrastructure to mill organic small grains on-site, all under the mentorship of an experienced farmer.

Podcast about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

VAPG Update: Deadline Extended to May 4th

10 minute read of Free resource by Edible-Alpha®

The 2021 USDA Value Added producer Grant offers a unique opportunity for farmers to compete for planning and working grant funds – both in terms of the amount of funding available and the 10% match requirement for a significant portion of the awardees.

Books or Guide about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Breadtopia Builds off Pandemic Business Boom

1 hour 25 minutes Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Breadtopia’s Galen Saturley tells Tera all about the early e-commerce company’s roots, growth trajectory and skyrocketing sales through the pandemic.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

5 Success Lessons from a Famous Founder

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

The Edible-Alpha® podcast aims to educate and inspire listeners by showing “what it really takes to make money in food,” as Tera says in...

Article about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Paul Willis Talks Scaling up Humanely Raised Pork

42 minutes 58 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Famous founder Paul Willis of Niman Ranch joins Tera to discuss staying true to his values and scaling up humanely raised, pasture-raised pork to the benefit of small farmers and consumers nationwide.

Podcast about Business Models for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Raising Money for Your Farm Through Value-Added Producer Grants

1 hour 44 minutes Free webinar content by Edible-Alpha®

Tera Johnson interviews renowned VAPG writer and consultant, Jim Gage of JDG Consulting. The webinar gives farm entrepreneurs a better understanding of how a VAPG could help their businesses and if they should be writing one right now.

Video about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling | Startups

Building Investment Cases for Regenerative Farming

10 minute read of Free article by Edible-Alpha®

Farming is hard work, but financing a new organic or regenerative endeavor is its own beast. Land can be expensive and tough to access,...

Article about Financial Management for businesses that are Growing and Scaling

Impact Investing Fosters Organic Farmland Security

47 minutes 58 seconds Free course content by Edible-Alpha®

Tera interviews David Miller about Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT‘s innovative model of supporting the next generation of organic farmers through long-term land leases, mortgages and patient capital.

Podcast about Raising Capital for businesses that are Growing and Scaling