Author: Nora Chovanec

FARMERS: Doug & Anna Jones-Crabtree LOCATION: Hill County, MT SIZE: 11,200 Acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2016 Doug and Anna Jones-Crabtree are first-generation farmers growing Regenerative Organic Certified Silver-level heirloom grains and legumes in the Northern Great Plains of Montana. Alongside a dedicated crew, they run Vilicus Farms, an 11,200-acre dryland crop operation, of which 3,500 acres are financed in partnership with Iroquois Valley....

FARMER: Justin Butts LOCATION: Albany County, NY SIZE: 105 Acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2022 Justin Butts of Black Wind Farm is a chef, Navy veteran, and first-generation farmer working to reconnect people to food, land, and each other. Nestled in the rolling hills of upstate New York, Black Wind Farm is home to a small herd of Kunekune pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats. For Justin, animal welfare is paramount—from the way he raises his livestock to the...

FARMER: Jody & Crystal Manuel LOCATION: Hill County, MT SIZE: 7,500 acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2021 Jody and Crystal Manuel are third-generation farmers and homesteaders in Havre, Montana. Together with their six children, they operate Prairie Grass Ranch, Gruff Grains heritage grits, and the legacy brand Cream of the West. Motivated by a personal health crisis over two decades ago, the Manuels transitioned their land to organic and became...

FARMER: Adam Roberts LOCATION: Ford & Livingston, IL SIZE: 350 Acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2017 Adam Roberts of Roberts Family Organics may be a first-generation farm owner, but his agricultural roots run deep. His mother comes from a legacy farming family, but farmland rarely passes from mother to son in traditional Midwestern communities. As a result, Adam didn’t grow up on a farm—but he found his way into agriculture through his maternal...

FARMER: Josh & Sara Smith LOCATION: Wells County, IN SIZE: 77 Acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2024 Josh and Sara Smith are first-generation farmers raising their three kids—Isaac, Sadie, and Cora—on Wholesome Meadows Farm in northeastern Indiana. What began in 2014 as a small farmstead has since grown into a diversified organic operation spread across 157 acres. The Smiths own 80 acres dedicated to produce, berries, pumpkins, and pasture-raised...

RANCHER: Cindy Tolle LOCATION: Cochise County, AZ SIZE: 22,000 Acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2024 Cindy Tolle is a biologist, an environmental chemist, and a mother with decades of ranching experience across the West. At the Diamond E. Ranch in Cochise County, Arizona, Cindy, along with her family and her team, Steven and Angie Terrell, approach their work first and foremost as land stewards. Their multi-generational endeavor has US ranch hubs in the...

FARMER: The Hatleys LOCATION: Oakboro, NC SIZE: 110 Acres JOINED OUR PORTFOLIO: 2022 FARM STORY Shawn and Jennifer Hatley are fourth-generation farmers in Stanly County who raise sheep, pigs, cows, ducks, and chickens with their sons, Blake and Eli. The Hatleys apply sustainable and regenerative farming principles and work within a perennial pasture and forest-based farming system (also known as silvopasture) in Oakboro, a suburb of Charlotte. We...