Restoring the Agricultural Richness of Pembroke

Located one hour south of Chicago, the Pembroke Township in Illinois was once home to the largest Black farming community north of the Mason-Dixon line. Today, less than 50% of this land is owned by descendants of the farming families. Iroquois Valley, in partnership with Black Oaks Center, Savanna Institute, Conservation Fund, Food Finance Institute, and Fresh Taste, was awarded a Conservation Collaboration Grant in 2020 to support this farming community with the financial and technical resources...

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5 Things We Must Do To Improve the U.S. Healthcare System

“Shifting to organic practices on a large scale has enormous potential to regenerate soils, ecosystems, rural economies, our food system, and so much more.”Dr. Stephen Rivard Authority Magazine, a Medium publication, is devoted to sharing interviews to draw out stories that are both empowering and actionable. As a part of Authority Magazine’s interview series called “5 Things We Must Do To Improve the U.S. Healthcare System”, Luke Kervin, Co-Founder of PatientPop, had the pleasure...

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A Conversation with Chicory Wealth

Chicory Wealth, one of the registered investment advisors in our financial advisor network, recently hosted Alex Mackay, our VP, Investor Relations, for a conversation about investment opportunities at Iroquois Valley. We would highly recommend the webinar to anyone interested in a comprehensive overview of what we do. Alex walks through our Pitch Deck and shares stories about three of the farms in our portfolio. 

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“We’re part of the solution: #fornature”: Celebrating the International Day for Biodiversity

“Biodiversity—the variation of life on Earth—is essential to healthy ecosystems and serves as nature’s own system of checks and balances.” Rodale Institute On May 22nd, the U.N.-sponsored International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) was celebrated around the world. Events included visual art shows in the U.S., biodiversity presentations in Portugal, and gardening workshops in South Africa. The IDB reminds us that biodiversity is the solution to several sustainable development challenges,...

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The Promises & Perils of Regenerative Agriculture

Photo by Cornelia Li One of the most common questions we get asked is whether we differentiate between regenerative agriculture and organic agriculture when financing our farms. Our standard response is that the term “regenerative agriculture” is still in development and does not have a definition that is agreed upon across the industry. In contrast, we believe the USDA Organic certification offers a clear and comprehensive basis for farmers to participate and be distinguished in the marketplace.  That...

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Worried about inflation? Invest in organic farmland

“Now is a very good time to invest in one of human civilization’s oldest and most reliable sources of wealth… farmland.”  Justin Anderson, Yahoo Finance The rising fear of inflation is causing many investors to direct their money toward bonds or alternative asset classes instead of the stock market. Despite investors’ concerns, the Federal Reserve continues to hold rates steady, calling any inflation increases “transitory” amid the government stimulus.  For investors interested...

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Featherstone Farm: COVID Stories

The coronavirus pandemic has put the food system in the spotlight in new ways. Our farmer partners at Featherstone Farm in Fillmore County, Minnesota share their experience navigating the pandemic as an organic vegetable operation in a video featuring three of their returning seasonal farmworkers. Iroquois Valley provided financing to Featherstone Farm. Featherstone is the only farm entirely dedicated to vegetable production within Iroquois Valleys’ portfolio.

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Iroquois Valley named to the IA 50 for the ninth year in a row

Iroquois Valley was named an Emeritus Manager by ImpactAssets in its annual IA 50. This year, ImpactAssets celebrates its tenth year curating its widely recognized list of impact investment fund managers. According to ImpactAssets, the IA 50 is an annual showcase of companies dedicated to making impact investments, offering a gateway into the world of impact investing for investors and their financial advisors. The IA 50 offers an easy way to identify experienced and emerging impact fund...

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New Partnership Brings Tree-Range® Chicken to Americans’ Doorsteps

We recently financed the purchase of 75 acres in Rice County, MN for Reginaldo & Amy Haslett-Marroquin to establish their home farm at Salvatierra Farm. Iroquois Valley is pleased to be a key financial partner to the BIPOC farmers and others who are central to seeing Tree-Range® chicken supply chain come alive. More info to come in a future newsletter. We’re sharing their good news about a partnership with Blue Nest Beef: NORTHFIELD, Minn., Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Blue...

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A partnership to support diverse, beginning farmers access more money

A project funded in fall 2020, led by Food Finance Institute (FFI), is on a mission to lower the risk of beginning farm investments to make them more attractive to funders. The project is funded through a $387,000, three-year Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. FFI will work with funders, investors and beginning farmers to create and provide a financial technical assistance (TA) program that will provide beginning...

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Events

Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum: Realities of a Farmland Deal

September 21, 2023
Join us on an insightful journey into the world of organic and regenerative agriculture at the upcoming Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum, September 26th-27th in Denver, CO. On Tuesday, the 26th, our CEO, Chris Zuehlsdorff, will be taking the stage at 11:55 AM MT alongside Cindy Tolle of Evergreen Ranching & Livestock.

News

Central Grazing Co: Catalyzing land restoration by building an alternative lamb market

April 25, 2023
Jacqueline has been in search of well-aligned funders to enable land access, growth of her flocks, and sustainable, regional processing and marketing for the products produced. Jacqueline initially contacted Iroquois Valley in 2020 to learn more about our investment process and eventually requested financing to help expand her sheep flock from Central Grazing’s network of lamb producers.

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