Small Farms, Big Impact
Are you a small producer with big dreams? Find out whether the Local Producer Loan Program is a fit for you.
“By the time he collected his calcium and his corn and his soybean meal and all the different ingredients and brought it back to the farm and mixed it up and put it out for his birds – it would be time to go do it all again.”
Driving all over the Lone Star State wasn’t sustainable – economically, personally or environmentally – so the Cunningham family found a creative solution: They built an organic feed mill at their Coyote Creek Farm in Elgin, Texas. The mill allowed them to build relationships with nearby organic grain farmers and to produce their own organic poultry feed.
As anyone who has ever tried to raise organic chickens knows, the demand for organic, non-GMO feed far outpaces supply. It wasn’t long before other local farmers started asking the Cunninghams to produce organic feed for them too. Soon the feed mill became a hub for like-minded suppliers with a passion for changing the way food is raised.
“It was like a light bulb went off,” Rob says. “We realized that there’s more to this than just producing feed for ourselves.” At that point, Coyote Creek’s mission expanded to include fostering economic opportunity for organic farmers. By providing a market for organic grains, the feed mill helps support local organic grain farmers. By providing organic feed closer to home, the feed mill helps organic livestock producers cut costs and reduce their carbon footprints.
Since the Cunningham family was already supplying their farm-fresh organic eggs to nearby Whole Foods Market stores, it was only natural that they approached our Local Producer Loan Program for help expanding their feed mill business even further.
Founded in 2006, the Local Producer Loan Program takes a big-picture approach to supporting small-scale farmers and artisans. We provide low-interest loans and business mentoring to help local producers bring their products to market, but we’re also passionate about helping to build the supply-chain infrastructure that allows small, innovative farms to thrive.
That commitment is nowhere more apparent than in our collaboration with Coyote Creek Farms. These days, with support from the Local Producer Loan Program, the Cunningham family is building a second organic feed mill in southern Georgia.
“Now those farmers will be able to source feed closer to their farms, which lowers their costs,” Rob explains. “It’s really a win-win.”
Are you a small producer with big dreams? Find out whether the Local Producer Loan Program is a fit for you, and check out our video to learn more about how one family is having a ripple effect when it comes to organic eggs.
Erin Harper is the Senior Program Manager at the Local Producer Loan Program. When she’s not supporting local farmers, she enjoys growing veggies in her backyard.
This article is brought to you by Whole Foods Market
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