July 4, 2016

Our Green Loan Program in Action

FARM NEWS

What to do with farm ground for the three years after it has been farmed with chemicals, but before it is certified organic has been a question I have toiled with for a decade now. When we purchase conventional land and work to convert it to organic farmland, the plan has been to grow something that will both enrich the soil and prevent the weeds from taking over in the most economical way possible.

Before they were readily available, my brilliant wife sought out pasture-raised eggs and only stocked the kitchen with them. I was amazed to discover that organic eggs were cheaper than the non-organic, pasture-raised eggs. I did not realize the difference between the two types of eggs until we ran out, and the yolk that flowed onto my breakfast plate was runny and dull in color with a flavor that wasn’t quite right. Amazed, I commented to my wife about how much better the pasture-raised eggs tasted.

This began our journey to find more of these amazing eggs, which proved to be difficult. The fact is that good eggs come from healthy chickens and most healthy chickens come from environments in which they are able to forage green pastures while scratching, pecking and flapping their wings freely.

Bringing it back to my question above, this pasture sitting around waiting to become certified organic for my fresh fruit and vegetable production, would be the ideal home for happy hens. Many years later, we have partnered with one of our original pasture-raised egg farmers, Dan. We are excited to be making plans to increase our flock of happy, pasture-raised hens. Last summer, we took a conventional field and started the three-year transition process to organic by seeding a pasture mix designed for chickens. This summer, we are investing in chicken coops that can move around the field, and we are raising lots of new chickens on this pasture. When the land becomes certified organic, we will move the flock to the next piece of ground to be transitioned to organic. The end result is more certified-organic ground (with extremely nutrient-rich soil) and more pasture-raised eggs to offer - my kind of win-win!

As genius as this all is, if I do say so myself, it takes advance capital to build hen houses and raise chicks to egg-laying age. As such, this year we are building a better egg program as part of our Green Loan program, where customers and the community can lend us working capital to bring projects like our new pasture-raised egg program to reality. In a nutshell, we will pay you a set interest rate in cash or in Farm Fresh To You credits. The loans we are willing to accept range from $2,000 to $50,000. With over 200 participants, this program is completely legitimate and licensed through the Department of Business Oversight California Department of Corporations as a DPO (direct private offering).

We are excited to be expanding our flock of pasture-raised-egg layers and hope you are too! To learn more about investment options, please email us at mstuart@farmfreshtoyou.com. Thank you for considering our Green Loan program as a secure way to let your money grow while building a better food system.

This offering is available only to California residents who meet certain suitability requirements. THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS OVERSIGHT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DOES NOT RECOMMEND OR ENDORSE THE PURCHASE OF THESE SECURITIES.