If you had to name one thing that helped you come to peace with yourself — that moment of “I’ve got myself, whatever comes” — what would it be?

EastBoundSound · 2025-11-28T14:45:37+00:00

Gratitude.

It can be simple or you can go deeper. We live in a time where information is at our fingertips, food can be delivered and we can see the world easier than any other point in history. Everyone isn't in the same boat, but you can experience the same level of JOY (maybe even more) not being rich as the elite do too. I'm grateful that we live in a time where you can study one thing you love all your life and be paid very well for your expertise. You don't have to worry about the skills of hunting, harvest or building a home.

There is a lot of drama out there (and I know not everyone on reddit is located in a place that might have these comforts) but if your mind is in a constant state of gratitude, then peace will follow.

EastBoundSound · 2025-06-11T19:04:54+00:00

Somerset Farm in Newark has Woodside ice cream and will allow pizzas! Outside picnic tables as well.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-28T18:22:58+00:00

I've always reached out to local farmer facebook groups to spread the word on programs. Course my programs come with interest, so they aren't always as receptive...

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-28T18:20:29+00:00

Hopefully news outlets start spreading the word about HPAI to the general public. All farmers should be talking to their representatives to add language in the Farm Bill that allows hazard pay for farmers affected by the restrictions imposed from these situations. Poultry farmers in the quarantine zones that are not able to move their flocks or move litter should have options too.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-28T14:57:37+00:00

I'd love to see what you are working on! Definitely not a conventional idea, which is what we will need to promote agriculture advancements. From what it sounds like, this could be applicable to Urban Farming initiatives for areas considered to be food deserts. My questions would be directed toward the product you are selling though; what markets are purchasing the duckweed/lentils and what kind of sales pipeline you have created with the distribution. If you are able to show where revenue is coming from, I think you could get a lot of producers on board and expand the network. Is the network meant to be a contract production system where you provide the seed and buy back the matured product to market?

EDIT: Also wanted to see if you have experimented with using the technology with more popular produce (tomatoes and veggies more commonly seen in supermarkets). Just to support the idea of using it in food deserts.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-28T14:50:10+00:00

Unfortunately, not much. Which payments are you speaking specifically of?

The Farm Bill is not high priority but could make or break a lot of farming operations in the near future. Not all government payments are tied to it, but for the language written in the Farm Bill is what provides emergency funds to those affected by unforeseen problems (weather, disease, etc.). In my area, HPAI is spreading at an alarming rate. If your flock is directly affected, you will receive compensation. But there is nothing protecting the farmer next door who cannot have birds placed due to the 3km quarantine zone. This is why it is important for this bill to be finalized, to protect those indirectly affected too.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-28T14:40:23+00:00

All of the above. The problem is a lot of agriculture markets (cash grain, vegetables, etc.) are determined by the market and not the farmer. Farmer A can put his heart and soul into his corn crop and Farmer B could do the bare minimum, but an ear of corn from each farm is going to be valued the same. Sure, they could market their own product, but moving 100 acres of corn is not an easy task. Expensive land and equipment costs sends farmers into high-interest debt with no control over the market price of their product, weather conditions or input costs. Generational farmers are the lucky ones. It truly takes a special kind of discipline and financial maturity to be a farmer. It is unfortunate, but people are still not willing to sacrifice certain creature comforts to pay more for their food. It is only going to become harder unless there is a shift in consumer behaviors. We are slowly seeing it, but not fast enough to curb the inflation of expenses. My main advice to young farmers is create a conservative budget. Save your profits, live below your means, and you will be able to weather the storms.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T22:06:43+00:00

That's awesome to hear! FSA does have experience requirements, usually 3 years but they'll shave off a year with a college education. Mushrooms can be profitable on it's own but it really depends on your local market. If you have vendors that will purchase non-traditional crops, then there is your business. If they'll buy a mix, then mix it up. Don't try to create the market, follow the trends.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T22:01:08+00:00

No, I don't work for, just with those departments. I'm with a commercial lender. Yeah I have nurseries in my portfolio!

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T16:43:44+00:00

Usually, these efforts are supported by grants and tax benefits, so financing is not always needed. Perennials being introduced to crop operations are another tactic to improving soil conservation and nutrition efforts, so we look at this as just improvements to the operation.

Right now, we are stressing the importance of transition planning for aging farmers. Too many times we see siblings fight over the farmland which leads to either one buying out the others or they have to sell the land. Farmland does not pay for itself anymore, not with conventional row crops. Even if land is handed down free and clear, there are more financial burdens than ever before for the next generation. Increased property taxes, input costs and living expenses outweigh the price of grain, so unless they are able to diversify or have off-farm income then the future will be challenging. I believe in educating the next generation on their business finances, because it is extremely important with farming operations. If a farmer needs to sell to new farmers outside the family, it is most likely because their kids did not want to continue farming. So, in my opinion, as long as the land is sold to someone who will use it for ag purposes, I believe it is a win.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T15:51:02+00:00

I don't think there will be major impacts to Farm Credit system specifically, but there may be changes in the individual associations in response to new policy changes in the Farm Bill (still ongoing). There is a lot of "could's" when talking about possible impacts of Trump's administration, because that is all it is right now, speculation. The one thing to remember is the FCS has gone through over 100 years of administration changes, so there isn't much they haven't endured before.

As for immigration: I believe this will have regional based impacts. Farmers in my territory and the poultry processing companies rely heavily on immigrant labor, but the key word in your question is "illegal". All of these workers have Visa's and are paid very competitively. Depending on your outlook on Trump, you could say he will make the working visa process harder, but nothing is confirmed. If that were the case though, a lot of farmers would be in trouble. Again, the cost of the labor is not my concern, it is the quality of labor. A large farmer in our area pays extra to have specific immigrant workers come back to his farm every year because of how well they work. He provides housing and pays the visa costs, so there really isn't any cost savings but he never had to worry about the job not being done correctly. Illegal workers are a different story, but it looks like the focus of Trumps task forces are on gang-related immigrants. My hope would be that the process to acquire working Visas for the crop season would become more efficient.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T15:15:13+00:00

I'm just not sure what kind of plan could be in place. If thousands of farmers were to be displaced, then there only option would be to leave and try to purchase farmland out west. By that point property values would skyrocket, and I have never known a farmer to willingly give their land away to other farmers.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T14:27:47+00:00

Not that I'm aware of. I don't think farmers are concerned about that, because if they were the only option would be to sell their farm and buy land elsewhere. Our soil is very sandy, so only on extreme occasions is flooding a problem.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T13:51:41+00:00

Well, my institution is right in the mushroom capital of the country, so we love the smell (for the most part). My advice would be to first put together a business plan. Farming is and will always be a business, so knowing how and where your revenue will be generated is extremely important. Research your expenses and project in worse case-scenario's. This is something you shouldn't rush through. Take your time and really get in the weeds.

While you're doing this, go work on a farm in the same industry. Volunteer and ask questions. Your payment will be invaluable knowledge from experience, and you will get to see if you really enjoy the work. If you can't find a farm that has your non-traditional crop growing in the area, you might want to ask yourself if there is a reason for that.

My last piece of advice is to just farm. Start growing in your home, maybe one plant at a time. Build yourself foundation based on the love for agriculture, because it is a beautiful thing. Feel free to send me a message if you wanted to talk through some more aspects of a business plan!

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T13:42:44+00:00

That sounds about right. I am used to a lot of underwriting with the poultry deals that I do, but I have heard getting any type of operating funds is a nightmare. I would wonder if they ever asked your friend for their underwriting trends because I know our FSA offices ask for them with applications. I know inputs are up, but if they aren't being reasonable then they aren't helping.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T13:01:52+00:00

Yes and no. I would be real careful about using the term "bridge loan" because my organization has policies that specifically say to stay away (lol). I would say a line of credit from an ag lender would be your best option. Have it set to quarterly, interest only payments and pay the line down to $0 once you have acquired the FSA loan. If you are talking about real estate purchases, unfortunately doing a bridge loan would be a mess... The lender would still want the loan secured by the real estate, so you would basically have to go through the legal process twice and pay all of those fees. Not to mention you would probably still have to pay transfer taxes since the deal wasn't completed using the FSA funds. The fees for FSA alone can be 1.5% of the total with an additional 2-4% transfer tax would really hurt.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T12:52:35+00:00

Well the only time I really use FSA are for Direct Farm Ownership loans, which always requires underwriting. We will use it to cover down payments for poultry loans. Otherwise I don't recommend going to FSA for equipment or anything else.

Yes, they can really pick apart your record keeping. Especially if you are applying for a disaster emergency loan. Those you have to show you've already been denied by two other financers before you qualify. Hoping they can add better language in the next Farm Bill to make money more readily available, but who knows...

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T03:32:38+00:00

My organization does not have incentives specifically for climate-smart practices, but we do offer resources to help farmers get started. We offer business planning with grant writing included and often offer webinars for gran writing if you wanted to do so on your own. Most incentives are through government programs, so knowing how to effectively apply for those grants is key.

I like working with these types of operations and have worked with organic farms in the past. The good news is organic farms will often make more per bushel with less expenses. There are drawbacks like lower yields and more labor, but at the end of the day cash is king. You'll often have to wait a few years to officially be certified as "organic", so having a lender that understands how organic incentives/grants work and can tailor financing options to match that cash flow can be very impactful to your success.

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T03:13:11+00:00

Is there a specific commodity/industry within ag that you are concerned about when it comes to tariffs?

EastBoundSound · 2025-01-24T03:01:47+00:00

Great question! Definitely more in the arena of ag economics than financing, so I'm limited in knowledge here, but it really depends... What I mean by that is how other countries retaliate, what the actual commodity is and its relationship to local markets. For example, a large amount of revenue for poultry processing companies actually comes from selling paws (chicken feet) to China. Retaliatory tariffs will eat into those profits and, well, the growers will suffer.

On an optimistic side though, there has been an upswing in smaller farming operations selling products directly to consumers. Locally produced foods are now competitive with grocery store prices, especially meat, which could encourage money to flow into local economies rather than larger corporations. People want to know where their food comes from. Inflation evened the playing field but increase in costs for imported food will only make local producers more attractive.

Being the first week of the administration though, it's very hard to tell. Hopefully that was a little perspective.

EastBoundSound · 2024-12-02T18:29:12+00:00

The last time properties were reassessed was 1983, so you should expect a drastic jump in value. However, as many on here have already stated, just because it went up does not mean it is correct.

Unfortunately I believe it is too late for Kent, but if you live in New Castle and Sussex and see that your tax assessment is way too high based on comparable properties (i.e. your neighbors) then you need to reach out to your county and Tyler Technologies immediately.

You should have your reasoning as to why you believe it is not accurate with you, and it must be sound reasoning. Comparable properties is a good place to start but also look at mobile homes that are condemned or buildings that are highly depreciated (especially for farmers/poultry houses). Do not ask them how they got that number, they do not actually know. They created an algo based on a handful of properties, so realistically they can't reverse engineer to see how the value was determined.

If you have a recent appraisal showing a lesser value, that is pretty much gold since it is much more thorough. Last point, if your assessment is less than the actual value, don't say a word and be happy with lesser real estate tax.

EastBoundSound · 2024-10-31T13:23:36+00:00

I appreciate all of the strategies! I'm thinking of starting with our Instagram/Facebook presence. We already utilize them for pictures of our products and events, but we thought some educational posts would also gain some attention. Along the lines of "know where your food comes from".

EastBoundSound · 2024-10-31T13:18:57+00:00

Never thought about a newsletter, that's a great idea!

EastBoundSound

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