Wayne Talmage farms the iconic White Buffalo Farm in the North Fork Valley! Wayne is short funds to make this years final land payments. This is due largely to late spring and early fall freezes combined with germination disrupting extreme heat in June. If Wayne does not reach a commitment of loan funding by December 1, he wont be able to make the payment. If he cant make the payment, his efforts to steward the farms future come to an end. How to Make a Loan to the Farm Please make the farm a small loan now. Wayne and Myriem, Waynes partner, hope for one or two generous benefactors to loan the farm $30,000. As a backup plan, we also need our friends and family to make loans to White Buffalo Farm, Inc. We can pool loans of $1,000 or more to reach our goal. Wayne is offering 12.5% interest with loan(s) to be repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the farm. There is ample equity value in the farm to repay loans made. Your loan will be repaid in a lump sum payment within 30 days of closing the farm sale. Other arrangements are possible depending on needs of lender. To begin, call or email to formalize a loan agreement. Contact Myriem who has a loan agreement template ready to plug in specifics or we can use an online system that also tracks loans and repayment schedules. Then, simply put a check in the mail to the farm before Thanksgiving. Alternatively, Myriem can provide wiring instructions. Loan Timeline To cover the land payment, funding must be in the farms bank account by December 4 for first land December payment of $20k. To be on the safe side, the funds for the other land payment of $10k funds are needed by December 20. The second payment is due December 30. Please call or write Myriem before Monday, November 25, if you can. Last minute funding is OK, if time constraints prevent acting sooner to help the farm. Further Loan Details If we do not reach the funding required for the land payment, Wayne will return funds as it makes no sense to keep any monies received at that point. We will report on how much money is pooled to all those who have loaned the farm money by email. We will also report on our facebook page and in upcoming newsletters. To track the loan online, we can also use the peer to peer lending platform. THANK YOU! Smaller Contributions Welcome! Contribute to our Eco-Village Campaign! Even if you can not help the farm with a loan, you can show your support and help us in our efforts to optimize the conditions for a farm-based eco-village at White Buffalo! If enough of us get behind it, we can make Farm-Based Eco-Village at White Buffalo Farm happen! As perks for donating, we have lovely organic farm-made gifts for you to share during the holidays! To steward this unique ecological, historical and cultural resource, there are many possibilities. In one scenario, a team of social entrepreneurs might secure start-up funding for a farm-based eco-village in which individuals thrive by developing their own small business rooted in a farm-based livelihood. White Buffalo Farm is replete in undeveloped potential in agri-tourism, service learning and restorative retreat services, not to mention small batch organic foods like preserves and cheeses, and its regional CSA. Agri-tourism ventures might include sustainability workshops, an interpretive natural history center, a cafe and B&B. WBF Self Funds a Safety Net Organic fruit farming is a risky, but heavenly business. A world without fruit would be a sad one indeed. Where else can you grow fruit in Colorado than on the Western Slope? So, Colorados oldest organic fruit farm must provide its own financial safety net since federal programs are insufficient for non commodity food growers. As part of selling the farm, Wayne and Myriem work diligently on strengthening farm operations for the next generation of owners. To learn more, call Wayne 970 275 2076. With our online fundraising, CSA expansion and planned workshops, we will be able to cover operating expenses through next season. We have diligently reworked our Chart of Accounts for improved crop revenue tracking. Most importantly, as the farm continues to evolve in 2014, we plan to strengthen revenues through natural building workshops, expanded small batch processing, increased CSA sales, staff development, further online technology (such as an online store and ag squared) and agro-tourism including hosting weddings and other retreats for our nature loving Front Range and Utah friends seeking restorative experience. Crop Insurance for Organic Producers On November 6, thirteen U.S. Senators moved in a new direction on final Farm Bill. In their letter, the Senators stress that: Specialty crop growers, organic producers, diversified operations, and young and beginning farmers, who have traditionally been underserved by federal crop insurance, deserve access to affordable and sufficient risk management tools that are on par with what is available for commodity producers Joining Senator Merkley (D-OR) on the letter were Senators Al Franken (D-MN), Carl Levin (D-MI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Kirsten GIllibrand (D-NY). Where does Colorado Senator Udall stand? Will he join the other savvy Senators on the next go round. We are hopeful! Wayne seeks a Seasoned Vegetable Manager for 2014 and a Farm Administrative Assistant. Interested in our 2014 Farm Intern or Apprentice Program? Check out Visits and Stays on our website. Join so many others who have learned to farm at White Buffalo! You can also write the farm for an info sheet to complete [email protected] Watch for 2014 updates to our WWOOF and Growfood.org sites How Best Grow the White Buffalo Legacy? JOIN US AS WHITE BUFFALO CONTINUES TO LEAD AUTHENTIC ECO-FRIENDLY CHANGE IN 2014! In the coming year, Wayne hopes to sell his wonderful farm to a new generation of organic farmers and communitarian dreamers. He needs your help to fund the sale of the farm! You can help us by encouraging your friends to sign up for our newsletters and like our Facebook page. We distribute grassroots, farm-based insights on farming in Colorado. We need your help to raise awareness about equity and distributed land tenure for Americas emerging young farmers. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Wayne, Myriem and a growing farm transition team! Advisors welcome! CONTACT DETAILS White Buffalo Farm 16877 Grange Road Paonia, Colorado 81428 Land Line: 970-527-3042 Wayne: 970-275-2076 Myriem: 970-422-1373 About our Newsletter: Please encourage our spouse and friends and family to sign up. If we make our land payments in December, we plan to update you regularly on farm happenings and progress made on an emerging farm-based eco-village prototype. FARM HISTORY White Buffalo Farm is the longest running organic market farm in Colorado, now going on almost forty years! White Buffalo Farm is the iconic anchor of the organic farm movement in the North Fork Valley. Many were inspired to learn market farming here including many who now farm in the valley. The farm was founded by forward thinking young men and women seeking to restore a wholesome way of life for themselves and others during the back to the land movement. Emerging out of an intellectual exploration of history and philosophy and political economy, these young people chose to leave the comforts social and physical of the Front Range and settle on an old orchard with plenty of water on the Western Slope. Inspired by the writings of Rachel Carson and others, the farms founders opted for organic practices and participated in the development of the state and national organic certification program. In the 1970s and 1980s, White Buffalo Farm delivered the first market quantities of organic fruit to natural food stores along the Front Range and into the Midwest. Retail outlets included the first Vitamin Cottage in Denver, Whole Foods in Austin, Alfalfas and Crystal Market in Boulder (later Wild Oats on Pearl Street), Boulder Fruit Express and many others. The farms reach extended to Los Angeles with a delivery of plums and even Philadelphia with an order for sweet cherries Earths Best sourced organic pears from White Buffalo Farm for the country’s first organic baby food. QUICK LINKS • Visit our website • Join our mailing list • Donate now! COLORADOS PIONEERING ORGANIC FARM FOR SALE! This iconic farm features exceptional senior water rights, a diverse orchard, vegetable fields, grow tunnels for year round production, a half mile of river front on a scenic byway and forty years of organic stewardship! Colorados pioneering organic fruit farm is now offered for sale at 2.1 million dollars. The price is negotiable if in lowering the price we preserve hope and the legacy. In order to continue the legacy, Wayne encourages the formation of a farm-based eco-village, sale to a foundation or perhaps to the Ute peoples who originally inhabited this valley. Farm sales packet The packet includes preliminary title work and a survey map ready for review. The packet also presents potential buyers with charts on the valuation of the farm and previous assessments. Ask for the farms Income Statement for 2011 and 2012. We hope to have 2013 numbers up to date soon. The packet is transmittable via email. To learn more, please visit the White Buffalo Farm website and property listing. To discuss the sale of the farm, call Wayne or Myriem. To request a sales packet, write [email protected] INVEST IN A VANGUARD FARM: THEN AND NOW! Beyond green portfolio investing, your direct-to-farm loan can earn you 12.5% interest and help a wonderful pioneering farmer! White Buffalo Farm requires $20k by Weds., December 4. Deepest apologies for late notice. Much is happening simultaneously to ensure optimal transition for the farm. Thank you for your assistance and understanding! We hope to repay all loans this year. We expect the farm to be sold in 2014, probably sooner than we think! whitebuffalofarm.org
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:33:45 +0000
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