Judith Redmond

California FarmLink

The mission of California FarmLink is to link independent farmers and ranchers to the land and financing they need for a sustainable future. Established in 1999 as a nonprofit public benefit organization, FarmLink supports the success of beginning, limited-resource, immigrant and other underserved farmers. The organization works across California, with focus on the Central Coast, Central Valley, and North Coast regions. FarmLink helps farmers to: access capital through its loan program and other lenders, ranging from micro-loans to farm mortgages. find land, develop sound lease agreements, and partner with landowners to purchase farms or transition farm businesses to the next generation participate in training and technical assistance on land tenure and financial and business management Partnerships with farmer training programs, impact investors, government agencies, and other nonprofits help farmers to learn about and improve business management, obtain affordable financing, and secure land tenure. California FarmLink was certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in 2013 - one of the first agricultural CDFIs in the nation focused on small farmers and sustainable and organic agriculture. FarmLink works to build a diverse sustainable farming community that includes women, people of color, immigrants, young and old, who are too often under-resourced and under-capitalized in agriculture. These farmers are vital for the future of healthy, local food systems. Loans: The Loan Program provides flexibly structured financing for operations, equipment, infrastructure, land, and other agricultural needs. We serve borrowers who would otherwise have difficulty securing financing due to limited business history and other factors. Land: The Land Access Program maintains a database of land available for lease or sale, connects farmers and landowners, helps farmers develop and negotiate strong agreements, and supports the purchase of land.