Established in 1999, California FarmLink is certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). We are one of the first CDFIs in the nation focused on sustainable and organic agriculture as well as economic and environmental resilience.
Knowledge, capital, and access to productive assets are the foundations of resilient farm, ranch and fishing businesses. We believe that these factors combine to support equitable local food systems, living-wage jobs, and a healthy environment.
We envision a healthy food system where farmers, ranchers, and fishers have equitable opportunities to build wealth and conserve natural resources.
Our team works across California to affect change by providing access to land, capital and education. We believe these three things are the foundation of sustainable farm businesses that create and preserve wealth while conserving and enhancing natural resources. We also believe that successful farm and ranch businesses support healthy rural communities with resilient food systems, living-wage jobs, and a healthy environment characterized by working lands providing incomes and ecosystem services.
We deliberately direct resources and opportunities to groups that have historically been denied access to land, capital, and education, and thus have been unable to build wealth at the same rate as farmers who had an easier path to accessing land, capital and education.
We maintain a variety of programs and services to meet the unique needs of farmers, ranchers, and fishers, and every element of our work supports the following core principles:
We value equitable access to opportunity, resilient working landscapes, fairness and accountability, and learning from farmers, ranchers, and fishers.
Created by four board members to link farmers and landowners in order to “preserve farmland and farming in California.”
Received $1,200 to organize farmer meetings, provided by the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Secured free office space in Sacramento and created the first list of land opportunities.
Founding executive director, Steve Schwartz, helps launch the International Farm Transition Network; linking and succession workshops organized.
Helped Juan Chavira, New Life Farms, to secure a USDA Farm Service Agency loan to purchase a farm business from former employers.
Began advocating for a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program to be part of the federal Farm Bill.
First multi-year grant of $100,000 received from Wells Fargo for technical assistance to small farm businesses.
Organizational headquarters moved to Sebastopol with field offices in Davis and Santa Cruz, and also in Fresno the following year.
FarmLink joins the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) to advocate for the federal Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
Launched the nation’s first Individual Development Account (IDA) program to invest equity in small farm businesses led by Black, Hmong and Latine farmers.
FarmLink secures first Americorps*VISTA volunteers, beginning a five-year partnership that facilitated professional development of college graduates.
With assistance from U. S. Senator Barbara Boxer, advocated to win authorization of a federal Beginning Farmer and Rancher IDA Program.
Co-hosted the first Intergenerational Farmer-Rancher Mixer at the Ecological Farming Conference.
New series of Individual Development Accounts established, primarily focused on farmers of color.
First loan fund investments
FarmLink was provided $350,000 from the Columbia Foundation, and $250,000 from Wells Fargo, to create a $600,000 loan fund.
Loan partnership
Partnered with California Coastal Rural Development to make loans; FarmLink provided loan capital and identified applicants.
Launched the Loan Program to provide low-interest loans to farmers not bankable by traditional lenders; made five loans totaling $138,000.
First edition of “Farmers Guide to Securing Land” released.
Worked with NSAC to secure funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) in the Farm Bill.
After exploring options for two years, a Latine family in El Dorado County received assistance from FarmLink to secure a conservation easement.
Organized the first Farm Finance Expo to help small-scale farmers learn about practical financing solutions.
Promoted affirmative agricultural easements, leading to changes in how land trusts protect California farmland.
Received BFRDP multi-year funding; FarmLink’s application used as a model by USDA for future applicants.
Licensed as a lender by the State of California’s Department of Business Oversight; cumulative partnership-based lending totaled $655,000.
Grew the number of annual land links and tenure agreements to 30; provided more than 400 clients with business technical assistance.
Became a USDA Farm Service Agency guaranteed lender and started direct lending; FarmLink was the first non-profit in 23 years to secure this status.
Hosted a Beginning Farmer and Rancher IDA program national training for new state programs across the country.
Launched the Resource Library on a new website, which also included online registration for landholders and landseekers.
Certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), becoming the first in the nation focused on sustainable and organic farming.
Organized three regional Farm Finance Expos, which continued in various locations around the state through 2019.
Invested in lending programs by hiring a Loan Operations Manager to help manage a growing loan portfolio.
Provided 305 clients with individual technical assistance, supported 27 land links, and made 38 loans totaling $1.1 million from a $2.7 million loan fund.
Started organizing outreach to organic farmers grappling with how to retire, to eventually create cohorts of families planning for succession.
Issued FarmLink’s first land loan, made to a Latina farmer who was able to purchase her leased land following years of land tenure assistance.
Started working with FarmerMac as a secondary market to extend loan capital availability; FarmLink retains customer service duties.
Became eligible to utilize the California Small Business Loan Guarantee Program and the SBA Community Advantage Program.
Made loans totaling almost $3.4 million, with a total loan portfolio exceeding $5 million.
FarmLink staff grew to 17 individuals, starting a multi-year growth trajectory; eventually doubling to 34 positions in 2024.
Made almost $7.5 million in 65 loans, including six land loans totaling $3.8 million; overall loan portfolio grew to $14.3 million.
Globetrotter Foundation started to provide 90% guarantee on loans to borrowers who could benefit from a private guarantee.
Quickly launched pandemic assistance with the Paycheck Protection Program, eventually disbursing 192 forgivable loans totaling $4.6 million.
Approved by the California Ocean Protection Council to manage the California Fisheries Fund, and started lending to fishers.
Formalized a 10-week online business development course called the Resilerator and launched the Spanish-language El Resilerador.
The Farmer Advisory Council was established to advise the board and staff on the impacts of programs and services within their communities.
New approach to succession
The Regenerator: A Year of Farm Succession Planning course brings together family teams with successors to create actionable plans.
Started The Employment Resilerator course to help clients become great employers, improve their workplaces, and create high-quality jobs.
Our team of staff and advisors is our most important asset. Together they make the work of California FarmLink possible.
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