Note from the CEO
In this newsletter you will learn about the many ways California FarmLink is empowering our clients with knowledge and skills for business success. We have several upcoming courses open for enrollment, described below, and we encourage you to share these opportunities with your networks. When participants complete a course, we refund the course fee and offer a 1% discount on our loan rates. Also shared in this newsletter are FarmLink’s new Impact Report, expressing our theory of change, and our Annual Report outlining 2025’s program highlights. We are grateful for your support and involvement in making this work possible. Thank you.
Warmly,
Reggie Knox
CEO
Table of Contents
Introducing FarmLink’s new Learning Centers
This spring, while farmers have been charting their course through chaotic weather to harvest and plant, we have been putting finishing touches on many years of work to bring new business Learning Centers online. We know many established farmers won’t find time for these resources until after Thanksgiving, but we are excited to get them launched for those who are in early planning stages and for business advisers.
California FarmLink’s new interrelated multimedia Learning Centers contain beginning , intermediate, and advanced materials ranging from short definitions to detailed workbooks. These written and audio-visual guides focus on applied understanding and implementation. The Learning Centers are designed for farmers, ranchers and fishers, as well as for bookkeepers, tax preparers, and accountants who help agricultural and fishing businesses adopt good business and financial management practices.
Learning and business development are not linear, so these learning centers are not designed with a clear beginning and end. You can enter wherever your need or curiosity takes you, and navigate to other resources as you choose. In the coming weeks we will share additional updates on our blog, introducing each of the learning centers in more detail.
Our next blog post will focus on the Business Basics and Business Planning Learning Centers, which are the best places to start if you have recently begun your business.
We are particularly excited about our new Bookkeeping Learning Center, because it was built for people who are well down the road of running a business and now realize that they need to make fundamental changes to how they keep their books. We got you! The Bookkeeping Learning Center is a short course on farm bookkeeping and includes model charts of accounts you can use as a guide to restructure your current books, or you can download and upload into Quickbooks Online if you want a fresh start. We highly recommend a fresh start! You will also find videos with step-by-step instructions for how to get started and how to maintain your books going forward.
The Income Tax Learning Center has something for everyone. It starts with essential information for new business owners and continues through intermediate and advanced topics related to agricultural taxation. You will find videos, written resources, and a Farm Tax Organizer designed to help you organize information from prior years if you need to - or decide to - file past due tax returns. How common is it for people to need to or decide to file past tax returns? So common we created a whole workbook to help you do it. We don’t care where you have been, we just want to help you establish a financial foundation for long-term peace and wellbeing.
Explore any or all six of the Learning Centers here. This article is also the first in a series of blog posts about this work. Stay tuned for more.
California FarmLink 2025 Reports Available
We’re excited to share our 2025 Impact and Annual reports, which illustrate our work expanding access to land, capital, and education for historically underserved communities to build sustainable businesses, conserve resources, and support healthy communities.
This updated impact framework highlights our impact across Agricultural Credit, Wealth Building and Financial Resilience, Land Tenure, and Climate Resilience.
The reports share stories, outcomes, and milestones from across our programs, including the launch of new conservation loans in 2025. Offered at 3.5% interest, these loans help farmers with limited resources access capital for conservation projects and other investments that may otherwise be out of reach, including support for organic certification.
Farmers, ranchers, and fishers continue to steward land, water, and natural resources while building resilient businesses and local food systems. The 2025 Impact Report reflects the many ways California FarmLink is working alongside them to expand opportunity and strengthen agricultural communities across California. We invite you to read the reports here.
Conservation and Financial Resilience
Each winter, we survey clients to understand how well our programs are serving them and impacting their businesses. This year we shifted our impact survey to dive more deeply into specific topics, starting with conservation and financial resilience. We received full responses to the detailed survey from 91 clients in 32 counties.
We learned that 50% of the respondents are certified organic, 14% use organic practices without certification, and 10% want to become certified organic. We learned that the farmers and ranchers we work with–regardless of their organic certification status–use a variety of conservation practices. The most commonly used land management practices were compost applications (81%), cover crops (78%), and crop rotations (60%). In regard to financial resilience, 84% of respondents said FarmLink’s programs helped improve their operations’ financial position. One person wrote, “... each year becomes a more sustainable business due to FarmLink's loan programs, educational opportunities, lease team and other supportive programs.”
Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey!
Policy Matters: FarmLink comments on Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance
Earlier this summer, the federal government proposed sweeping changes to longstanding rules on how federal funding is administered for, and to, the American people. While largely ill-defined, the proposed rules would fundamentally change how farm, ranch, and fishing businesses access loans and other payments. Essentially, if enacted, these changes would impose new hurdles and unnecessary burdens across our food and farming system.
We believe that government programs should truly serve the public. Accordingly, FarmLink joined the nearly unprecedented 500,000 comments that asked for clarity around the intent of these changes. As one of very few nonprofit Community Development Financial Institutions serving agriculture, FarmLink’s comment emphasized that farmers and ranchers rely on year-over-year consistency from federal programs–for example, cost-share payments for conservation outcomes. Many federal programs that farmers rely on hang in the balance, and we will continue to follow the process.
Applications Open for Fall 2026 Resilerator™ Course
We are now accepting applications for our 10th annual Resilerator™ course, a 10-week program tailored for individuals with at least two years of experience owning or operating a farm, ranch or fish business. Designed to enhance the health and resilience of agricultural businesses, this course functions as a business accelerator, prioritizing long-term sustainability over short-term profits.
Virtual classes will take place on Tuesdays from October 6 to December 15, 2026. Topics include how to structure land and business ownership, labor, accounting, taxes, cash flow, credit, insurance, and environmental regulations. Profitability and financial resilience are at the forefront of each class.
“It has sharpened my focus in ways that give me greater optimism that I can succeed and be profitable,” one said. Another added, “The breadth of knowledge was excellent, the topics were thoughtfully chosen, and the class facilitation flowed smoothly.”
The course has filled up for the past three years, so early registration is encouraged! Don’t miss your chance to participate in 2026. The application deadline is September 4. Learn more, share the course with people you know, or secure your spot today!
New Land Access Course for Farmers and Ranchers in San Diego
Many farmers and ranchers across California share the same challenge: securing stable, long-term access to land while trying to build a sustainable farm business. Short-term leases, rising land costs, and uncertainty about the future can make it difficult to invest, plan, and grow with confidence.
We want farmers and ranchers to know: there's a path forward.
California FarmLink is launching Growing on Solid Ground: A Land Access Course, a new 9-week hybrid program designed to support small- to medium-sized farmers and ranchers in the San Diego region with the tools, technical assistance, and professional connections needed to pursue equitable and secure land access opportunities.
Taking place on Wednesdays, September 2 – October 28, 2026, the program combines online learning, in-person workshops, farm tours, and individualized support to help participants navigate land tenure, leasing, water access, climate-smart farming practices, and land access planning. The course also aims to strengthen regional collaboration and shared learning around farmland access challenges facing beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers.
Applications are due August 15. Farmers and ranchers in the San Diego region with at least two years of agricultural experience or training are encouraged to apply. The course has a cost of $200 that is paid upon acceptance and is refundable upon course completion. Participants become eligible for incentives by attending all required sessions, including discounted loan interest rates. Apply here.
If you have any questions, please contact land@cafarmlink.org.
El Resilerador™ Expands with New Hybrid Opportunity in Salinas
As we approach the sixth year of El Resilerador™, our flagship Spanish-language business course for farmers with more than two years of experience, we’re excited to announce a new opportunity in Salinas.
For the first time, the course will offer limited virtual participation alongside in-person sessions, piloting a hybrid format while keeping Salinas as the central gathering place for the program. This approach expands access while continuing to center community and in-person learning.
The course runs November 4 – December 16, 2026, meeting every Wednesday from 4:00–7:00 PM in Salinas. Participants will learn essential topics including business structure, labor practices, recordkeeping, taxes, and more, all critical to managing risk and building a strong financial foundation.
Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in the long-term success of your business. Applications are open through the second week of October 2026. Learn more and register here.
For questions or assistance with registration, please contact the team at education@cafarmlink.org.
Introducing FarmLink’s Newest Team Members
We’re proud to welcome our newest team members strengthening the work of California FarmLink.
Joscelyn Hernandez | Loan Administration Associate
Joscelyn works in close collaboration with the Loan Administration and Lending teams to monitor accounts, identify potential issues, and keep processes running smoothly. She is instrumental in driving an efficient loan workflow supporting both colleagues and clients.
“I want to make a real difference by helping people access the loans and support they need to grow their businesses. I enjoy being part of a team that works together to solve problems, keep processes running smoothly, and provide excellent service to clients who rely on us. Knowing that my work directly helps people succeed motivates me every day.”
Kelsey Kerston | Loan Officer
Kelsey works with farmers and ranchers to help them access the financing they need to start, sustain, or grow their operations from application to underwriting. Her goal is to understand the unique needs of each operation and help make capital more accessible so farmers and ranchers can build resilient, sustainable businesses for the long term.
"I believe resilient rural economies and healthy ecosystems go hand in hand. Helping farmers access capital is how I get to help build both."
Sonexay "Sone" Sopha | Controller
Sone has recently joined the FarmLink team as Controller, overseeing our accounting and financial reporting functions. His goal is to streamline the many related processes as well as mentor and develop our amazing finance team.
“I want to be a part of the process to serve those who have historically been underserved. Mission-driven work motivates me to keep showing up, continuing the great work that we do.”
We’re so glad to have Joscelyn, Kelsey, and Sone on board and look forward to their impacts!
Meet the staff and board members driving FarmLink’s mission and impact.
