A New Way to Invest in Agriculture
FarmAfield: Introducing the first simple, low-cost agriculture investment platform. FarmAfield is a Startup-In-Residence at The Combine Incubator, an AgTech startup program.
Meet Mitch Minarick, Founder of FarmAfield
Mitch founded FarmAfield after an agricultural development trip to Africa helped him better understand how vulnerable agricultural systems can be without adequate support, and how often critical tools and support systems in developed countries are taken for granted or neglected. The rapid proliferation of cell phones and data access in rural areas around the world opens many possibilities for farmers and ranchers to connect to new markets and tools, and FarmAfield was founded to help foster these connections.
Mitch has degrees in Mechanical Engineering (University of Nebraska) and Agricultural & Biological Engineering (University of Illinois) with certifications in Strategic Technology Management, Agribusiness for Development and Food Security, and Biomass Energy Resources (all from the University of Illinois). He grew up on a family farm in Nebraska and has first-hand knowledge of risks faced by small farmers. He and his wife Sarah recently entered the world of foster parenting, which has often left them floundering in uncertainty but also learning something new every day (similar to farming)!
What problem is FarmAfield solving?
"FarmAfield serves its community as a platform that allows anyone to become connected to the agriculture industry through investments. By being a modern and simple process to invest in agriculture commodities, FarmAfield cuts out the various obstacles for investors and consumers to be directly associated with farmers and ranchers and the food they are producing. There is no longer a need to have significant capital, industry expertise, and connections to producers to be successful in the agriculture industry because FarmAfield uses its connections, expertise, and growing knowledge to take care of all this for you. We like to point out that things like cattle investments aren’t new, but FarmAfield provides access to them, which makes the platform a unique and successful experience."
How are you solving this problem?
"FarmAfield does this by creating opportunities for investments and unique innovations that add value to operations and investors. Current opportunities include investing in cattle and getting a portion of their earnings."
What's the FarmAfield Mission?
"FarmAfield exists to create new connections between the farmers who grow our food and the people who enjoy it."
The Combine Incubator is grateful to house FarmAfield. It's exciting to have seasoned entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions housed in our co-working space. If you'd like to learn more, visit FarmAfield's website: https://www.farmafield.com/
What is The Combine? Invest Nebraska’s Combine Incubator is a statewide initiative focused on supporting high-growth agri-food entrepreneurs through mentoring, commercialization support, physical incubation space on Nebraska's Innovation Campus, and a network of supporting farmers and ranchers across the state. Invest Nebraska is a private, non-profit statewide venture development organization focused on high-growth companies in Nebraska and growing the state’s entrepreneurial economy. Invest Nebraska works directly with entrepreneurs, researchers, and companies to help commercialize their technologies, launch and grow new businesses, and access needed capital.
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