Join a proven farm investment incubator program aimed at readying aspiring and scaling farmers
February 24, 2021: Farmers keen to take the next step in their farm ownership journey should apply for Cultivate Farms’ 2021 round of their farm ownership program, Cultivator. The Cultivate Farms Business Incubator gets aspiring and current farm owners ready for farm co-investment. Established since 2017, four farmers are now working with co-investors to activate their farm ownership dreams.
The Cultivator 10 week program guides the cohort through the development of their farm investment proposal. At the end of the program they have the opportunity to pitch to a panel of investors for the potential of co-ownership of a farm and will have uncovered their own shared ownership opportunities.
Applications close 8 March 2021 and there are limited places. At the end of the 10 weeks all participants will have developed a:
- Farm investment pitch
- 5 year financial model
- Three-minute pitch video
“The Cultivator program provides another possible avenue for farm ownership, which is out of reach for many farmers who aren’t going to inherit or don’t have the millions of dollars needed to buy-in. Cultivate Farms and Cultivator are offering farmers the skills of entrepreneurs to develop a partnership with investors. We want to get people farming,” comments Cultivate Farms CEO, Sam Marwood.
Claire Coates discovered Cultivator and was the first farmer backed by investors out of the program. Claire had been passionate about farming since she was a child.
“Some of my closest friends lived and worked on farms, and I grew up in a rural setting. After school, it was a natural progression for me to go on and take an agriculture certification on a sheep stud”, Claire said.
But without the capital needed to get started, Claire and her husband, Marc had to look for an alternative pathway to farm ownership. Claire participated in Cultivator along with 12 other aspiring farmers. Claire was picked as the top farmer and has now been operating on the co-invested farm for 2 years.
Commencing 11 March 2021, the program is open to any farmer in Australia. The Cultivate Farms team also have a particular focus on farmers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment with a particular emphasis on farmers in the Herbert catchment
2021 Cultivate program will be the fourth in a series, off the back of the success of matching Claire Coates with an investor in 2017, three 2020 Cultivator graduates are now working with investors after seven aspiring farmers pitched to twelve investors in early November 2020.
The 2021 Cultivator Incubator programme kicks off 11 March 2021. Visit Apply for Cultivator here – www.cultivatefarms.com/cultivator to apply. Applications close 8 March 2021.