Covey Rise Farms is seeking a loan to purchase the equipment necessary to store and grind their own non-GMO feed for their pastured poultry.
Funded on 05/04/2021
Covey Rise Farms sits proudly in the grasslands of Central Ohio, home to ethical, pasture-raised chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, and beef sold locally and shipped around the country. Founders Charlie and Kerissa Payne consider themselves first and foremost grass farmers, committed to raising animals whose grazing and movement builds healthy soil in their pastures in addition to yielding nutritious, flavorful meat.
Both first generation farmers, Charlie and Kerissa’s goal is to sustain a farming operation that will thrive for generations to come. They’ve endowed Covey Rise Farms with a bedrock foundation of regenerative principles, accounting for the welfare of their animals, their soil, and their community. Locally, they sell their meats wholesale, to restaurants, and at farmers markets, and they’ve been featured on the front page of the New York Times, in Edible Columbus and Columbus Monthly, and on several podcasts.
Covey Rise Farms has grown rapidly inside its first decade of production. From their initial 100 broiler chickens on pasture, they’ve grown to 15,000 chickens, in addition to sheep, pigs, and cows all on pasture. They’re raising funds now to purchase the equipment necessary to grind and store their own non-GMO feed for their pastured poultry. By being able to store locally sourced, non-GMO grain on site, they’ll realize a 30-40% savings in feed costs. They’ll also maximize the efficiency of their time and work as they’ll be spending less time coordinating the logistics of transportation and be able to purchase the grain in bulk when market prices are lower.
Covey Rise Farms is focused on the life and welfare of the animals they’re raising, and on regenerating and strengthening the biology of their soil. To that end they:
We are reaching out to provide you with an update on Covey Rise Farms. Owner-operators Charlie and Kerissa Payne recently reached out to share that they have relocated their farm to Kansas to expand their production of regeneratively raised meats. On their farm in Ohio, they primarily focused on raising regenerative poultry. In Kansas, they have more land and are focusing on pasture-raised beef and other crops. The sale of their farm property in Ohio has provided them with the opportunity to minimize farm debt and to set them up for success in this next phase of their farming journey. Covey Rise has now fully repaid their Steward loan! Shortly you will receive your final payment of outstanding principal and interest as a deposit into your Steward Wallet.
We are thrilled about this next step for Charlie and Kerissa. It has been wonderful to follow their journey as beginning farmers, as they have continued to expand their knowledge of agriculture and land management and to create community along the way (including with you as a Steward lender!)
Thank you for your continued support of regenerative agriculture.
- The Steward Team
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to Thank You for believing in our dream, our farm, and our project! We are absolutely blown away that in less than 30 hours, our loan went from its first participation to fully funded.
So what now?!? Thankfully we already have a site laid out for the feed bin setup, we will begin working to bury electrical lines, set forms, and start looking for a weather window to pour the concrete pad. We are also reaching out to contacts for sourcing the bins, tractor, and grinder but with used equipment, it does take time to find the right fit! We will work to update all of you as the project progresses and you can always follow our daily progress via the farms Instagram page: @coveyrisefarmsohio
Again thank you so much and we look forward to a brighter future for regenerative agriculture!
$28,000 - New tractor
$8,000 - Grinder/mixer for feed
$12,000 - Grain bins with augers
$4,000 - Concrete pad & electrical setup
$21,000 - Initial grain purchase
Total Budget: $73,000
This loan will be made to Covey Rise Farms LLC, an Ohio domestic limited liability company that grows and sells pasture-based meats.
This loan is for a new feed storage and grinding setup to drive down operating costs.
The total loan amount is $73,000, which will assist Covey Rise Farms in growing and expanding its business.
This loan is set at an 8% interest rate, with a 60-month term, and fully amortized monthly payments beginning 3 months after funds are disbursed.
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