Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Completed Competitive Grant

Development of a niche agriculture small business money map and process to disseminate information

Project ID: M2007-06

Abstract

A key constraint for small businesses is the dearth of operating capital. The situation is especially critical for niche market agricultural enterprises. This project identified barriers in access to capital for niche marketers.

Key Question: What information did this project offer niche agricultural producers about future capital access?

Findings: Niche producers should be aware that multiple potential sources of capital are available to fund operations; identifying these potential sources of capital may take time and effort; obtaining capital requires targeting the appropriate provider of capital and carefully preparing the

Lead investigator: Howard Van Auken, ISU Business Management

Year of grant completion: 2008

This competitive grant project was part of the Leopold Center's Marketing Initiative.

Topics: Business management, distribution and marketing, Farmer profitability, enterprise budgets