{"id":11110,"date":"2025-12-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalland.com\/blog\/?p=11110"},"modified":"2025-12-03T13:37:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T18:37:55","slug":"starting-an-agri-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalland.com\/blog\/starting-an-agri-business\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Time Farm Buyer to Agri-Business Owner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In September 2020, Wayne Cawley, owner of Redemption Farms<\/a>, closed on roughly 38 acres split by a major highway: about 30 acres in field, 8 in woods, and an abandoned high-density apple orchard. Over the past 5 years, Wayne has built a successful agribusiness in Redemption Farms and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how Wayne built his farm and the lessons he\u2019s learned along the way in his first 5 years of agri-business!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figuring Out Financing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When looking to make a purchase, Wayne assumed he needed full loan approval before making an offer. He worked with Land Professional Sue Hudson<\/a> to write a financing-contingent offer to move quickly, then paired Farm Credit with a Maryland ag-development program that reduced early payments and interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach was designed to help new operators enter a high-price market. Buyers looking to follow this method should expect longer timelines and set seller expectations accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budgeting Beyond the Purchase<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first seasons were all about building infrastructure. Wayne re-worked a well, operated on solar batteries plus a generator until grid power arrived, cut drainage, and repaired trellis systems. It\u2019s exactly this sort of behind-the-scenes work that makes production and on-farm retail possible. New owners should reserve capital for water, power, drainage, and structural fixes before investing in aesthetic upgrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To service debt and build an audience, Redemption Farms led with u-pick strawberries, a crowd-pulling crop, while they worked to revive apple trees, swapped ill-fit varieties, and added peaches, plums, cherries, blackberries, and pumpkins to extend the picking season from late April\/early May through early November. The crop diversity creates repeat visits and reduces weather and market risk. U-pick isn\u2019t automatically cheaper, and enterprising landowners should account for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a Business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Redemption Farms grows demand with consistent, simple communication. Wayne posts what\u2019s ripe and when on social media, and backs it with emails. During one weather crunch, a single \u201cpick now or lose the crop\u201d message was shared roughly 485 times and cleared the field before any crops were lost. Treating social media as customer service can build a loyal customer base and generate resilient traffic when conditions turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interested in finding a property to start your own agri-business, get in touch with your local Land Professional today!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In September 2020, Wayne Cawley, owner of Redemption Farms, closed on roughly 38 acres split by a major highway: about 30 acres in field, 8 in woods, and an abandoned high-density apple orchard. Over the past 5 years, Wayne has built a successful agribusiness in Redemption Farms and shows no signs of slowing down anytime … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “First-Time Farm Buyer to Agri-Business Owner”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":11112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[747,13],"tags":[1961,375,1963,1962],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nFirst-Time Farm Buyer to Agri-Business Owner - National Land Realty News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Starting an agri-business can be a profitable and rewarding endeavor. 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