Introduction
Farmers Group is being formed from the acquisition of two successful vegetable farm, Green Acres Vegetable Farm and Mobile Farmers Vegetable Farm. The latter has long-researched horticultural and agronomic techniques, as well as compost and soil blending technology now being promoted by the DEO, the USDA, the EPA, and other government agencies.
The company is a combination of cutting edge, highest quality, and efficient food technology and production. It is committed to the improvement of food taste and nutritional quality. It is being founded to build upon an extensive array of biological and horticultural education, experience, and the research of its founders. This is further coupled with the experience of James Jackson, the current manager of Mobile Farmers Vegetable Farm, and consultation with the present owner of Green Acres Vegetable Farm, Errol Grynthum.
The Company
Farmers Group is an Alabama-based company, located in Calhoun county, whose mission is to provide high quality, nutritional, and flavorful vegetables and strawberries for consumption in both near and remote regions of the United States. Additionally the company will provide high quality planting materials for use nationwide.
Farmers Group is the buyout and merger of two successful vegetable farms. The idea behind the business is to provide healthy and delicious vegetables and fruit to the public. In addition to vegetables and fruits, the company plans to produce and market manure compost garden amendment products.
Farmers Group's management team is led by Mr. James Jackson as Business Manager, who has extensive knowledge of the industry. The company expects to employ five temporary employees during the equipment re-location phase, four employees on a permanent basis, and three part-time employees.
Products
Farmers Group's plans to concentrate on vegetables as its primary product. This includes growing carrots, romaine lettuce, leeks, red onions, summer squash, spinach, pumpkins, winter squash, globe beets, and winter greens. The company's farm, will have a capacity sufficient to produce in excess of 200,000 lbs. of vegetables per year.
The company plans to utilize traditional and more advanced plant technologies to produce new cultivars of strawberries and lima beans with locally-adapted superior characteristics for the Gulf-South growing area.
This strategy will allow Farmers Group to produce crops during most of the year and will allow double cultivation of the greenhouses with almost no additional heating necessary in the winter months.
The Market
Over the past decade the market for organic food has grown by 15% to 20% and every year 40% of U.S. consumers occasionally reach for something labeled organic. Sales for organic foods are expected to top £11 billion this year. Sales by farmers' markets have increased by 79% since 1994, to 3,137 markets in all 50 states, and the number of farmers who sell at them has more than tripled to 67,000. About three million Americans a week now get their fresh food directly from the farmers who grew it. This makes for an excellent environment for a industry participant such as Farmers Group that is willing to compete in a niche market and be first to the market with new products.
Financial Considerations
The company is seeking £830,000 in both short-term and long-term loans to finance the purchase of Farmers Group's new farm, upgrade the facilities, and cover start-up expenses and first year losses. It is estimated that the company will begin to make a profit in Year 2 of operations. The company does not expect to have any cash flow problems during the first four years of operations.
1.1 Mission
Farmers Group is an Alabama-based company, whose mission is to provide high quality, nutritional, and flavorful vegetables and strawberries for consumption in both near and remote regions of the United States. Additionally the company will provide high quality planting materials for use nationwide.
