African American entrepreneurs have a significantly harder time than their white counterparts do in securing funding from friends and family to launch their businesses. Entrepreneur Jessica Norwood founded the Runway Project to help them get the seed funding they need to get off the ground. She talked with the Erb Institute about how this approach both enables these entrepreneurs and benefits the broader business community.
by Leah Thibault, CEI Capital Management and Brett Richardson, Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
The idea of “nose-to-tail” dining, shorthand for using as much of an animal as possible, has no field-grown counterpart. What about the grains that make up so much of our agricultural production and diet? Where is our “seed to stalk?”
by Teresa Opheim, Senior VP, Iroquois Valley Farms
Iroquois Valley Farms has reached a milestone: This spring we added the 50th farm to our portfolio. Our farmland REIT — honored as a “Best for the World” company from B Labs — provides secure land tenure for 35 farm families working nearly 9,000 acres of farmland. More families will be joining the Iroquois Valley Farms fold soon.
Public-private partnerships (P3s) are most commonly known for funding large-scale water infrastructure projects that a utility can’t support through traditional funding. However, other key attributes in the P3 model are often overlooked. In a P3, the private entity may provide the capital, but the true benefits go well beyond financing alone.
Black & Veatch 2017 Strategic Directions: Smart City/Smart Utility Report
Multimedia with summary
As governments consider where to spend their smart city funding, they may initially center on the critical building blocks of a smart city but often become subject to short-term budget priorities.
A new technical school in Calama, Chile, was built in part with funds from the Freeport Foundation in Chile.
Freeport-McMoRan and Codelco, the Chilean state mining company, financed the first stage of construction of Colegio Técnico Industrial Don Bosco de Calama.
The school opened in March of this year and has enrolled 490 middle and high school students, including indigenous children who live in the Province of El Loa near the El Abra mining operations. The school is free to attend. Students will focus on technical studies in mining and electrical and mechanical skills.
The Business of Agriculture series covers finance, accounting and other business topics to help both beginning farmers and ranchers as well as experienced operators.
It’s no secret that agriculture is a capital-intensive business, with land, buildings, vehicles, equipment, livestock and inputs all adding to the price tag. Especially for beginning farmers, the amount of capital needed, both upfront and on an ongoing basis, can seem insurmountable. One way to reduce this capital requirement is to lease rather than buy.
By Steve Allard, Vice President of Credit, Farm Credit Mid-America
The Business of Agriculture series covers finance, accounting and other business topics to help both beginning farmers and ranchers as well as experienced operators. Steve Allard is Vice President of Credit with Farm Credit Mid-America, where he leads the credit analysis teams for the organization's four state territory. He is based in Louisville and Owensboro, Ky., and has been with the Farm Credit System for 34 years.
Three different credit scenarios can cause stumbling blocks, though it’s important to understand that how the situations are handled is even more important than the situation itself. Lenders have some degree of latitude in making credit decisions, so demonstrating responsibility, honesty and a proactive approach to settling a negative credit situation can go a long way to securing your business financing.
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Three different credit scenarios can cause stumbling blocks, though it’s important to understand that how the situations are handled is even more important than the situation itself. Lenders have some degree of latitude in making credit decisions, so demonstrating responsibility, honesty and a proactive approach to settling a negative credit situation can go a long way to securing your business financing.
By Dan Seedorf, VP of Lending, Premier Farm Credit
The Business of Agriculture series covers finance, accounting and other business topics to help both beginning farmers and ranchers as well as experienced operators. Dan Seedorf is Vice President of Lending with Premier Farm Credit. He is based in Yuma, Colorado, and has been with the Farm Credit System for 12 years.
