[Scpg] NEWS Permaculture Credit Union/ Sante Fe Famers Market Micro Fund

Wed Oct 7 07:06:46 PDT 2009

hi everyone
  just wanted to share with you the micro-loan/member assisted loan 
program that the Permaculture Credit Union www.pcuonline.org  that we 
have run with a partnership with the Santa Fe Farmers Market
www.santafefarmersmarket.com/institute/  . The Market puts up a pool 
of money and accept the risk for the loans, they interview and choose 
the borrowers from the market vendors and the PCU manages the loan 
for them. This program is to assist the small farmers/vendors to 
improve their ability to
make more money from their operations by loaning for improvements.

wes roe Permaculture Credit Union Board member for 8 years
FRESH NEWS SANTA FE FARMERS MARKET NEWSLETTER VOLUME 6
I

The Institute's Micro Loans making a difference

Thanks to all of you who have donated to build up the principle in 
the Institute's micro
loan program that benefits the 150 farm and ranch families who are 
members of the
Santa Fe Farmers' Market. Since January 2008, we have issued five 
"requests for proposals"
and have made 34 loans totaling $65,954. What's amazing is that now 26% of
the Market's registered vendors (out of 149 so far in 2009) have 
taken advantage of the
loan fund! We are deeply grateful to all of you who have made this 
loan fund possible.
Following are some stories about loan fund recipients, and what they have done
with their loans.

Maria Meyer,
Ligaialein Products

Maria Meyer and her husband,
Thure, probably have the most
unusual name for their business
of anyone at the Farmers' Market.
It's named after their daughter,
Ligaia, with the German diminutive
"lein" added at the end. Many of you
probably know Maria because of her
juicing that she does in the height
of the melon season, and from the
sprouts that she brings, as well as
her delightful chocolate mousse. But
their business has recently expanded,
which is located in their backyard at
their home on Apodaca Hill in Santa
Fe. And what's most amazing is the
amount of product they can get out
of that backyard. Part of what's made
it possible is the new greenhouse they
purchased with Institute loan fund
assistance.

"What I used before to start my
plants was a pop-up greenhouse
which I stored away in the winter,"
Maria said, "but it got so ratty, I
couldn't really grow anything in it anymore.
So I thought I'd take a chance
and ask for the full $3,000 amount to
see if I could get something better to
grow my plants in."

Maria applied for her loan in late
April 2009 and ordered an 8' x 20'
greenhouse based on one they had
seen up at the Audubon Center.
Thure worked a couple of very full
days thereafter to put the greenhouse
together. "The hardest part was leveling
the ground and putting the floor
in with gopher mesh, weed barrier
and gravel," Thure said. "And then it
was a matter of snapping the various
parts together. It went up pretty
quick, is very sturdy, and has a ten
year warranty!"

Since then, they've been able to cycle
about two thousand plant starts
through the greenhouse, to the outside
to acclimate them, and then to the
Market for sale. According to Thure,
"this thing's paid for itself two times
already. It's really great!"
"In the three months since we've had it,"
Maria added, "we're way beyond break
even. We went from zero to about
$1,000 a week revenue on plants."
Ligaialein couldn't have planned it
better. The economy has encouraged
many more people to start their own
gardens this year, and Maria's plant
starts--including 30 different varieties
of tomatoes, basil, and other vegetables-
-have been very popular.

We visited during the hot spell in the
middle of July, when temperatures
were soaring over 90 degrees. But Thure
had rigged a nice fan unit to blow
the hot air out of the greenhouse, and
the tomato plants inside were happy
and thriving. He was watering his
garden using captured rainwater. Thure
estimates his dozens of networked
rain barrels can catch about 2000
gallons of water every time it rains.
Plus, they've got a nice system of small
trenches to guide any extra water
directly to their plots, rather than let it
drain down Apodaca Hill!

Even with just the greenhouse and
a few other smaller raised beds, the
amount of food they are able to
produce amazes Maria. We looked
around the rest of her yard, perched
high above the arroyo behind Apodaca
Hill and saw the potential for more
raised beds and lots more food production.
It was clear that the greenhouse
had helped to increase Ligaialein's
bottom line, and now the energy
was there to create more growing areas
around their old adobe house.

Not Enough Eggs
In His Basket

Ken Baltz of KJ Farms (named after
Ken and his wife of 42 years,
Judy) was sitting at a Saturday
market totally sold out of eggs at 9:30
am. Upon further inquiry, Ken said
that he always sells out about that
time, as he just couldn't seem to produce
enough eggs to get him through
the Saturday Market.

His 1500 or so chickens currently
produce about 75 dozen eggs per day
that Ken sells to the Valley Superette
in Espanola, to the Dixon Co-Op, the
Encantado Resort, Embudo Station,
people in the Medenales Valley where
he lives, and at the Los Alamos and
Santa Fe Farmers' Markets. He generally
brings about 100 dozen to the
Saturday Market in Santa Fe, but they
get snatched up fast, and then he has
to sit out the rest of the Market until
closing time.

"Why don't you get a loan from the
Institute and buy more chickens?" suggested
Sarah Noss, executive director
of the Institute. So he did. And this
spring he bought 600 new chicks, plus
some feed to cover the cost of raising
them until they could start producing.

Now his new flock is about six
months old and on the verge of
producing some eggs to help provide
for themselves. Ken estimates
that when they start producing,
they'll add another 30 dozen eggs
per day to his business. His newest
flock has all kinds of chickens in
them: Araucanas, Production Reds
and Blacks, Plymouth Bardrocks,
Orpingtons, Silver Wyandottes, to
name a few. Ken builds all his own
pens, which include two infirmaries
to nurse henpecked chickens back to
health or take care of those that are
blind or sick. He's got the quarantine
area for chickens he gets from others,
just to be sure they won't bring any
germs into his healthy flocks, and
he's got two other holding areas with
about 600 producing hens in each.

He's getting ready to move the 600
newbies into their own area, as soon
as he builds it, then wants to get another
600 chicks to help him get his
production up so that he won't have
to sit through the last few hours of
the Santa Fe Farmers' Market.
There were some chickens roaming
the property. Ken said those are
chickens in retirement. He's got a
lovely big pen for the older birds that
aren't laying eggs anymore, but the
roamers are retired guinea hens that
can fly. Ken said they never eat their
chickens, would never even think of it,
nor would they ever eat their pet turkey.
"Absolutely not," said Judy, "they
are part of our family." If you live at
KJ Farms, you get to live your life out
in happy retirement!

"I think I got a happy group here,"
Ken said. And they did seem happy,
pecking away in their big pens, always
in motion, curious to come over to see
what we were doing in the pen in the
first place.

Ken and Judy's biggest challenge aren't
coyotes or raptors, but the neighboring
domesticated dogs. "The coyotes
come in and maybe snitch an old hen,
but then they leave me alone. It's the
dog packs that I have to worry about,"
Ken said. "They can do a lot of damage."
His second biggest challenge is keeping
his feed safe from the squirrels. "I
like every other kind of animal, but I
just can't afford to let the squirrels get
into my feed," he said. Cinnamon, his
trusty dachshund, is KJ Farms' pest
manager. When we arrived to visit
the new flock, Cinnamon had just
cornered a squirrel in the woodpile
and Ken was aiming his pistol at it.
His other staff members, Jack and
Lucky, rescue dogs, just play and sleep
all day, so they are on probation, said
Ken. Mostly it's up to Ken and Judy
to keep the farm going, and they have
just found a family to come live in an
empty 16 x 80 trailer to help them
on the farm so that maybe they could
take their first vacation in about six
years.

The fruits of Ken's loan will start producing
any day now, and Ken can see
how he needs to purchase one more
round of chicks and build one more
pen to help him complete his circuit
from newbies, to laying hens to retirement
birds. "I think this loan fund is
great," Ken said, "but what I'd like to
see is being able to give out $5,000 to
$7,000 loans, because it would really
help us get a leg up in our businesses."
As the loan principal grows, the
Institute hopes to increase its loan
sizes. But for now, to make the loans
available to as many as possible, the
loans are available between $250 and
$3000. Ken plans to reapply once he
pays off his first loan. "I'm looking
forward to the day when I can sell
until noon," Ken said. "I'm almost
trusty dachshund, is KJ Farms' pest
manager. When we arrived to visit
the new flock, Cinnamon had just
cornered a squirrel in the woodpile
and Ken was aiming his pistol at it.
His other staff members, Jack and
Lucky, rescue dogs, just play and sleep
all day, so they are on probation, said
Ken. Mostly it's up to Ken and Judy
to keep the farm going, and they have
just found a family to come live in an
empty 16 x 80 trailer to help them
on the farm so that maybe they could
take their first vacation in about six
years.

How the Institute's Micro Loan Fund Works
Terms:
. Loan amounts targeted between $250.00 and $3,000.00.
. Loans must be paid back in 40-months, and a $75 per month minimum payment
is required.
. Interest rate is currently at 6.00% fixed rate.
. Loans must be activated within 45-days of notification.
. No penalty for early repayment.
. No application fee.
. Approval and terms are based on the letter submitted by the applicant,
financial history and interview with the Institute loan committee. Institute
Loan Committee prescreens and approves all applicants, then refers them to
Permaculture Credit Union. Additional information might be requested on an
individual basis.
. Farmers may apply for additional financing if initial loan(s) are 
paid off or in
good standing after one year.
. Applications accepted quarterly and on an emergency basis.
. In the event of default, remedies will be pursued by Permaculture Credit
Union.
Eligibility:
. If awarded, must establish an account at Permaculture Credit Union (PCU) with
a $50.00 balance.
. Must be a member of the Santa Fe Farmers Market.
. Loan applicants must be at least 18-years-old.
. If awarded, must complete a PCU Member Assisted Share Secured Loan 
Application.
. Funds can be used for expansion, seasonal labor, repairs, and 
capital expenditures
(ie, buy more animals, invest in new equipment/infrastructure, seeds, or
expand crops) NOT operating expenses (ie, rent, clothing, etc.) nor 
for a downpayment
on vehicles. PCU has competitive auto and truck loans, if needed.
. Written explanation/proposal for use of funds will be required with repayment
strategies, implementation and goals outlined. More in depth business plan
may be required depending on the size of the request.
. Exit interview to document outcomes required
. Loan recipients may be asked to participate in professional development
programs for farmers to share their experiences and successes.
Terms:
. Loan amounts targeted between $250.00 and $3,000.00.
. Loans must be paid back in 40-months, and a $75 per month minimum payment
is required.
. Interest rate is currently at 6.00% fixed rate.
. Loans must be activated within 45-days of notification.
. No penalty for early repayment.
. No application fee.
. Approval and terms are based on the letter submitted by the applicant,
financial history and interview with the Institute loan

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