Incubator Program

Contact to inquire about incubator opportunities

Incubator Success Story: Loon Organics

After working on other organic farms for two years, Laura Frerichs and Adam Cullip started Loon Organics as an incubator farm in 2005, renting 2 acres of certified organic farmland from Gardens of Eagan.  It provided a perfect start-up opportunity, as Laura and Adam were able to borrow or rent equipment, greenhouse, and cooler space from Gardens of Eagan.  The incubator farm model also afforded them the opportunity to build their farm business, gain vegetable production experience, and have on-farm mentorship during the crucial start-up years.

One of the major benefits of starting out on an incubator farm is the financial advantage of a low-cost and low-risk renting situation.   Laura and Adam both worked off the farm for supplemental income in order to plow all farm profits back into amassing the tractors, implements and tools to run a mid-sized vegetable farm.  By 2008 when they were able to buy their own 40-acre farm in Hutchinson, MN, they had 5 tractors, 2 coolers, and a host of implements to provide them with nearly everything they needed to get started on a new farm—this time with a farm mortgage.  In the 2009 season, they transitioned to being full-time farmers with a 125-member CSA and a booth at the Mill City Farmers Market.  Getting started on an incubator farm allowed for these beginners to learn, make mistakes, and set themselves up financially for a future career as successful organic farmers.