Our Program
SLM Partners seeks to expand the organic and regenerative agricultural movement within the United States by providing long-term land access to small and medium scale organic grain producers.
We focus on developing long-term relationships with farmers and enabling secure access to land so farmers can invest year after year in building the health of their soil.
Our program begins by working with experienced organic farmers to identify available land suited to their operation. We then purchase that land and enter into long-term flex lease agreements with the farmer at rates that accommodate the upfront cost of organic transition and remain affordable throughout a regenerative crop rotation.
We can consider a wide scale of land opportunities, from 80-acre parcels to 500 acres or above. We mostly acquire conventional crop land for transition to organic certification but will also acquire land that is already organic certified.
Who we’re looking to partner with
You have an excellent track record of producing row crops at a commercial scale, preferably >200 acres
You have at least 3 years of experience in organic production, either as certified organic or in organic transition, and value soil health and soil biology
You are looking to expand your organic acreage significantly and operate this land through long-term leases
You see opportunities for SLM to acquire land worth at least $1.5 million for you to operate, either as a single transaction or 2-3 smaller transactions
You are willing to share data on past and current operational performance and work in a collaborative way with landowners
Our Lease Structure:
After purchasing land for farmers, we enter into 10-year lease agreements with the option to renew at the end of the lease. Our aim is to provide long-term land security to farmers and hope to make the land available to a farmer or family operation for as long as they wish thereafter.
Rent payments are tied to the land purchase value, plus any capital improvements that we agree on making together. There are two components to rent payments: a base rent and a profit share.
The base rent component is a percent of the land purchase value, which is reduced during the organic transition period. It is due at the end of each year.
The profit share element is a percent of the profit each year calculated as the sum of revenue for the land, minus the base rent, minus farming expenses agreed upon with the farmer on a per-crop basis at the onset of the lease. It is due the following year in order to allow the farmer the ability to market their crop as they best see fit.
Our hope behind this rent payment structure is to allow for flexibility depending upon the farmer’s financial success from the farm on an annual basis.
If you are a farmer interested in partnering with us, please fill in your information below and we will get in touch.