By Oneota Co-op Board Treasurer Hannah Breckbill
The Farmers Land Investment Cooperative (FLIC) was established in 2023 with a mission of purchasing farmland in and around Winneshiek County. This organization then transitions it to new land stewards, working to invest in the development of local farm and food businesses.
FLIC is an investment cooperative, distinct from a consumer co-op model like Oneota Co-op, or a producer co-op like Organic Valley, or a worker co-op like Humble Hands Harvest. Members (and only members) of FLIC have the opportunity to purchase investment shares (Class C preferred stock) of the cooperative, worth $500 each, which FLIC will then use to make land purchases or otherwise invest in local farm and food businesses. When the land FLIC buys is transitioned to new land stewards, either by selling or renting it, the investments can either be paid back to the investors, or re-invested in a new piece of land.
Let’s define “investment” here, because it’s possible that a number of us may mentally refer to a “stock market” view of the term “investment.” To FLIC, however, investment means putting labor or finances toward a cause with the expectation that an initial boost of support will generate an enterprise that can sustain itself, pay back what was invested, and create community-based returns (in place of a financial return like a 3% interest rate). Community-based returns, for FLIC, might include food system security and accessibility, local cultural vitality (like cuisine, music, or art making), opportunities for community members to connect with the land, air and water quality improvements, wildlife and pollinator habitat improvements, and increasingly committed and engaged community members moving here.
A membership share (Class A membership stock) of $250 entitles a person to vote (or run) in board elections, and each person can only have one membership share. That means that regardless of how many investment shares a member has bought, from zero to 100, they are provided equal input in the workings of FLIC with every other member. FLIC is looking to build as broad a membership base as possible. This offers more capacity to purchase land, but also provides for optimal decision making; as the FLIC community widens, more voices are engaged in questions around land use and our local food and farming system, the better decisions. A total of four differing stock options are available to individuals and organizations. You’re invited to view options here: https://farmersland.coop/membership.
The board of directors of FLIC recently crafted a vision statement and a set of values to guide us as we make our first decisions about land to acquire and farm businesses to support. FLIC’s vision—what we want to see as the result of our work—is a diverse local community that invests in the land it relies on in order to provision good food, build ecological diversity and resilience, protect water quality, and welcome farmers into stable livelihoods. The five values that we hold as we go about our work are: an engaged, committed membership; community-based investment; ecological stewardship; farmland access; and diversity & vitality.
The core of FLIC is its membership: community members who want to support a vibrant local food and farming scene, to hold resources and impact as a community, rather than as private individuals or in the stock market which may or may not be accountable to the values we hold. But there are two other groups of people that are essential to FLIC’s work: farmers seeking land, and landowners who are ready to transition out of ownership and who want something other than development or row crops for the future of their properties. We know that landless farmers are here in our community. These people have all of the skills needed for a successful farm business, but haven’t yet accessed the land and capital needed to develop it. We also know that there are plenty of landowners here who want a sustainable and community-oriented future for their land, and may be frustrated by the lack of options in that realm. If you fit any of these categories—farmer, landowner, or community member who wants to be part of shaping our landscape’s future—please reach out and join us. Please visit the Famers Land Investment Cooperative at https://farmersland.coop/.
