California FarmLink
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersAptos, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
California FarmLink firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- California FarmLink
- Legal name
- California FarmLink
- Website
- https://californiafarmlink.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
California FarmLink industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Development Agricultural Lending
- NAICS
- Farm Management Services (115116), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Agricultural & Rural Cooperatives (Farm Credit/Co-op Banks) (FSABAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Succession, Governance & Ownership Transition Advisory (AFACAJAO), Capital Projects & Farm Expansion Advisory (Feasibility, Site Planning, ROI) (AFACAJAN), Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO)
Keywords
Where California FarmLink is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aptos
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
California FarmLink business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Loan Interest and Fees: California FarmLink generates revenue through interest on loans provided to farmers, ranchers, and fishers. As a CDFI, they offer flexible and affordable loans to underserved communities who may not otherwise access capital. Loans include operating loans, mortgage loans, infrastructure loans, and conservation bridge loans.
- Educational Course Fees: Revenue from course registrations including The Resilerator, El Resilerador, The Employment Resilerator, El Resilerador Laboral, Bookkeeping in Practice, The Regenerator, and other business education programs for farmers.
- Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, California FarmLink receives charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Donations are tax-deductible (Federal EIN: 94-3332630).
- Investment Notes: FarmLink Investment Notes allow social impact investors to support the loan fund without being accredited investors. This state-licensed Direct Public Offering enables Californians to participate in mission-based lending.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | The Regenerator Course - $800 fee doubled to $1600 milestone payment |
| Other | Annual | 0% Conservation Bridge Loan Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
California FarmLink product offering
Product offeringCore offering
California FarmLink is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides mission-driven agricultural loans (mortgage, operating, infrastructure, and 0% conservation bridge loans), land access assistance through a Land Portal matching platform and one-on-one staff support, agreement-building services for leases and contracts, and a portfolio of business-resilience and succession-planning educational courses. Its customers are underserved farmers, ranchers, and fishers in California, especially beginning farmers, women farmers, farmers of color, and Latine farmers.
Product overview
California FarmLink is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) offering a unified platform of lending, land access, and educational services for farmers, ranchers, and fishers. The core offerings consist of three interconnected service areas: Lending (mortgage loans, operating loans, and bridge loans), Land Access (the Land Portal platform and one-on-one assistance), and Agreement-Building Services (lease and contract facilitation). The education portfolio includes The Resilerator and El Resilerador (business resilience courses), The Employment Resilerator and El Resilerador Laboral (employment practices courses), Bookkeeping in Practice, The Regenerator (succession planning), and Evaluate & Support Clients and Growing on Solid Ground. Together, these products provide beginning and underserved farmers with equitable access to financing, land tenure, and business knowledge to build resilient agricultural operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lending
Quantifiable outcome
- $11.67M deployed in loans across 56 loans in 2025
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use California FarmLink
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
California FarmLink technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
California FarmLink partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL)coreLong-standing partnership where FarmLink staff serve as guest speakers in CLBL's California Farm Academy programs. FarmLink provides land tenure and financing assistance information to beginning farmer graduates. The partnership facilitates transitions from incubator plots to direct land leases.
- Kitchen Table AdvisorscoreReferral partner providing business advising to farmers. Farmers like Sofia Colin of Pisga Organics were referred to FarmLink through this partnership for land access and financing support.
- America River ConservancycoreLand trust that partnered with FarmLink to connect FogDog Farm with a five-year evergreen lease at Wakamatsu Farm, a historic property near Placerville.
- Sierra Orchards / Craig McNamaracorePartnership with Craig McNamara's Sierra Orchards to facilitate direct lease arrangements between incubator farmers and the McNamara family. FarmLink helped formalize lease agreements for Zamora Flora and other transitioning farmers.
- USDA Farm Service AgencymajorCombined FarmLink mortgage loan with USDA Farm Service Agency loan to enable Skyelark Ranch's 50-acre ranch purchase. Multiple clients use this combined financing approach.
- USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)majorFSA loan program graduate referred to FarmLink for operating loan to combat vineyard virus challenges. Wine growers receive annual operating loans through combined FSA and FarmLink financing.
- National Young Farmers CoalitionminorCo-convened Finding Farmland workshops with FarmLink's Central Valley Program Coordinator, including land affordability calculators and scenario planning.
- BriarPatch Food Co-opminorMajor buyer for Feeding Crane Farm that subsidizes FarmLink loans for farmer vendors, providing reduced interest rates on operating capital.
- Pie RanchcoreFarmLink's Investment Notes program enables Pie Ranch to invest farmers' capital in the loan fund, creating equity-building opportunity for Regenerator at Cascade Ranch program farmers.
- Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)corePartner organization providing farmer education courses and incubator programs. Many FarmLink clients come from ALBA's programs and receive land access and financing assistance upon graduation.
- Sustainable Economies Law CenterminorLegal partner that assisted FarmLink in creating the Investment Notes program through a state-licensed Direct Public Offering.
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceminorNRCS funding requires long-term lease verification; FarmLink helps farmers secure longer leases (30+ years) to qualify for conservation program funding.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
California FarmLink competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Farm Credit West: Farm Credit West is a large borrower-owned agricultural lending cooperative serving California, Arizona, and beyond. It is comparable to California FarmLink as a major agricultural lender in California, but operates at significantly greater scale, serves more established commercial farmers, and is part of the broader Farm Credit System rather than a CDFI.
- Self-Help Credit Union: Self-Help is one of the largest CDFIs in the U.S., providing lending and financial services to underserved communities including rural and agricultural borrowers. Comparable to California FarmLink as a mission-based CDFI lender, though operating at much greater scale and broader community-development scope.
Emerging players
- National Young Farmers Coalition: National Young Farmers Coalition advocates for and provides resources to beginning farmers, including the Finding Farmland program co-convened with FarmLink. While not a direct lender, it serves the same beginning-farmer demographic and overlaps on land access support and policy advocacy.
- Food Commons Fresno: Food Commons Fresno operates a CDFI-anchored model supporting regional food systems in California's Central Valley, including lending to small farms and food enterprises. Comparable to California FarmLink as a California-based CDFI serving small-scale sustainable agriculture.
- Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA): ALBA provides farmer education and incubator programs for limited-resource and beginning farmers in California's Salinas Valley, feeding graduates into FarmLink's lending pipeline. While not a direct lender, it is a core feeder partner and addresses overlapping customer segments.
- Center for Land-Based Learning: Center for Land-Based Learning operates the California Farm Academy incubator program that trains beginning farmers, with FarmLink serving as a guest speaker and downstream land/financing resource. Direct partner organization addressing overlapping beginning-farmer audience.
- Kitchen Table Advisors: Kitchen Table Advisors provides 1:1 business advising to small sustainable farmers in California and is a direct referral partner for California FarmLink. While not a lender, it addresses the same small-farmer customer base with complementary technical assistance services.
Direct peers
- Kiva: Kiva is a nonprofit crowdfunded lending platform that provides 0% interest loans to underserved borrowers including small farmers globally. Comparable to California FarmLink through its mission-based lending model, 0% loan products, and crowd-sourced capital (similar in concept to FarmLink's Investment Notes program).
Others
- Farmers Business Network: Farmers Business Network is a broad agtech and farmer services platform providing input procurement, marketing, and now some financial services. It is thematically adjacent to FarmLink's mission of supporting farmer economic resilience, though it serves a much broader and more commercial customer base.
Regional players
- Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI): CEI is a Maine-based CDFI providing loans, investments, and advice to rural and small-business borrowers including farms and food enterprises. Comparable to California FarmLink as a regional CDFI with an agricultural lending focus, though it serves a different geography and broader rural business base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
California FarmLink social profiles
Digital presenceCalifornia FarmLink compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
California FarmLink financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
California FarmLink leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
California FarmLink funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
California FarmLink M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about California FarmLink
What does California FarmLink do?
California FarmLink is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides mission-driven agricultural loans (mortgage, operating, infrastructure, and 0% conservation bridge loans), land access assistance through a Land Portal matching platform and one-on-one staff support, agreement-building services for leases and contracts, and a portfolio of business-resilience and succession-planning educational courses. Its customers are underserved farmers, ranchers, and fishers in California, especially beginning farmers, women farmers, farmers of color, and Latine farmers.
Is California FarmLink a public or private company?
California FarmLink is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was California FarmLink founded?
California FarmLink was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is California FarmLink based?
California FarmLink is headquartered in Aptos, United States, in the North America region.
How does California FarmLink make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Loan Interest and Fees are the primary driver. The others are educational Course Fees, donations and Contributions and investment Notes.
Who are California FarmLink's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Farm Credit West and Self-Help Credit Union. Emerging players are National Young Farmers Coalition, Food Commons Fresno, Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), Center for Land-Based Learning and Kitchen Table Advisors. Kiva is listed as a direct peer. Farmers Business Network is listed as an others. Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI) is listed as a regional player.
Does California FarmLink have an API?
No public API is recorded for California FarmLink.
What industry is California FarmLink in?
California FarmLink's product category is Community Development Agricultural Lending. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAEAG, Agricultural & Rural Cooperatives (Farm Credit/Co-op Banks), with a secondary code of AFACAJAO, Succession, Governance & Ownership Transition Advisory. Its NAICS code is 115116 and its SIC code is 700.