USDA Farm Service Agency Loans Help Grow a Microgreen Business to Success

Roberts acquired an FSA Farm Ownership Loan and two Farm Operating Loans, allowing her to obtain the property and the greenhouses needed in order to grow and expand her business into what it is today.

By Leila Naylor, Administrative Specialist, Rhode Island Farm Service Agency

Lauri Roberts grew up in New York, having no farming background or farming experience.

“I had previously worked for Green Peace in New York. Community gardens really impressed me while I was there,” she said. “I wanted to go into urban agriculture. That’s where my interest in agriculture all started.”

She attended Brown University in Rhode Island where she earned her degree in environmental studies. In 1985, Roberts left Rhode Island and moved to Chicago where she worked for a nonprofit community organization for three years.

While in Chicago, she decided to work as a delivery truck driver for a woman who grew sprouts.  Roberts was later offered the company.  She purchased it, and through her hard work and perseverance, the business grew even larger and was successful.

After realizing she wasn’t happy living in Chicago, Roberts decided to sell the sprout company and take a break. She packed up her sailboat and sailed eastward, through the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal and the Atlantic Ocean, towards Rhode Island. The trip took three months.

In 2006, Roberts started a new business in Rhode Island called Farming Turtles, where she began growing microgreens in an old warehouse.  Microgreens are tiny, tender, edible greens that germinate in soil or a soil substitute from the seeds of vegetables and herbs.

“I’ve always loved turtles and thought it was a fun name,” she said. “I wanted a name that people would remember.”

As Rhode Island is known for its culinary background, Roberts was able to educate local chefs about how to incorporate her product into their dishes, as microgreens are not a commonly recognized food item.

Two years later, her microgreen business grew to the point where she needed to find a larger location.  Roberts found a place in Exeter, Rhode Island, but she needed additional financing to transition her business.

She discovered the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offers loans to assist beginning farmers and ranchers who have been farming less than 10 years. Roberts contacted the Rhode Island FSA farm loan team and met with them.

She acquired a Farm Ownership Loan and two Farm Operating Loans, allowing her to obtain the property and the greenhouses needed to grow and expand her business into what it is today. Products from Farming Turtles are sold in multiple supermarkets in Rhode Island, New York City and the New England area. Her microgreens are also featured on numerous restaurant menus in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

For more information about FSA loan programs, contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.