Funding needs of farm and food businesses Question Title * 1. Which of the following best describes your farm or food business's MAIN operation? Production agriculture - dairy Production agriculture - fruits/veg Production agriculture - livestock Production agriculture - other Food/beverage processing Winery/cidery/brewery/distillery Food/beverage retail sales Food/beverage wholesale distribution None/Don't know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 2. How long has this business been operating? Just starting up Less than 5 years 5 to 10 years 10 to 20 years More than 20 years Don't know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 3. Is this business your main source of income? Yes No Don't know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 4. Are you currently in need of additional funding for this business? Yes No Don't know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 5. If the business does need additional funding, what general purposes is the funding needed for? (Select all that apply) Developing a new product line Transitioning into new types of production (e.g., from dairy to grains) Transition to value-added production or food/beverage processing (e.g., potato production to distilling for vodka) Adding or expanding agri-tourism (on-farm sales, farm stays, farm tours) Expanding to new markets (direct to consumer sales, wholesale/retail) Increasing transportation/distribution capabilities Improving on-farm safety Modernizing existing equipment or infrastructure (e.g., barn repair) Adapting to climate change (e.g., installing stormwater management / drainage systems, preventing soil erosion, carbon farming, etc.) Don’t know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 6. If the business does need additional funding, what specific purposes is funding needed for?(Select all that apply) Purchasing equipment Purchasing, building or renovating structures Purchasing land Purchasing vehicle or vehicle repair Land improvements Working capital for supplies Working capital for marketing or promotion or wholesale readiness Refinancing an existing loan Hiring service providers (e.g., lawyer, safety auditor, business consultant, etc.) Don’t know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 7. If you were to get the needed funding, where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years? OK Question Title * 8. Are you aware of funding sources that might meet your business needs as noted above? Yes No Don't know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 9. If you are aware of funding sources that would address your needs, have you applied for a grant or loan or taken other steps to access those resources? Yes No Don't know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 10. If you are not aware of funding sources that would meet your businesses needs, what would you say is the MAIN reason you are not aware:(Specify all that apply) I haven’t looked very hard, it may be out there I looked but no funder offers funding for what I need (as far as I know) I don’t have time I need a referral to point me in the right direction Don’t know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 11. If you haven't previously applied for a loan or grant for your business needs, what are the most important reasons preventing you from doing so?(Check up to three) Not sure how Too much paperwork Most grants are reimbursement based and I don’t have enough capital to front the costs Grants are so competitive, I’d probably waste time applying and not get anything out of it Not eligible Interest rates are too high Down payment requirements are too high I prefer not to take on debt My debt-to-income ratio is too high I don’t have a business plan I need a non-profit fiscal sponsor to apply for a grant on my behalf Don't know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 12. If you have previously applied for a loan or grant for this business, how easy or difficult was the application process? Very easy Easy Difficult Very difficult Don't know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 13. Which, if any, of the following funding sources have you applied for and/or received in the past? (Select all that apply) Federal grants (e.g., USDA Value-added Producer grants) State grants (e.g., New York State Beginning Farmer grants or Empire State Development grants) Local grants (e.g., county economic development grant) FSA guaranteed bank loans (e.g., NBT Bank) Conventional Non-guaranteed bank loans (e.g., NYBDC) Private loans or investments (Non-family) (e.g., Dirt Capital or Local Farms Fund) Crowdsourcing loan (e.g., Kiva) None/Don’t know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 14. If you have previously applied for a loan or grant for this business, what would you want to change about that experience? OK Question Title * 15. If you have received a grant or loan for this business, how was your experience after receiving it? Is there anything you would wish to change about that experience? OK Question Title * 16. If you have applied for a grant or loan and not been funded, what is your understanding of the primary reason? (Select all that apply) Too competitive My application or business plan was perceived as not strong enough Insufficient credit history Credit score too low Insufficient down payment My debt-to-income ratio is too high Not eligible for other reasons Don’t know Not applicable Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 17. Thinking about our region, what existing funding sources do you believe are most valuable for local farm and food businesses?(Select all that apply) Commercial bank loans County microenterprise Federal grants State grants County/municipal grants Crowdsource funding channels Private investors Don’t know Other (please specify) OK Question Title * 18. What additional funding information or resources would be helpful to further your business goals? OK Question Title * 19. Which New York County are you located in? Albany Allegany Bronx Broome Cattaraugus Cayuga Chautauqua Chemung Chenango Clinton Columbia Cortland Delaware Dutchess Erie Essex Franklin Fulton Genesee Greene Hamilton Herkimer Jefferson Kings (Brooklyn) Lewis Livingston Madison Monroe Montgomery Nassau New York (Manhattan) Niagara Oneida Onondaga Ontario Orange Orleans Oswego Otsego Putnam Queens Rensselaer Richmond (Staten Island) Rockland Saint Lawrence Saratoga Schenectady Schoharie Schuyler Seneca Steuben Suffolk Sullivan Tioga Tompkins Ulster Warren Washington Wayne Westchester Wyoming Yates Not in New York OK Question Title * 20. May we follow up with some additional questions? Yes No OK Question Title * 21. Please enter your contact information: Name Farm/Business name City/Town Email Address Phone Number OK DONE
