We are excited to introduce one of the newest farms in our portfolio: Vollmar Family Farms located in Tuscola County, Michigan. Mark and Dawn Vollmar farm 500 acres of diversified row crops in an “organic hotspot” of Michigan, surrounded by more than 10,000 acres of certified organic farmland within just a few miles of their properties. Their son, Jordan, farms with Mark, and he has expanded his own organic operation to an additional 500+ acres in the same area. Mark is a fifth-generation farmer whose family has farmed in Tuscola County since the 19th century. This legacy includes challenges along with a deep respect for the land and community. Mark is grateful to be farming with his son and to know that the legacy will continue. Mark's father was forced to sell much of their land and exit farming during the 1980s farming crisis. Certifying organic in 1997, Mark rebuilt the operation to what it is today. The Vollmars are strongly committed to organic and regenerative farming practices – they are certified organic and are moving to regenerative organic certification (ROC). Their diversified crop rotation includes dry beans (pinto, navy, and black), grains (spelt, einkorn, rye, blue & yellow corn), and hemp. 

Mark started farming as a teenager and decided to pursue organic farming 24 years ago to provide a better living for his family. He quickly realized that organic farming's positive effects on human health and the well-being of the environment are equally as important. Mark now seeks out regenerative, no-till farming techniques to further improve soil health and counts Rodale Institute and Rick Clark, a prominent no-till organic farmer from Indiana, among those he's learned from. The family uses no-till practices as much as possible, and they also embrace planting cover crops.

The Vollmar family is passionate about sharing what they have learned through mentoring and apprenticeship with younger farmers. Mark is a leader in the organic community and an ideal mentor to new farmers interested in learning more about organic and regenerative agriculture. The Vollmar family endeavors to serve, give back to, restore, and build up both the land and the community for many more generations to come.

In honor of Black History Month in February and Women's History Month in March, we are sharing resources recommended by our team that celebrate and contextualize the many contributions these groups have made to agriculture. We encourage all to uplift these stories year-round.

We also recognize the devastation occurring in Ukraine. This crisis will continue to have myriad impacts, including within food and agriculture. One of our team members shared this Civil Eats article highlighting what this invasion means for food supply in Ukraine and globally. Learn more about how the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization is responding to support farmers and food security in Ukraine here. The response from the food world has been inspiring to many of us: locally, Chicago chefs organized a fundraiser to support Ukraine just this week, while chef José Andrés and his organization, World Central Kitchen, are on the ground cooking and feeding people. 

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree preferred in finance, agriculture, business administration, or related field. Ten or more years of transferable professional experience including managing a team of at least 8 people and demonstrating excellence in leading, managing, and growing teams.

Head to our careers page to view the in-depth position profile. We welcome your help in sharing this opportunity with qualified candidates in your network. Iroquois Valley is currently led by interim CEO, Andy Ambriole, who has been a farmer and board member for many years. Learn more about our leadership transition here.

Given this, we have paused sales of our REIT Equity Shares offering effective March 1st, 2022. We will continue to sell our Soil Restoration Notes for the foreseeable future.

Over the past three years, we have raised over $30 million from investors through our current offering of REIT Shares and have welcomed more than 300 new shareholders into our community. We expect to launch a new offering of shares, with an updated share price, later this spring, with SEC qualification anticipated by the early summer.

 Certified  B Corporation | Est. 2007

(847) 859-6645 |  [email protected] |  iroquoisvalley.com