Tedesco Farm
Tedesco Farm Available for 2024 Growing Season
The Tedesco Farm is a 13-acre farm located near Granger, Iowa. In 2016, Angela Tedesco gifted these acres to Practical Farmers of Iowa. We are seeking a new tenant for the 2024 growing season, with potential for a longer-term lease in 2025.
Applications are due Sept. 15. Selection announced by November.
Application
Written, electronic or video responses accepted. Please limit video submissions to 10 minutes. If you need assistance providing written responses, PFI can help. Contact PFI at (515) 232-5661, ext. 1031 or martha.mcfarland@practicalfarmers.org for English applications and valeria.cano.camacho@practicalfarmers.org for Spanish applications.
Download the Spanish Application
Download OVerview of application Review process
Download Spanish overview of Application Review Process
Applications are also available at Practical Farmers of Iowa’s office.
Submission
Completed applications can be submitted electronically using the form below or they can be mailed to the PFI office at 1615 Golden Aspen Drive, Suite 101, Ames, IA 50010.
Spanish applications can be submitted to Valeria by email at valeria.cano.camacho@practicalfarmers.org or mailed to PFI offices at 1615 Golden Aspen Drive, Suite 101 Ames, IA 50110.
SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS HERE
Qualifications
We’re looking for a tenant who:
- Is a member of PFI – and we’ll give preference to beginning and historically underserved farmers
- Has previous farming experience
- Can express clear goals and visions for their business, has a plan to achieve those goals and can show evidence they can carry out that vision
- Has the entrepreneurial ability to create a budget and cashflow their business
Things to consider:
- Organizations and those involved with collaborative farming models are welcome to apply, with one person serving as the applicant, point of contact and responsible party.
- The farm is zoned for agriculture and has been certified organic for the past 20-plus years. It was not certified in 2023, but will be eligible for organic certification in 2024.
- Applicants must be prepared to maintain the entire farm with only limited use of synthetic chemicals. This is defined in the agricultural practice guidelines that accompanies the lease. Download the complete list of guidelines in English or in Spanish or pick up a copy at our office in Ames, Iowa.
- While this farm has been in horticulture production for the last 20 years, livestock may be considered if there is a strong plan for keeping the animals secure and for minimizing disturbance to the surrounding community.
- A tenant must carry at least $1 million in farm liability insurance. This type of policy typically costs less than $500 a year. Read more about liability insurance from Land For Good’s “Liability and Insurance in a Farm Lease Guide.”
- The tenant will assume all responsibility for maintenance and repair of the equipment.
- Multiyear leases and perennial plantings will be considered after a successful initial growing season.
The initial application will be followed by a round of interviews. A committee of PFI members with diverse experiences in farming and farmland access will select which candidates move to the interview round. This committee will sit in on interviews and select the next tenant for this parcel of land by November 2023.