Tillable - How Digitizing Agriculture is Helping to Connect Farmers to the Land

"Eating is an agricultural act." The wise words of Wendell Berry reflect the fact that everyone, whether a farmer or not, has an intrinsic connection to the land in some way or another. Agriculture impacts us all - from the food that we eat, to the clothes that we wear, to the homes that shelter us, we have a farmer to thank. And now - renting and valuing a farm can be as easy as finding a vacation home. 

Tillable, an agricultural website, is reshaping the future of farming with their digital platform that connects landowners and farmers in a revolutionary way - they provide insights into farmland (like soil quality) similar to Zillow for both renters and buyers, offer a rental and purchasing system like Airbnb, and even provide the loans needed all in one convenient place. Today, in the United States, more than half of the cropland and just over 25 percent of pastureland is rented, and those percentages are rising as most farmland is transitioning to institutional landowners (including insurance companies, private equity funds, endowments and family offices). Tillable makes it easy to conduct the entire transaction-signing leases, collecting payments, analyzing yields-online. 

The only all-digital lender in agriculture, Tillable serves as the hub for best in-class land investors and growers. The platform functionality serves to meet the needs of all those involved in agriculture as we see a turn towards online products that can connect users in the modern age. With one of the largest proprietary dataset of farmer profiles in agriculture, the program allows participants to access the most up-to-date valuation analysis, agronomic data tracking, reporting, and for unparalleled farmland insight and services. 

The proprietary smart-contract creation & signing tools, electronic payment systems, and farm management, brokerage advisory, and financing programs make finding, renting, or purchasing farmland a seamless transition for both the farmer and the landowner. There are over 30,000 farmers on the platform, and Tillable's digital footprint spans over 2.2 million acres across the United States, with plans to expand globally in the near future. Currently, the platform's crop types consist of mostly corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, rice and livestock servicing over 40,000 users and counting, with most based in Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. Tillable has recently partnered with Evergreen Bank and Compeer Financial to expand its digital lending program to offer loans nationwide.

The Chicago-based innovative platform was developed by a team of farm managers, credit experts, and brokers with executive roots in Monsanto, Goldman Sachs, Citi Bank, Bank of America, The Climate Corporation, and GM Lawrence. Prior to Tillable, Founder and CEO Corbett launched 640 Labs, an open data platform for collecting data from agricultural equipment, and is continuing to digitize the agricultural market through Tillable. Operations and Finance Director, David Nicola has over 20 years of investment experience in private equity, portfolio management, credit trading, agriculture, and real assets. Tim Woods, Head of Farmland Management, has managed over 180k+ acres of farmland, led a $25+ MM cottonseed mill investment, and also still manages his family farm in Arkansas. The executive management team boasts a well of talent to support its users and also includes VP of Engineering Chris Sprehe, Business Development Director Jamison Potter, Strategic Finance Director Kavitha Sampath, and Marketing Director Jordan Kull.

With the rising costs of acreage in the U.S., the Tillable program's portfolio level analysis that shares farmland insights will help generate better decision-making for farmers. To farm is one of the greatest acts of hope - a seed is planted, and much is left out of our control. In this profession of faith, Tillable helps to relieve some of the uncertainties (like historical rents and yields). Farmers and landowners alike can determine real fair market value for different land parcels, at the convenience of a 100% online transaction. Farmers can compare land notes, and run risk analysis to produce customized and automated agronomic, economic and ESG reporting. ESG data stands for environmental, social, and governance, or the internal controls that drive business decision-making and is related to environmental, social or governance initiatives. Tillable can notify local farmers when land is available near them, and includes detailed information on the land like previous crop yields that can remove much of the risk, and put farmers in the best position to bid on land. Tillable also eliminates the barriers to credit that many farmers see, and has a simple 10-minute loan approval process with digital cost savings and zero servicing fees. The company offers farmland mortgages, refinances, operating loans, and rental financing. 

For landowners looking to optimize their assets in the $32 billion U.S. Farmland rental market, Tillable sources tenants in alignment with your needs, and offers a competitive lease and purchasing marketplace. The team provides asset and portfolio level analysis on mortgage rates, tax, and financial metrics, and develops both quarterly and annual reports, and admin assistance. You can even connect with full-service on the ground farm management. What was once a networking based industry, Tillable's digitization of land management has made it easier for those with land to connect with the proper talent. 

The future of farming lies in generating and understanding data, and the team at Tillable has the skills and experience to partner with you every step of the way to own, manage and transact on farmland easily. The technological enterprise will help bridge the gap between the relatively older farmland owners and the younger, tech-savvy generation of potential operator/renters, provide insight and establish market prices for the land. The easy-to-use online platform has digitized renting between farmers and landowners, and is focused on row-cropland, with identifiable solar potential. Tillable aims to make renting and owning farmland simple and sustainable.