Early Beginnings 

James Brown’s journey in the horticultural industry began at 14. Starting with early jobs, he eventually established his own wholesale nursery business: New Moon Nursery.  

“I never intended to be a horticulturalist – I never went to college for this,” said James. But his passion for plants has been the foundation of his success.  

From Passion to Profession 

After renting several facilities in the early years of their business, James and his wife, Kimberly, decided it was time to pursue financing for their own property.  

“What I liked about Farm Credit East is they’re only dealing with ag. So, there’s a lot of ins and outs that a commercial bank just isn’t going to understand, that they understand,” said James.  

The Browns worked closely with their loan officer to establish their business with the help of FarmStart. The FarmStart program provides working capital investments of up to $75,000 to Northeast agricultural ventures that may not be eligible for traditional financing, especially those who are just getting started.  

“This was a very big move for us,” said James. “We almost tripled the size of our nursery overnight.” Shortly afterwards, the 2008 financial crisis hit, and according to James, “that’s when Farm Credit really stepped in and gave us the wiggle room, we needed to be successful.”  

Long-term Value 

Nearly two decades later, James reflects that the industry perspective he has gained through his Farm Credit East relationship is what he values most. “I’m a farmer, not a banker. When I’m in the bushes of the day-to-day, our loan officer is in the drone in the sky looking at the bigger picture.”  

This article was originally published in Farm Credit East’s Financial Partner magazine.