It was not an easy decision, but one that had to be made, Tressa Fisher said, both for the betterment of her family and for farmers and ranchers across the country.
About a year and a half ago, Fisher and her husband, Art, moved from their hometown of Grand Junction, Colorado, to Kentucky, as the site of operations for their agricultural-based marketplace platform, Farmers Plus.
The free site, which will have a corresponding app in the future, recently became offered nationwide after initially launching only in the Kentucky and Colorado markets in December 2022.
Since 2013, the Fishers had run of large farm where they grew — among other things — hay, alfalfa grass, straw, corn and raised cattle.
The third-generation farm had been in Art’s family for more than 60 years, until they sold it, largely as a springboard to fund their startup. Between their farm and several plots they maintained as part of its custom farming vertical for urbanites-turned-farmowners, they managed close to 1,400 acres.
“When you sell a farm and you sell the equipment and stuff, it just takes a chunk out of your heart,” Fisher said. “We knew that we weren’t going to stay in Colorado … and having not seen this part of the country, we traveled around a little bit and we fell in love with Kentucky. Everything about it is just so beautiful.”
The Fishers — enamored both with the green countryside after years in the rugged surroundings of Western Colorado and the overall friendly nature of Kentuckians — eventually chose a 62-acre plot in Falls of Rough, Kentucky, just west of Rough River Lake. Farmers Plus has a P.O. Box address based out of nearby Leitchfield.
The Fishers, along with a silent partner, put the wheels in motion for Farmers Plus in August 2021 before officially filing with Kentucky Secretary of State’s office in August 2022. Its launch was for a call of something that was geared specifically to farmers and ranchers to sell their wares and directly communicate with fellow members of the agricultural community, as well as customers.
“We really found that they just needed a place where they can belong, where they can go conduct the business that they need to,” said Fisher, who added the most widely used platforms available before the launch of her company place restrictions on agricultural postings by not allowing the sale of animals or animal byproducts.
In addition, some sites will also charge a fee for a percentage for anything they sell, Fisher said, something that Farmers Plus does not do.
Pure ‘Madness’
I first discovered Farmers Plus through its involvement in the 2023 edition of our Inno Madness competition in March. Empowered by four nominations, the startup went all the way to finals as a five seed before losing to Feedcoyote, a six seed, after the Paducah-based startup earned 67% of the votes. More than 1,700 votes were casted in the final round.
“This app has been such a major need for a long time. There has never been a specific marketplace for farmers. … This app is for an intended market and could open up so many opportunities in the world of agriculture,” said one nominee.
“It brings farmers together, into the future,” said another nominee.
On the flip side, customers can create accounts and search for products based on search radius.
The startup’s initial plan was to offer both a free version and a premium version at $3.99 a month or $47.99 a year. Fisher said, though, that they have decided to do away with the premium offering — and will rely solely on advertising and sponsors for its revenue base.
As of a recent date, the site had 2,000 users, but Fisher estimates those numbers should increase significantly with the national launch.
The Farmers Plus full-time team currently consists of Fisher as the CEO, as the silent partner (who serves as the CFO) as well as a full-stack developer and a product manager. The hope is to increase the headcount later down the road, Fisher said.
Up until this point, Farmers Plus has been bootstrapped, bolstered by the Fishers’ sale of their farm.
“We’re doing it on faith, because we know it’s the right thing to do, and someone needs to do it,” Fisher said. “And that’s very similar to farming: Nobody farms because there’s money in it. They farm because it’s the right thing to do and someone’s got to do it.”
That being said, Farmers Plus is looking into raising capital, now that the development side of the operation is at an appropriate level. To ramp up its marketing efforts and to develop the app, Fisher and her team are seeking out $200,000 in a pre-seed round.
