The Harvest Farm

	The Harvest Farm Introduction Blueberries Oranges Peaches & Plums Row Crops	Introduction Richard and Florence Nogaj (nojay) established Harvest for Humanity, Inc. and The Harvest Farm in 1999 to bring a new concept of farm ownership to the agricultural industry. The Farm employs several full-time, salaried farmworkers and, over a period of three years, offers ownership to the employees. The Harvest Farm is committed to diversified niche crop farming. One of the niche crops is blueberries. They will be harvested in Immokalee two months before the rest of the nation providing a strong dollar return on investment. The farming of additional labor-intensive niche crops will provide year-round employment opportunities. Harvest is committed to paying each employee a living wage that will empower men and women to adequately provide for their families. Employees will receive technical farm related training from professors at the University of Florida IFAS Center and language and business classes from several local educational institutions. After this initial three to five year period Harvest will sell the Harvest Cooperative Farm to the farmworker employees using the concepts of the Employee Stock Option Plan and a no-profit, no-interest loan.
		Again, this new farming model creates unique opportunities for a hand-up experience for farmworkers that they otherwise would never have. Our model is based on a four-part connecting approach that includes:
		Specialty niche crops Year round employment Ability to pay living wages Opportunity for stock ownership with no-interest, no-profit loans.
		The Harvest Farm, an entity of Harvest for Humanity, is committed to diversified niche farming. One of the niche crops is the delicious blueberries you have purchased today. They are harvested in Immokalee two months before they are available throughout the rest of the nation thus providing the potential for a strong dollar return on investment.
		Blueberries are gaining recognition as nature's antioxidant powerhouse. They ranked #1 in studies at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. "The blueberry has emerged as a very powerful food in the aging battle," said Dr. James Joseph, chief of the neuroscience laboratory at Tufts.
		Harvest for Humanity is also committed to paying each employee living wage that will empower men and women to adequately provide for their families. You have paid a few more cents per ounce for this product that will go directly to the farmworker in the form of a living wage of at least $8.50 per hour.