Herdfunding: how the internet is raising money for farms

Instead of approaching banks, small, local farms are finding cash and loyal fans online

When Micha and Andrew Ide started Bright Ide Acres, a farm producing ethical eggs and meat in Snohomish, Washington, in 2012, the couple bootstrapped their startup costs.

Raiding their savings accounts, they leased a 12-acre parcel of land, installed fencing and purchased chickens, sheep, goats, pigs and turkeys. The couple began raising turkey breeds that were too heavy to fly, but demand grew for heritage turkeys which are flightly, and the birds started escaping from their portable electric fencing into other farmers' vegetables fields.