Global Prairie sues ag tech firm FarmLink for loan default
January 5, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City-based marketing firm Global Prairie has filed suit against a local ag tech firm for defaulting on a loan, according to a document that was filed Nov. 14 in Jackson County Court.
In the document, Global Prairie alleged that Kansas City-based FarmLink failed to fulfill payments on a promissory note in the amount of $568,390 plus interest. A promissory note is a financial tool used to put the terms of a loan in writing and contains a written promise to pay a stated sum on a specific date.
FarmLink — whose website is now inoperable — offers a suite of tech services for farmers, including its analytics platform TrueHarvest and machinery sharing platform MachineryLink Sharing.
Led by CEO Ron LeMay, the company has raised about $77 million in capital. LeMay is also the managing director of OpenAir Equity Partners, which is a top investor in FarmLink.
FarmLink in February announced that it would split its company into two businesses, FarmLink and MachineryLink Solutions. The court filing includes two other affiliate organizations: FarmLink LLC and FarmLink Analytics.
Anne St. Peter founded Global Prairie in 2008. The firm has since opened offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Berlin and Brussels.
“This is a legal matter and we intend to limit any comments to our court filings,” said Greg Wolf, an attorney at Dentons that’s representing Global Prairie.
FarmLink has not yet responded to request for comment. The ag tech firm was selected by Startland News as one of Kansas City’s top 10 startups to watch in 2016.
Featured Business

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Charlie Hustle popup coming to Power & Light in time for Big 12 (and 300,000 visitors)
A highly visible storefront along the KC Streetcar line is expected to give homegrown apparel brand Charlie Hustle a prime spot to showcase KC Heart for hundreds of thousands of potential shoppers during the coming Big 12 basketball tournament. The game day merch shop and experiential retail concept is expected to open Thursday, March 7…
DivvyHQ exits: They built this KC startup brick-by-brick, now it fits within a bigger story
A Kansas City marketing tech startup’s acquisition by Lytho, a leading creative project management platform, is built upon the two brands’ complementary company ideologies and tech, said Brock Stechman. “We’re seeing a lot of consolidation in our market, and this was an opportunity where we could collaborate and come together seamlessly with a single, specialized,…
Chiefs tease 16 Arrowhead upgrades coming to KC stadium if voters pass April 2 sales tax
With early voting already under way in Jackson County, the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday released a trove of renderings and new details on plans to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium if the April 2 ballot question passes. “(Arrowhead) is among the most iconic stadiums in professional sports, and it has become a bucket list destination for…
