Global Prairie sues ag tech firm FarmLink for loan default

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.