9 feb 2026
Joining the Team to Help Farms Build Sustainable Futures
After several years evaluating balance sheets and credit risk at commercial lenders, Taylor Mignone was ready for a change. He wanted to work directly with clients, understand their businesses beyond the numbers, and see the real-world impact of his work.
“I wanted be more front-facing,” Mignone said. “That was where my career was going to progress.”
Now, as HVADC’s and Farm and Food Growth Fund’s (FFGF) new Business Services Manager, Mignone helps Hudson Valley farms and food businesses build sustainable futures. The role offered something he couldn’t find in traditional banking: the chance to focus on sustainability and growth rather than strict metrics.
“Taylor fills an important new role for us as our lending portfolio grows,” said Mary Ann Johnson, Deputy Director of HVADC and Vice President/CFO of FFGF. “He brings more rigor and speed to our underwriting process and stays very hands-on with applicants and clients. That helps us move loans along and better support the agribusinesses we serve.”
From Traditional Banking to Supporting Agribusiness Entrepreneur
During his years as a commercial credit analyst, Mignone rarely worked with agricultural business.
“Agribusinesses don’t really gel with commercial lending,” he noted. “Commercial lending has strict guidelines where you have to hit certain metrics. Here we’re not trying to do that. We’re trying to help you as much as we can, whether it’s technical assistance, grant, or smaller loans to get you through.”
In his new role, Mignone serves as the main point of contact between HVADC’s and FFGF’s loan and business technical assistance clients, staff, and consultants. His work often begins when a farm or food business applies for a grant or loan. From there, he assesses needs, connects clients with consultants, and guides them through financing options, including bridge loans and other tools that fill gaps.
“The crown jewel of our programming is technical assistance and the incubator programs,” he explained. “We’re trying to get farmers online and profitable, where they’re having a sustainable business model that can allow them access to grant programs or more private funding.”
Even in his first few weeks, Mignone spotted a clear pattern among clients seeking HVADC’s help. “They’re very hardworking and passionate, and very involved,” he observed.
The challenges these entrepreneurs face struck him immediately, from seasonal cash flow to long lead times before profitability. “We have one client with a vineyard. They’re not going to hit the peak of their wine making until 2030,” Mignone explained. “Their grapes have to grow and mature. They’re still making wine, they’re just not making as much as they will eventually. They’re not going to show a profit for a number of years.”
A High-Touch Approach
One of the biggest surprises for Mignone has been how closely HVADC staff work with clients over time. Unlike larger institutions where departments are siloed, he said HVADC takes a long-view, relationship-driven approach.
“They intimately work with these clients, sometimes for 10 years,” Mignone said. “They’ve done grants, loans, technical assistance — it’s very much a relationship versus a transaction.”
That relationship often includes site visits, especially for loan-funded projects. When possible, Mignone prefers to meet clients in person to better understand their operations and goals.
Looking Ahead: Growth and Integration
Mignone has already moved several clients through the loan pipeline and is thinking about longer-term improvements. He’s particularly interested in expanding and better integrating HVADC’s loan, grant, and technical assistance programs.
“I’m looking for growth,” he said. “This is my first real opportunity to affect what I do — to say, ‘I think this can improve this way, ’and help shape things.”
As he continues to learn the nuances of grants and agribusiness financing, Mignone draws motivation from the passion he sees among HVADC clients and the chance to support businesses that are essential to the region’s economy and communities.