Seasonal Working Capital [WORKING]

July was a furnace. The cherries came in fat and dark, like rubies. Elara worked eighteen-hour days, her hands stained purple, her shoulders screaming. The harvest was massive—bigger than her father had seen in a decade.

"Start a reserve fund in the fall. Take the cash from your harvest and set aside 20% in a separate account. Don't touch it. Use it next spring instead of me. You'll lose the opportunity cost of that cash sitting idle for six months, but you'll gain control." seasonal working capital

"I have crop insurance now," Elara said. "And I've diversified. I'm adding a you-pick pumpkin patch in the fall. And a small cider press. I'm spreading the risk." July was a furnace

She had to go back to the well.

Now, April was two weeks away. She needed $150,000 by Friday. The harvest was massive—bigger than her father had

Dante Mercado ran a small, aggressive factoring firm called "Harvest Bridge Capital." He wore sharp boots and a sharper smile. He didn’t care about her tractors or her land. He cared about her receivables—the contracts she already had with three regional grocery chains for the July cherry harvest.