Category: News
Dairy farms in Massachusetts, and across New England, are evaporating
Dairy farming is an essential part of a local and sustainable food system. Real dairy starts with real farm families. Across the US, 95% of all dairy farms are family farms. New England is home to over 1,000 dairy farms. Many of them have been passed down for generations. In Massachusetts, seventeen of the 117 […]
Farmers at the heart of NH Eats Local
In August, we’ll join over 70 partners to highlight New Hampshire Eats Local, a collaborative initiative of NH Food Alliance, the UNH Sustainability Institute, the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, and other key partners, for a month-long celebration of local food and farmers. For the farmers who grow our food and steward our […]
Helping the next generation of farmers
Letter To The Editor,Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners (MOF&G) News — In my role as Field Agent with Land For Good, I have the good fortune to be assisting a number of bright, enthusiastic new farmers with their farmland searches. Due to the pandemic, Maine (and New England) has become an even more attractive place to […]
Legal risk management strategies around land issues for the agricultural community
We’re pleased to partner with Farm Commons, a national leader on legal assistance to farmers, as part of our effort to strengthen farmer and farm business resiliency through professional education. Farm Commons is a nonprofit membership organization providing farmers with the proactive legal counsel they need to become the resilient base of a healthy food […]
Helping keep Vermont’s farmland in active farming
It is estimated as many as 300 Vermont farms may change hands over the next five years as farmers scale back and transition from farming. At the same time, affordable access to farmland is a serious barrier for new farmers or those seeking to grow and expand their business. And, farmland that could be accessed […]
NH town’s agricultural commission helping connect farmers with land
New Hampshire agriculture is in the midst of a renaissance with older farmers looking to transfer their farm to another generation of farmers, young people graduating from sustainable agriculture programs and looking for land to farm, and non-farmers purchasing abandoned farms with the idea of buying protection from development and wanting to promote open space. […]
Advocating for a greater USDA commitment to fund farm & food business technical assistance
The coronavirus pandemic has underscored not just the value of local and regional farm and food businesses to the resilience of our nation’s food system, but how essential the development of business skills are to the success of these operations. Farmers and ranchers are entrepreneurs as much as they are growers of agricultural products. Dedicated […]
FaithLands partnerships between farmers, faith communities & food systems
Faith communities are a significant and unique type of agricultural landowner. Several religious organizations contact us with interest in making their land available for agricultural purposes and seek guidance on where to begin. So we are excited to support the FaithLands initiative and learning community to create specialized land access resources. FaithLands envisions a world […]
Farm succession training for professionals who serve farmers scheduled for September 2021
Over 10,000 New England farmers are likely to exit farming in the next decade. Most lack adequate succession plans. Farmers need skilled and knowledgeable technical advisors who can work as a team to support and guide the complex planning process. This fall we’re planning a unique training on the legal, business and financial aspects of […]
Farmers share inspiration amid land access challenges
We could all benefit from a little inspiration from our farmers. These recent articles in the news overlap our work and highlight some of our farmer clients and advisees. Our team is proud to have helped these farmers directly in various ways and collaborated with partners on their behalf. We clearly see the impacts of […]
NH Farm Future Fund 2021 grant recipients announced
NH Association of Conservation Districts, in partnership with the Cheshire County Conservation District, recently announced the NH Farm Future Fund 2021 grant recipients. Since 2020, $190,000 has been distributed to 10 farms, in partnership with 8 NH Land Trusts conserving 991 acres, in 7 counties. The goal of the NH Farm Future Fund is to […]
Free webinar series on farm succession planning begins March 16th
Each winter we host 20-30 senior generation farmers from across New England at a Farm Succession School. The school provides structured and sustained support to help farmers make decisions, engage their families, and organize the legal and financial considerations of the farm succession planning process. This year we’re taking the classroom virtual, amid the pandemic, with a […]
