Category: Resources
Make Your Land Available for Farming, free webinar & resources for landowners
Land is an essential element of farming, but most farmland in New England isn’t being farmed. As a landowner, when you make land available for farming you help secure a future for farming in your community. From a small vegetable plot to acreage for livestock, partnering with farmers to create productive and sustainable uses for […]
This winter! Opportunities to work on farm succession planning
Most farmers that we work with want their land to stay in agriculture, but very few have plans in place that articulate how the land, equipment, business, and other assets will be divided among the next generation or unrelated operator. Succession planning can present challenges, and each situation is unique. We have helped hundreds of farmers […]
Live webinar on accessing land to farm collectively
Access to land remains a top challenge for many farmers, especially new, young, or socially disadvantaged farmers. Farmers face common challenges and obstacles – appropriate land is hard to find and expensive to buy, renting land can seem insecure or feel like a risky investment, and farming can feel isolating. For these reasons and more, […]
Support for farm succession planning & land access in the Berkshires
Berkshire County, Massachusetts has a rich history of agriculture. Today it supports a huge diversity of farms from large, multi-generational dairy farms to small, urban vegetable operations, as well as farmers markets, farm stands, and many farm-focused events. But conditions in Berkshire County call for increased attention to farmland access and transfer. An aging farmer […]
Cooperative farming & accessing farmland together
Access to land remains a top challenge for all farmers. Group farmland access can solve some land access obstacles and offer multiple benefits. Many farmers are exploring ways to farm collectively. This can allow farmers to share resources, assets, knowledge, skills, equipment, labor—and the expense of land. Farmers face common challenges. By working together, in […]
Acquire your own farm with some helpful training
This winter we launched Acquiring Your Farm, a training series for new and beginning farmers to help identify goals and set financial parameters, review pros and cons of owning versus leasing, conduct a land search, assess farm properties, discover keys to successful communication, and more. It provides a thorough introduction to the complex issues of […]
Winter sessions offer help with farm succession planning
Most farmers we work with want their land to stay in agriculture; the legacy of the land is often a cherished value. But few farm families have plans in place that articulate who their successor is and exactly how the land, equipment, business, and other assets will be divided among heirs and farm successors. In […]
More resources available when & where farmers really need it
Last year’s market disruptions created crises and opportunities for farmers. Some farmers struggled to keep their businesses afloat, others had banner years, and some were forced to consider retirement. All farmers had to adapt quickly to new realities and demand. We continue to help more farmers find, secure, and transfer farmland across New England. This […]
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. […]
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 […]
