I was excited to connect with farmers, farmland owners, and partners at the 2nd Annual Southeast New England Agriculture Conference and Trade Show held at Bristol Agricultural High School in Dighton, Massachusetts on February 2, 2025. The conference was organized in collaboration between agricultural organizations in the region, spearheaded by the Southeast Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP) our regional “buy local” group. We hosted two workshops at the conference as well as a booth at the trade show.
Conversations centered around how to go about finding farmland, how to connect with landowners, and how and when to draw up a lease at the Farmland Access and Affordability workshop that covered various models in the Southeastern New England Region and ways in which farmers and organizations are addressing affordable farmland access. Models shared included community garden, incubator farm, long term leases with shared infrastructure, and a cooperative housing model centered around a farm. Attendees learned how each model works, what opportunities they each provide, and how to go about either accessing land through one of these models, or how to set up a similar model. We had plenty of time for Q&A, and attendees had plenty of questions to fill up that time! We discussed opportunities on existing farms as well, recognizing that we have many farmers around the state who do have identified successors. Some attendees shared their own land access challenges with the group, and other attendees responded with encouragement. Presenters included Southside Community Land Trust, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, and Wolf Tree Cooperative/Pea Shoot Farm.
We heard from farmers who were able to purchase their own farm through a farm protected with “Buy Protect Sell” at the Conservation Tools to Secure Land for Farming workshop that was presented for the second year. This workshop was designed to enhance participants’ understanding of some of the common pathways of land conservation, which can be used to protect farmland as well as make it more affordable to the next generation at the time of transfer. The topic attracted about 30 people, including farmers, landowners, and community members. Each speaker provided a lens into the world of conservation tools for farmland from a bit of a different vantage point, and attendees learned about protecting farmland with various partners including private land trusts, towns and municipalities, and both the State of Massachusetts and the State of Rhode Island. “Buy Protect Sell” is a process by which a landowner receives fair market value for selling their property to a land trust who adds a conservation easement, removing the development rights from the land, and then sells the land to a farmer. This is a really powerful tool for making farmland affordable for purchase. Attendees heard about the state of Rhode Island’s Farmland Access Program which allows for “Buy Protect Sell” at a state level, and we also heard news that Massachusetts has plans underway for a similar program.
I enjoyed the many conversations I had with farmers, some looking for lease writing resources, farm seekers looking to increase the amount of land they farm, budding farmers looking to explore options, and farmers looking for support on their tenure arrangements.
As this was the second year that Land For Good attended this conference, I had the opportunity to see what a difference a year makes! Last year there were a few folks who were familiar with our name and our work. This year, individuals came and sought us out with specific questions that they knew we’d be able to help with.
Other community members had heard our name and asked for more information about what we do and how we do it. The trade show was alive with service providers catching up with each other, and making referrals on the spot. It’s so nice to be able to be together face to face, and make a connection for somebody by walking them a few tables over instead of sending a note through e-mail.
