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Events and Training

Upcoming Events

Land For Good staff host mixers, workshops and training across the region, typically with local or regional partners. We are also frequent speakers, panel organizers or moderators at other local, regional and national events.  

Farm Succession: Transferring Your Farm to the Next Generation — MA
February 26, 2020
Gould Barn, 1 Howlett St., Topsfield MA; Registration now open

  • A FREE workshop for farmers and farmland owners hosted by Greenbelt Essex County’s Land Trust. Join us and learn how to plan for a secure retirement while creating opportunity for the next generation of farmers, gain a better understanding of the options, resources, and steps to transfer your farmland and/or farm business to your heirs or new farmers, participate in a Q&A with estate planning attorney and other succession planning professionals, and create custom strategies for your own farm succession plan. Workshop speakers include Land For Good’s Shemariah Blum-Evitts and Jae Silverman, a panel of local farmers, a local attorney, and Farm Credit East’s Jon Jaffe. Please RSVP by February 20th to jane@ecga.org.

The Northern Connecticut Agriculture Summit — CT
February 29, 2020
Asnuntuck Community College, 170 Elm St., Enfield CT

  • Bringing together current and prospective farmers to raise awareness and provide educational seminars to those interested in farming. Seminars include: Managing Healthy Soil, Farmer Grant Programs, Social Media, How to Grow Hemp; the application process; update on 2019 Crop and Panel Discussion, Backyard Chickens 101, Land Access with Land For Good’s CT Field Agent Will O’Meara, Impact of Climate Change, Is Your Farm Covered? Protecting Your Assets, Pollinators, Hydroponics. For more information – email or call Chris Casey, Event Coordinator at cwsmcasey@gmail.com or 860.698.6267.

So You Want to Farm in Maine? Course — ME
March 3, 2020
UMaine Extension Androscoggin-Sagadahoc Office, 24 Main Street, Lisbon Falls ME; Register now

  • This multi-session course is designed for people who want to start a profitable farm or expand their farm hobby to a profitable business. Participants will learn business plan frameworks, record keeping systems, what Cooperative Extension, Land For Good, and other agencies have to offer as resources for their land-based businesses, and the importance of and basics of marketing their products, including customer surveys. This course meets every Tuesday evening in March. Land For Good’s ME Field Agent, Abby Sadauckas will give a presentation on Land Access & Lease Negotiations during the March 10th class. Successful completion of this course qualifies participants for FSA Borrower Training Credit. More details and to register

OrganiConn 2020 — CT
March 7, 2020
Wesleyan University, Middletown CT; Register now

  • Join CT NOFA for their 38th Annual Winter Conference—the largest gathering of organic farming and food enthusiasts in Connecticut. Land For Good’s CT Field Agent, Will O’Meara, will be presenting Farmland Access: Working with Cities and Municipalities. More details and to register

BCDI Land Seeker Meeting — ME
March 8, 2020
Merrymeeting Hall, Bowdoinham ME; Register now

  • The workshop, part of BCDI’s Farmland Inventory Project, is designed to help land seekers consider the needs of their future farm, develop a land search plan, and understand the basics of a farmland lease. Land For Good’s Maine Field Agent, Abby Sadauckas, will lead the workshop along with BCDI’s farmland committee. Maine Farmland Trust staff will also be in attendance to provide an overview of Maine Farm Link and how it can help farm seekers in their farmland search. This event is FREE, though registration is required. Please RSVP or email bcdi.maine@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Kearsarge Farmer Meet-Up Series — NH
March 17, 2020
Sweet Beet Market, 11 West Main Street, Bradford, NH; Register

  • Vital Communities, Land for Good, and Kearsarge Food Hub invite you to a farmer meet-up series that aims to strengthen the Kearsarge farmer network and build community resilience! If you are a farmer in New London, Newbury, Bradford or surrounding towns, we’d love to have you! Come enjoy some food, drink, useful content, and plenty of time to network with fellow farmers. Join us March 17 (wear your green!), 23, and 31 at the Kearsarge Food Hub. Come to one, two, or all to celebrate the coming season. The meet-ups are FREE and dinner is on us!

Growing Your Farm Business — MA
March 18, 2020
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 138 Memorial Ave Suite 42, West Springfield MA

  • MDAR has updated its business planning course curriculum (previously “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity”) to a new, hands-on course to help established farmers develop a business plan and financial projections for their farm business. This course meets once per week for 8 weeks, starting on February 5th, and covers topics including resource assessment, marketing, financial management, risk management, quality of life, and goal setting. Our MA Field Agent Jae Silverman will give a succession planning presentation on March 18th. More information

Farm Succession & Mediation Resources Workshop — VT
March 18, 2020
UVM Extension Office, 23 Pond Lance, Middlebury VT; Register now

  • It’s never too early to plan for your future. This workshop, co-hosted with Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN) is geared to all generations, family and non-family members, who may play a role in your farm’s future. Young farmers are encouraged to attend. Farm transfer and farm-family mediation specialists from Land for Good — Mike Ghia our VT Field Agent — and Vermont Agricultural Mediation Program will be leading the workshop. Registration is required.

2020 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference — CT
March 21, 2020
Wesleyan University, Middletown CT; Register now

  • The 36th annual Connecticut Land Conservation Conference is a full day of educational workshops and peer-to-peer networking for those interested in land conservation, followed by an informal reception with friends and colleagues from across the state. Land For Good’s CT Field Agent, Will O’Meara, will be part of the Farmland Access: Making Land Trust and Municipal Lands Available to New and Beginning Farmers panel presentation with Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust and Connecticut Farmland Trust. More details and to register

 

Save the Date! Farm Succession Training for Professionals

A Seminar for Attorneys & Financial Advisors in New England
May 28-29, 2020
Doubletree by Hilton, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA 01453
Registration opens soon!

Join Land For Good and leading experts at a 2-day seminar to build your skills and proficiency in assisting farmers with succession planning. As a leader on succession planning assistance, we believe that educating farmers is not enough. Farmers need skilled and knowledgeable professionals to help them complete succession plans. At the same time, service providers need guidance and expertise to better assist transitioning farmers. With a grant from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), we will provide professional development training and network-building around succession planning.

Who should attend? Experienced attorneys, new attorneys, law students; accountants and financial advisors. Those with experience in farm transfer and succession planning and those interested in learning more about it.

Hotel discount: Rooms can be reserved for $149/night plus tax at this link for evenings of May 27 & 28. This rate is available on a first come, first serve basis until rooms remain or April 27.
Visit Leominster.DoubleTree.com  | fb.com/doubletreeleom


This training is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number ENE19-155 Improving Professional Capacity to Deliver Farm Succession Planning Assistance in New England.

Where We’ve Been

Selected Presentations

  • Sponsor, Facilitator and Opening Remarks, Farmland Access and the Importance of Networks for Service Providers, Beginning Farmer Network of MA (BFN/MA) Fall Forum, Charlton MA, Nov. 2013.
  • Farmland Access, Tenure and Transfer: Conservation Tool and Context, Panel on Working Lands Conservation, 5th Regional Conservation Partnership Gathering, Nashua NH, Nov. 2013
  • Affordability (panel presenter and moderator), Farmland Access and Affordability Forum, Wethersfield CT, Oct. 2013
  • Co-Sponsor, organizer and presenter, New England Farmland Convening, Portsmouth NH, May 2013
  • Agriculture Trends in MA and New England and Land Conservation, Mt. Grace Conservation Land Trust, Athol MA, 2013
  • Land For Good’s Approach to Farmland Access, JUST Land national gathering, Land Stewardship Project, Rochester MN, 2012
  • Access to Land for Beginning Farmers, National Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Annual Conference, Rochester MN, 2012
  • Leasing Your Protected Farmland for Agricultural Use, Rhode Island Land and Water Summit, Kingston RI, 2010
  • Land Access, Leasing, Land Trusts and More, Drake Agricultural Law Center Forum on Beginning Farmers, Washington DC,, 2010
  • Farm/Ranch Succession Education, Programs and Services, Changing Lands, Changing Hands national conference, Denver CO, 2009
  • Farmland Access and Transfer, Georgia Organics, Atlanta, GA 2009
  • Annual conference, Massachusetts Association of Agriculture Commissions 2009.
  • What’s the Plan for the Farm?, Michigan Land Use Institute, Traverse City MI, 2007
  • Challenges and Opportunities for Small and Beginning Farmers, Small and Beginner Farmers of NH conference, October 2007