ENSURING NEW ENGLAND FARMS STAY IN FARMING | NESAWG

New England farmers age 65 and older manage 1.4 million acres of land and hold $6.45 billion in agricultural assets. Over ninety percent of them do not have a farm operator under 45 working with them. How their land will transfer and to whom will have a significant impact on the future of the region’s farms and farmers. A 2016 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) grant allowed Land For Good, a New England-based nonprofit specializing in farm access and transfer, to continue its Land Access Project (LAP) which tackled farm access, succession and transfer through a comprehensive, systems approach. LAP Phase 2 brought together over 40 collaborating organizations, agencies and individual experts across New England.

With nearly $200,000 in in kind and cash match contributions from project collaborators, philanthropic donors and Farm Credit, the project reached over 4,400 farm seekers, transitioning farmers, non-farming landowners and service providers during its three years. They gained information from land access and transfer tools such as a new guide on Farm Access Methods. They learned about innovative tenure models, and improved their knowledge through nearly 150 educational events, multi-day trainings, and new online materials. The upgraded New England Farmland Finder, a regional farm link service, posted over 700 properties viewed by over 1,500 registered farm seekers.

LAP Phase 2 reached beyond New England, too. In cooperation with USDA, LFG hosted Changing Lands, Changing Hands, a national conference on farm and ranch access, tenure and transfer. This 2017 event convened over 200 providers, agency personnel and advocates from 40 states. Building on the successes of LAP Phase 2, LFG was awarded another BFRDP grant for LAP Phase 3 which will run until 2021. For more information, visit landforgood.org.  Thank you to Land for Good for contributing this story.

Read more in How State and Federal Programs Support Farmers, Fishermen, Food Entrepreneurs and Consumers in the Northeast.