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Our Good Work, Winter 2017
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Countdown to Spring is on...
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The only thing more beautiful than a snowy New England winter is to see our working lands become more active as days grow longer and field preparation approaches. Maple sugaring is a sure sign of all that will come alive as frost gives
way to a new growing season.
Productive farms depend on the land security of hard working farmers. Farmers' land security supports food security and rural communities. In this issue, see how we're gaining more ground for farmers and ensuring a future for working farms:
Thanks to your support, we logged nearly 750 cases of direct technical assistance to farmers, landowners and communities in 2016. You helped us deliver over 40 events, reaching over 2,500 participants including farmers, landowners, service providers and individual supporters. And so much more! Thanks to your response to our 2016 year-end fundraising appeal, we'll help even more farmers access and transfer land in 2017. If you haven't renewed your support yet, please donate now.
Jim Habana-Hafner
Executive Director
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Dairy is still the highest-value agriculture sector in most New England states.(photo credit Taylor Hooper Photography, Benedikt Dairy Farm, NH) |
 Dairy succession efforts get boost from grant
Help is available for dairy farmers! With support from the
Keep Local Farms Fund of the New England Dairy Promotion Board
, LFG is offering farm transfer planning and succession advising to commercial, cow milk dairy farms at reduced or no cost, for a limited time. In the Northeast, the number of dairy farms has plummeted from over 100,000 in 1960 to fewer than 16,000 today. And 2016 marked a drastic amount of farms closing. In NH alone, 19 of the state's 120 cow dairies closed last year.
Ironically, organic milk production is one of the fastest growing segments of US organic agriculture
. And, at a time when local food is popular, NH dairies make about a third of the products the state's residents consume, according to NH Agricultural Commissioner, Lorraine Merrill. Fewer dairies mean less open land and losing cornerstone farms in many rural communities. The linked challenges of farm succession and farmland access have to be addressed to realize these farming opportunities.
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New England Farmland Finder has a new look, and it is now mobile-friendly. Watch for more functional
upgrades to come! |
New England Farmland Finder now lists over 150 properties
Do you know a farmer looking for land to lease or buy? A landowner looking to find the right farmer for their property? You can help spread the word about
New England Farmland Finder (NEFF). The region's free, farm property clearinghouse has over 150 current property listings. The regional farm link program that manage NEFF are improving their services and coordination in New England. These improvements are based on surveying users to learn how to best prepare, support, and connect farm seekers with properties.
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What issues matter most to you & your farm?
To help gain ground for the next generation of farmers, LFG is partnering with the
National Young Farmer Coalition (NYFC) to get the word out about a survey that will help the issues of new, beginning and aspiring farmers get counted and elevated. By quantifying challenges next generation farmers face, this survey will help us hone and promote the policies and programs we know are important to improve access to land for farming. Now accepting surveys until March 5th.
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The
Janiszyns, who own & operate Pete's Stand in Walpole NH, worked with Land For Good and The Monadnock Conservancy - and their landlord - to conserve
9 acres of
prime farmland in 2015.
(photo by Bill Sumner)
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$1.2 Million RCPP grant will protect 3,000 acres of NH farmland
The Monadnock Conservancy, working with five partners, including Land For Good, has been awarded more than $1.2 million through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. The project will protect nearly 3,000 acres of important farmland in the Monadnock region by 2021. The project will target riverfront farmland, especially land along the Connecticut, Ashuelot and Contoocook as well as waterways that have been identified as impaired.
Read more
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LFG is hosting a national conference, in cooperation with USDA, June 13-15 in Denver, Colorado, as a forum to exchange knowledge and resources, build professional skills and networks, and share perspectives from all regions on the topic of equitable land access, secure and sustainable tenure, and successful transfer of our farms and ranches. Advisors, educators, policymakers and advocates who work with, and on behalf of, farmers and landowners should attend. Registration is now open! Early bird rate ends April 30.
Read
more
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NH's state networking team (left to right) Ian McSweeny, Russell Foundation; Cara Cargill, Land For Good; Charlene Anderson, NH Community Loan Fund; Amanda Littleton, Cheshire County Conservation District; Stacy Gambrel, Monadnock Conservancy; Kate Kerman, Small and Beginner Farmers of New Hampshire; and Rebecca Brown, Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust. |
Increasing access to farmland for New England's beginning and established farmers is the goal of the Land Access Project team.
50 project partners from six states gathered this winter to continue work on task force and state-based plans
. Task Forces focus on specific deliverables, such as improvements to farm linking services, trainings, research and more; while state groups coordinate and improve programs and policies
. In its first reporting year, the Project delivered 38 events reaching nearly 1,000 beginning and established farmers, landowners, and service providers.
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Seminar for attorneys, advisors & providers who work with farmers
on May 3 - 4 in Manchester, NH.
Attend one or both days! |
A team of legal experts, as part of LFG's Land Access Project, will host an intensive seminar May 3 - 4 in Manchester, NH to build advisor skills and proficiency in assisting farm families through a farm transfer transition. Experienced attorneys, new attorneys and law students, other service providers including field staff, accountants, financial planners, land trust and conservation staff, and lenders should attend. This is a unique opportunity to connect with other farm service providers in your state and form teams to deliver quality succession assistance to farmers.
Read more
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Upcoming events & trainings!
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Land access workshop held last month in Ossipee, NH. |
As part of its training and public education activities, LFG frequently appears at local, regional and national events.
Read more
March 8 - 9, 2017
March 13, 2017
Connecticut Landowners Workshop
Stonington, CT,
Read more
March 20, 2017
Rhode Island Farm Succession Planning Workshop
May 3 - 4, 2017
Professional Training for Farm Succession Advisors
Manchester, NH,
Read more
June 13 - 15, 2017
Changing Lands, Changing Hands National Conference
Denver, CO,
Read more
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"Thank you for your help to keep our farm for future generations. We could not have
succeeded without all the help we received from Land For Good."
- June Girouard, Murdock Farm and Dairy Bar
Winchendon MA
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Land For Good | 39 Central Square, Suite 306, Keene, NH 03431 | 603.357.1600
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