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Our Good Work, Winter 2016
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Ag-vocating to put more farmers on more land.
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Happy 2016! Thank you to everyone whose generous response during our year-end appeal helped us exceed our Annual Fund goal.
This winter has been marked by exciting milestones, including the kick off of Phase 2 of our regional Land Access Project (LAP)
, and hiring our long-time friend and collaborator
, Cris Coffin, as our first Policy Director. Read more about both, Cris' Capitol Hill testimony,
farmers we've helped, and where to find us in this issue:
Winter's chill often brings a slower pace and mindfulness that will soon give way to the frenzy of the growing season (or sooner, the sugaring season). Savor this time for as John Steinbeck wrote, "What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."
Jim Habana-Hafner
Executive Director
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Cris Coffin tesitfies before the House Agriculture Committee (photo courtesy of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition) |
LFG on The Hill at
House Ag Committee hearing
On Feb. 2 LFG's new Policy Director Cris Coffin, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture on the importance of directly connecting farmers, ranchers and producers with consumers.
"Every direct sale is an opportunity to educate a neighbor and consumer about farming practices and farming challenges and it is building support for agriculture" she emphasized. Land access and transitioning farms were among the challenges highlighted.
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The Janiszyn family, farmers and owners of Pete's Stand in NH, celebrate more secure tenure on a piece of land they lease. (photo by Bill Sumner) |
 Celebrate
land security for young farmers: a story from NH
For beginning and established farmers alike, the challenges of
accessing farmland are affordability, availability, equity and security.Teresa and John Janiszyn, who's family owns and operates Pete's Stand in Walpole, NH, started losing some of their long-held rental land to development.
The Janiszyns rely entirely on a network of rented land to grow vegetables for their successful farm stand.
Through a conversation with LFG Field Agent Mike Ghia, the Janiszyns got connected with other service providers to begin the process of stabilizing their land base, starting with an
8-acre parcel they rent in Gilsum. With support from the landowner, LFG and other collaborators, the Monadnock Conservancy facilitated the sale of a conservation easement for the land giving these young, next generation farmers (and the landowner) greater security in keeping the land in farming.
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LFG hosted over 50 project partners at the kick off meeting in Leominster. (photo courtesy Land For Good) |
USDA grant awarded for Land Access Project Phase 2
New England farmers will be getting more help, resources and tools to access farmland, improve tenure security and transition farms thanks to three-year,
$641,000 grant for LFG's Land Access Project. The grant comes through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) which is administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Accessing farmland is a challenge for all farmers, but it is particularly daunting for beginning farmers who mostly come from non-farming backgrounds and lack access to capital. At the same time, an aging farmer population - many of whom lack identified successors - face the challenge of passing on their farms to the next generation. The project will also benefit established farmers seeking to plan a farm transfer or find a successor. This is LFG's second BFRDP grant.
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"I wanted to live here for the rest of my life," said Ron King (above) of the farm he purchased in 1971 and ran for decades with his brother, Dennis. (photo by Gregory Rec, Portland Press) |
Transferring the farm takes planning and creativity: a story from Maine
There's a growing realization among farmers that having a
farm transition plan in place is a key part of business planning, and is as important as developing a standard retirement plan. Farmers must think about long-term goals for their properties and how to pass them on, even when there is no identified successor, as with King Hill Farm in ME. Ron King and his brother Dennis King, who owned and operated King Hill Farm since the 1970s, found an innovative solution to keep the farm for future generations; they sold Dennis' half of the farm to a young farm family, who also signed a contract for the other half of the farm with an agreement to care for Ron as he ages and continues to live in the original farm house.
Read about this creative farm transfer in the
Portland Press Herald
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Connect with us at upcoming Events & Training
Attend one of our local workshops or training across the region that we host with many regional partners.
Events & Training
Land Access and Leasing Workshop
Southeastern Mass Ag & Food Conference
February 28th, Dighton, MA
NH Real Estate Professional Training
March 8th, Enfield, NH
Gaining Access to Quality Farmland Workshop
Connecticut NOFA Winter Conference
March 13th, Danbury, CT
One-on-One Consultations
Connecticut Land Conservation Council Annual Conference
March 19th, Middletown, CT
Just Food? Forum on Land Use, Rights and Ecology
March 25th, Boston, MA
Browse our resources to learn and take action on farmland access, tenure and transfer issues you face - or facing your community. You can also read about our people and our work
In The News!
Leasing Farmland
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"Thank you for advising me on rental parameters of our ancestoral farmland on Weathersfield Bow in Vermont. I hope I am making progress in converting the farmer to sustainable practices. Thanks for all the great advice!"
- Suzanne Carreker-Voigt, Ferry Farm
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Land For Good | 39 Central Square, Suite 306, Keene, NH 03431 | 603.357.1600
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