Walpole, NH (April 26, 2024) – The 10 New Hampshire Conservation Districts announce over $363,000 in grants to forty-five awardees for the 2024 NH Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant. In only its third year, this grant round awarded grants to 8 more farms than in 2023. This allowed a greater diversity of farms and projects to receive funding. Farms receiving awards are located across the state and represent a wide variety of agricultural industries; they include diversified vegetable producers, organic dairy farms, pasture-based livestock producers, cut flower farms, and berry growers.

The 2024 grant round was highly competitive. From the total applicant pool, 44 farms were awarded, representing all 10 counties and 37 towns across New Hampshire. 28 of these farms identify with the US Department of Agriculture definition of historically underserved, including beginner farmers, limited resource farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, and Veteran farmers. Awarded farms will implement a diversity of climate resilient projects. 12 of these projects specifically target energy improvements while the other 34 projects focus on drought resilient irrigation systems, management practices that build soil health and help sequester carbon in the soil, and shifts in agricultural management that prioritize the ecological integrity of NH such as integrated pest management and riparian plantings.

We are pleased to announce the following farms as the 2024 Climate Resilience Grant Awardees: Bent Fork Farm in Bethlehem, Apple Annie in Brentwood, Hillcrest Farm in Canaan, Brookford Farm in Canterbury, Bascom Farm in Charlestown, Terra Basics in Chichester, Winter Street Farm in Claremont, Claremont Spice & Dry Goods in Claremont, Dancing Bear Farm in Claremont, Blue Mountain Dairy in Columbia, CJEJ Farm in Columbia, Sherman Farm in Conway, Flying M Farm in Fremont, Kimball Fruit Farm in Hollis, Scooter's Farm in Hollis, Foggy Hill Farm in Jaffrey, Stonewall Farm in Keene, Whippoorwill Dairy Farm in Kensington, Wild Fern Farm in Kingston, Millbrook Farm in Landaff, Riverstone Farm in Milan, Branch Hill Farm in Milton Mills, Partners' Gardens in Nelson, Amazing Flower Farm in New Ipswich, Pork Hill Farm in Ossipee, Nubi River Farm in Peterborough, Cornucopia Project in Peterborough, Robinson Family Farm in Pittsburg, Your Neighbor's Flowers in Sandwich, Something Wild Farm in Sandwich, Meristem Flower Farm in Strafford, Five Sigma Farm in Sullivan, Harding Hill Farm in Sunapee, Greenhill Farm in Sutton, Marimark Farms in Tilton, Abenaki Springs Farm in Walpole, Britton Farm in Walpole, Brookfield Farm in Walpole, Warner River Produce in Webster, Windyhurst Farm in Westmoreland, Tellman Hill Farm in Whitefield, Uphill Farm in Whitefield, Nalla Farm in Wilmot, Lucky 13 Farm in Winchester, and Top of the Hill Farm in Wolfeboro.

The mission of the NH Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant is to support and empower local farmers to build climate resilience throughout the Granite State. This will be done through reducing the impact of agriculture on climate change (mitigation) through greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon sequestration, and to increasing the resiliency of New Hampshire Farms in a changing climate (adaptation), while meeting farm’s conservation goals and needs. Extreme weather events, frequent and prolonged droughts, and increased pest pressures are challenging NH farms.

This climate grant though the NH County Conservation Districts seeks to support farmers in meeting those challenges. Conservation Districts created this farm viability program to improve the resilience of NH farms in the face of extreme weather events and a changing climate. Direct grants enable farms to invest in on-farm infrastructure, equipment, and innovative practices that support farm profitability and the long-term viability for NH’s agricultural sector.

Interested in applying for the next grant round? Contact your local conservation district for more information.

This program is made possible through support from the You Have Our Trust Fund, the NH Charitable Foundation, the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program through the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, and the generosity of community members.

If you would like to make a donation to support future funding of the program, please do so on Cheshire County Conservation District's website:

www.cheshireconservation.org/donate

Donations to the fund may also be made by mail, checks can be made payable to "CCCD" and addressed to 11 Industrial Park Dr., Walpole, NH 03608. Please include “Climate” in the memo line. Contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated and make a difference!

About Cheshire County Conservation District

Cheshire County Conservation District's mission is to promote the conservation and responsible use of our natural and agricultural resources for the people of Cheshire County by providing technical, financial, and educational resources. Contact Amanda Littleton for more information amanda@cheshireconservation.org, 603-756-2988 ext. 4: www.cheshireconservation.org

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