Walpole, NH (June 19, 2026) – The Monadnock Food Co-op & Cheshire County Conservation District announce two grant recipients for the 2026 Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund: Picadilly Farm of Winchester and Archway Farm of Keene! The Farm Fund proudly distributed $25,560 among these two farms. Since starting in 2017, the Farm Fund has awarded over $250,626 in grants to thirty local farms!

Archway Farm will utilize the grant to purchase a meat grinder/mixer to increase its capacity to produce sausage and ground meats for local wholesale. Picadilly Farm will use the grant to purchase a new Rinse Conveyor with more advanced improvements to not only make washing produce more efficient, but also to secure business viability for years to come.

The Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund, created in partnership with the Cheshire County Conservation District, has a mission to support local farmers in increasing sustainable food production and wholesale sales to contribute to a thriving local farm economy. This grant supports several of the co-op's goals, including contributing to a healthy, sustainable food system, supporting local farmers and producers and building a strong, sustainable, and improving local economy. The Cheshire County Conservation District, fiscal agent and partner for the Farm Fund, supports farm viability in the region and promotes the responsible stewardship of natural and agricultural resources.

Picadilly Farm is a seventy-one-acre farm that has been agricultural land for many generations. Prior to Picadilly, the farm was a dairy farm, run for 35 years by the Hudson family. The farm boasts about forty acres of prime agricultural soils, a treasure of the Connecticut River Valley. Each season, we grow produce crops on fifteen of these acres, soil-building cover crops on nine acres, and permanent conservation, erosion preventing crops on the field edges. There are also several acres of wetlands, eighteen acres of woods, and a stream that winds down to the Connecticut River about half a mile away. Learn more about Picadilly Farm here!

Archway Farm, is a pasture based livestock operation raising, 

packaging and selling meat through a variety of wholesale and retail channels in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. Learn more about Archway Farm here!

“Our Farm Fund is an essential way to invest in the future of local, sustainable farming in our region," said Michael Faber, Monadnock Food Co-op General Manager. "Especially in these times, it helps ensure we have a healthy, local food system for our community now and into the future.”

Funds for this program are provided by donations from Monadnock Food Co-op and its shoppers. Additional funds come from the You Have Our Trust Fund.

Fundraising is already underway for the 2027 Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund grant cycle. During January, March, August, and November, co-op shoppers round up their change at the registers to donate to the fund.

For more information, please visit: https://www.cheshireconservation.org/farm-fund

To make a tax-deductible donation to the fund, please contact Benee Hershon at the Cheshire Country Conservation District at (802) 400-3660 or donate anytime online at https://www.cheshireconservation.org/donate.

About the Monadnock Food Co-op

The Monadnock Food Co-op is a community-owned food store offering a diverse selection of local, organic and natural foods to the Monadnock region. The Co-op is located at 34 Cypress Street in Keene, right off of Main Street via Eagle Court: https://monadnockfood.coop/

About Cheshire County Conservation District

The Cheshire County Conservation District promotes the conservation and responsible use of our natural and agricultural resources for the people of Cheshire County by providing technical, financial, and educational assistance. Our goal is to encourage the stewardship of healthy soils, productive ecologically sound farms, diverse wildlife, productive sustainable forests, healthy watersheds, and clean water to ensure those resources are available for future generations. Established in 1945, the Conservation District operates out of Walpole, NH where we work alongside the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and other conservation partners For more information contact info@cheshireconservation.orgor 603-904-3011.

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