Every year, America loses 1.2 million acres of farmland - an area the size of Delaware - much of it our best and most productive farmland near where most Americans live. In New Hampshire and across the nation, AFT is a vital link between farmers, conservationists and policymakers, working to protect the best farmland , direct growth away from agricultural resources, provide healthy local food to all citizens, and help communities sustain local farms and farming.

What's New

Farmland Advisors Spring into Action in the Northeast

American Farmland Trust and Land for Good’s Farmland Advisors program is educating agriculture service providers to help the next generation of farmers access land and help farm families facilitate the transfer to the next generation. Farmland Advisors started in February with a webinar for the program’s 80 participants, from New York and New England. The program is funded by a grant from the Northeast SARE Professional Development Program and support from a Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancment grant. Participants represent land trusts, beginning farmer organizations, extension offices, lending institutions and local and state agencies.

Farmland Protection Retreat Focuses on New England Opportunities & Challenges

A recent retreat organized by American Farmland Trust brought together more than 50 of the region’s leading farmland protection practitioners, including state agency staff, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationists and program managers, and land trust representatives, to brainstorm farmland protection challenges and strategies and discuss the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). Joining the group were New Hampshire Commissioner of Agriculture Lorraine Merrill, Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Reviczky, and three guests from the national USDA-NRCS office, including Richard Sims, NRCS Regional Conservationist for the Northeast, and Jeremy Stone, the national FRPP program manager. Cris Coffin, American Farmland Trust New England Director, notes that AFT is working to make this retreat an annual event. “This kind of regional shoptalk is invaluable both in helping to strengthen relationships and in advancing farmland protection innovations around the region,” remarks Coffin. 

Farmland Advisors Training Program Now Accepting Applications in Northeast

The transfer of farms to a new generation is one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture in New York and New England.  Farmland Advisors is a training program to help agriculture and conservation professionals become an effective resource in helping farmers and farmland owners as they seek access to land and navigate the complexity of farm transfers. “Participants will learn about everything from farm succession planning to farm linking, lease options and land conservation as a farm transfer strategy,” said Diane Held, Senior New York Field Manager for American Farmland Trust. “Land access and availability are increasingly impacting farms and food systems in the region,” added New England Director Cris Coffin, “Working with professionals across the Northeast will help to meet these challenges at the state level.”  Applications are now being accepted. The deadline to apply is October 31.

Regional Project Seeks to Foster Supportive Public Policy Environment

A vibrant and viable food system in New England requires a supportive public policy environment. For this reason, American Farmland Trust is teaming up with the Conservation Law Foundation and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group to identify the policy levers that will support improved farm profitability, expanded food production and the agricultural infrastructure needed to improve regional food resiliency. Drawing upon expertise and experience of leaders and practitioners across New England, this two-year project will focus on federal, state and regional policy arenas, analyzing policy barriers and gaps in five key areas and recommending where change is most needed, at what level and scale, and what kinds of advocacy might be most effective.

New Project Aims to Keep New England's Farmland in Farming

Building on work done through the New England Commission on Land Conservation and its Farm and Food Security Initiative, American Farmland Trust is bringing together farmland experts from around New England to explore ways in which the region might work collaboratively to keep farmland in farming. The six New England state “Chief Agricultural Officers” and the six state USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Offices are key partners in this effort, as is Land For Good. The project will include a “shop talk” for farmland protection practitioners and a convening for farm and conservation stakeholders, federal and state agencies, and public and private funders. Cris Coffin, New England Director at American Farmland Trust, believes that regional collaboration is critical to retaining and growing the region’s farmland base. “Every state in the region is in some stage of farm and food system planning and, not surprisingly, land access and availability are emerging as key and common needs,” says Coffin. “We will be better able to tackle these challenges at the state level if we learn and work together as a region.”

Northeast Farm Bill Agenda Highlights Importance of Working Lands Conservation

The Northeast is home to nearly 64 million people, with a population density five times the national average. According to a just-released Farm Bill Agenda for the Northeast [PDF], this urban influence has made federal conservation programs critically important in the region. The agenda includes four major priorities for the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill, including adequate conservation technical assistance; continued robust, mandatory funding for conservation programs focused on working farms and forests; appropriate conservation program flexibility to address state and local resource concerns and priorities; and continued funding for on-farm energy efficiency and renewable energy production. American Farmland Trust collaborated with the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) and other state and regional farm, food and conservation organizations on developing the Agenda’s conservation priorities.

Farm Bill Forums Focus on Local, Regional Food Systems

As Congress begins the farm bill reauthorization process, we’re partnering with other New England organizations to help demonstrate how this bill affects food, the environment and communities in the region. At the recent Let’s Talk about Food event at the Boston Museum of Science, we discussed the importance of farm bill conservation programs to New England’s environment, economy, communities and public health. We also took part in Farm Fresh RI’s Local Food Forum, where we were honored to join Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), one of four House Agriculture Committee members from New England, who talked about her Local Farm, Food and Jobs Act. This legislation, introduced jointly with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and sponsored by Senators Leahy (D-VT), Sanders (I-VT) and Shaheen (D-NH), would improve federal farm policy and programs that support local and regional food systems. 

Welcoming a Leader in Conservation to Our New England Staff

We were pleased to welcome Kip Kolesinskas to our New England office as our new Conservation Scientist. Kip joins us from a long and successful tenure with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for Connecticut and Rhode Island. From 1995 to 2011, he managed the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection program in Connecticut, which contributed $38.6 million to protect more than 10,000 acres of farmland.

What's at Stake for the Northeast in the Next Farm Bill?

U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern and Chellie Pingree spoke about prospects for farm bill programs important to the Northeast in a two-webinar series we hosted with Wholesome Wave, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and New England Farmers Union. One webinar looked at conservation programs, including potential changes and funding cuts to the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and the future of the regional equity provision. The other covered prospects for helping to rebuild local and regional food systems. Speakers also included senior staff to Senator Patrick Leahy along with New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner of Agriculture Lorraine Merrill and Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture Scott Soares. Recordings of the webinars, along with more information about the farm bill, are available at farmbillfacts.org.    

A Year of Progress in New England

Another year has come to pass and with it a list of successes—and challenges—impacting farms and food across New England. 2011 was marked by unusual weather, underscoring the need for effective policies and programs to keep farms thriving despite the inherent risks and to help support strong local food systems. 

This year, we worked with a wide variety of partners throughout New England to promote the critical importance of farms and farmland to New England’s economy, environment, public health, community character and livability. Here are a few highlights from our work across the region. Read more about our accomplishments from the past year in New England and see a snapshot of what lies ahead.

American Farmland Trust Welcomes Leah Mayor

We recently welcomed Leah Mayor to our New England Office, where she will serve as the Working Lands Alliance Project Director and New England Project Manager. Mayor brings an extensive background in education and community leadership, as well as experience with sustainability initiatives focused on food and agricultural systems. Her work has focused on leveraging enthusiasm of a growing local foods movement to protect farmland, natural heritage and artisanal traditions. Mayor is also the founder and principal of Taking Root, an ecotourism initiative devoted to stimulating local economies, building community viability, and celebrating our connections to food and culinary history. Please join us in welcoming Leah!

New Loan Program for Beginning Farmers

Farm Credit East, Yankee Farm Credit and CoBank are offering a new program to address a major hurdle for new farm businesses—initial access to capital. Farm Start is a beginning farmer loan program that will provide investments in working capital of up to $50,000 to farmers, forestry producers, fishermen and farm related service businesses and cooperatives in their first three years of business. A business plan is required, and participants will have up to five years to repay the loan.  

2010 New England Farm Relief Concerts with Richie Havens in November

Folk legend Richie Havens will perform for the 2010 New England Farm Relief Concert on Friday, November 12, 2010 at the Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH and Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, VT. Proceeds will go to the Microloan Fund for Farmers which was launched in 2008 by The Strolling of the Heifers and The Carrot Project to address the credit needs of farmers unable to borrow elsewhere.

The Microloan Fund is currently focused on small- and mid-sized farms located in Vermont or in Massachusetts that are marketing at least a portion of their products to local markets. Loans are capped at $10,000 and may be used for capital investments, repairs, short-term operating needs, and emergency funds.

Get tickets for Lebanon, NH or for Brattleboro, VT.

Rhode Island Expands Conservation Easement Protections

Legislation recently enacted in Rhode Island gives the Rhode Island Attorney General new authority to enforce conservation easements, making Rhode Island the eighth state in the country to give its attorney general explicit enforcement power. The statute also permits courts to award attorney’s fees in easement enforcement proceedings, providing a potential avenue for the state and land trusts to recoup legal costs incurred while defending conservation easements against violations. Initiated by the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, the statute is expected to deter violations of easements, which can be an expensive enforcement problem for land trusts and other entities that hold easements.

Initiatives in Vermont and New Hampshire Look to Value and Strengthen Local Farms

Initiatives underway in Vermont and New Hampshire are quantifying the economic impact of their states' farm and food sectors and identifying opportunities for future growth. Vermont's Farm to Plate initiative has drafted "20 Big Goals for 2020" based on months of public input and data collection; the 10-year strategic plan will be finalized by the end of the year. Home Grown, a soon to be released report from the University of New Hampshire, estimates the economic impact from NH's local food system and explores how an expansion of the system could spur job creation and economic growth.

Hannaford Supermarkets Joins New England’s “Keep Local Farms” Dairy Initiative

A Northeast grocery chain has become the first retailer to join forces with the New England Dairy Promotion Board and New England Family Dairy Farms Cooperative to bring the concept of “fair trade” milk to consumers. Hannaford's 71 stores will promote the benefits of local dairy farms—including stewardship of the region’s farmland—and offer shoppers an opportunity to directly support dairy farmers through the “Keep Local Farms” dairy campaign. Cris Coffin, American Farmland Trust’s New England Director, is excited by the Hannaford announcement: “Educating shoppers about the value of our region’s dairy farmers will hopefully encourage them to donate to the campaign and help farmers receive a better price for their milk.”

Focus on New Hampshire

Website Promotes New Hampshire Foods

The New Hampshire Virtual Farmers’ Market offers consumers an on-line opportunity to order and arrange delivery of local farm products year round.  The virtual farmers market coordinated by the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection which partnered with the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, UNH Office of Sustainability Programs, Farm Credit Service and NH Made, gives consumers around the clock, one-stop shopping for New Hampshire meats, dairy products, baked goods, maple, condiments, beverages as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables. Detailed searches based on product, farm name, or even town name gives results based on the over 60 farms and food businesses listed. 

New Hampshire Policy Update

Economy Impacts Key Source of Funding in New Hampshire

The previously announced Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) Grant Round has been suspended due to shortfalls in the state budget.  As the state of New Hampshire faced a $250 million deficit due to the economy, the LCHIP program will return the general appropriations funding to help the state fill the budget gap.  Current grant commitments will still be met due to the dedicated deed recording fee.  The timing of future grant rounds will be based on revenue from the recording fee.  Created in 2000, the LCHIP program is the primary source of state funding for farmland protection projects.

FederAl Farm Policy and The Farm bill

What’s in the farm bill and why is it important? Find out what’s next for the farm bill and how we can make sure the legislation's promises are turned into programs on the ground.