New England 2025 Legislative Wrap-Up: Growing Stronger in Agriculture, Conservation, and Land Access Policy

2025 marked a pivotal year in how state legislatures approached agriculture, land conservation, and rural resilience. Facing escalating climate threats, increased development pressure, and rising land costs, advocates and state lawmakers advanced policies aimed at securing the future of farming, the agricultural land base, and food production in the region. From constitutional amendments to expansive grant programs and tax reforms, states signaled a strong commitment to bolstering their agricultural economies and protecting land for generations to come.

The 2025 legislative season revealed a regional consensus across New England that agriculture, land access, and environmental resilience are interconnected and deserve long-term policy support. Whether through tax reforms, constitutional amendments, or new grant programs, each state brought its own approach to solving the current challenges facing agriculture.

Connecticut

Connecticut (CT) had an active 2024-25 legislative session, particularly in terms of agricultural investment. The Working Lands Alliance (WLA) — a 26-year-old coalition project of AFT  – An Act Establishing a Grant Program for Agricultural Preservation and Farmland Access Purposes.  Public Act (PA) 25-141 – An Act Establishing a Grant Program for Agricultural Preservation and Farmland Access Purposes.  

This key piece of legislation will establish a farmland access grant program at the CT Department of Agriculture. This program is in alignment with recommendations made in many different state reports over the years, including, but not limited to, Farmland Access & Ownership: An Overview of Barriers, Models, and Actions to Increase Land Access for Connecticut’s BIPOC Farmers; CT Department of Agriculture’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Agriculture Recommendations; and Farmland Needed: How Connecticut Can Help Farmers Access the Land They Need to Succeed. By creating a farmland access grant program, this law will  increase the number of tools available to farmers seeking land and those looking to transfer farms to the next generation of farmers. 

PA 25-141 will create more viable pathways for farmers looking at farm succession options. Through the grant program the Department will be able to employ a variety of tools including Buy-Protect-Sell (BPS), where land is purchased at its market value, protected with an agricultural conservation easement, and sold to a farmer. The program will also enable the Department to work with land trusts to acquire Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV) restrictions that will ensure protected farmland remains in the hands of farmers in the future. Some of the funds could enable state purchase of farmland to make it available to farmers under long-term lease agreements. 

The legislation sets up the program to launch in 2027, which gives the CT Department of Agriculture, farmers, and agricultural service providers an opportunity to design and work together to initiate the grant program. See WLA testimony and sign-on letter for this legislation here. 

The CT General Assembly also successfully passed S.B. 1522 that increased by $10 in the Community Investment Account (CIA) recording fee, which has funded a range of benefits to CT’s agricultural producers and other working lands initiatives since 2005. The CIA has generated $150 million invested in 1,500+ projects throughout the state and across four sectors including farmland preservation, dairy, historic preservation, and affordable housing. 

CIA funding ensures that our working lands and agricultural producers remain in business and continue to provide healthy, local agricultural products for all of CT’s residents. While bond funds are generally used to purchase the actual development rights, CIA funds have been effectively used to make the process of protecting farmland faster and more efficient. 

Having additional funding for farmland preservation and dairy production in CT will reap outstanding benefits for the state’s communities. With farmland, dairy, and other working lands being essential to CT’s economy and food security, the increased CIA fee will further support the long-term viability of the above-mentioned sectors and of the businesses working within these sectors. The passage of S.B. 1522 was a major win for CT communities. AFT and WLA submitted testimony in support of this bill. 

CT also passed a sweeping amendment through PA 25-152 (S.B. 1497), which included a CT “Farm Bill.” The legislation included everything from tax credits for farm investment properties to regulatory changes around drone usage and hoop house construction. Most importantly, the CT Farm Bill established the Farmers’ Crop Loss Reimbursement Program, which provides financial relief to farmers facing crop loss due to extreme weather — an increasingly common occurrence. The legislation also addresses Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination concerns by banning fertilizers and soil amendments containing biosolids.

The legislation earmarks additional funding for a variety of food and farm initiatives that expand access to local food in schools, enhance food system infrastructure, and support local agricultural producers. These include the CT Grown for CT Kids Program, the Local Food for Schools Incentive Program, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. 

The CT Farm Bill succeeded in combining multiple bills supported by AFT and WLA and addressing a range of agricultural issues. WLA submitted various testimonies in support of the separate bills, prior to them being combined into a broader Farm Bill. 

Maine

Maine emerged in 2025 as a leader in proactive agricultural policy, introducing a wide-ranging set of bills focused on preserving farmland, supporting farm viability, and ensuring long-term food security. Among the most impactful was LD 1450, which strengthened the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program. The goal is to reduce the fiscal burden for participating municipalities that results from new development in rural areas.

This newly enacted law makes the program easier for farmers to use. The program was originally created in 2007 and provides a voluntary option by which cities and towns can support local farmers through property tax reduction initiatives and municipal held non-permanent conservation easements, empowering grassroots-level agricultural resilience. This bill helps advance Grow Smart Maine’s Planning for Ag priorities, in partnership with AFT. 

AFT also helped pass LD 606, which authorizes a study of State financial assistance programs for farmers to determine how to increase program effectiveness and benefits for Maine’s farm businesses. Particular focus is given to program access for new and emerging farmers and how to better align application materials, timelines, and procedures. The legislation mandates that two different focus listening sessions are held through Maine’s Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to inform the Department's programs. 

Further enhancing the state’s conservation efforts, LD 1072 updated the Land for Maine’s Future Program by enabling the use of the option to purchase at agricultural value, or OPAV, in land conservation deals. This change makes it more feasible to preserve farmland while ensuring that the next generation of farmers can purchase protected land at realistic prices. It also ensures that farms remain active rather than being sold to landowners with an interest in farmland but no intention to operate a working farm. 

Several other Maine bills, such as LD 1140, LD 1528, LD 362, and LD 593, proposed significant bond and funding extensions to support conservation and climate adaptation. Although these bills remain on the Appropriations table and have been carried over to the 2026 session, they reflect the legislature’s intent to make substantial investments in the agricultural economy.

Of particular note is LD 1925, which was signed into law on June 10. This bill enhances access to grant funding through the Maine Farms for the Future Program, specifically helping farmers improve economic viability. These developments illustrate how Maine is striving to ensure agriculture remains both a tradition and an economic driver in the state.

AFT submitted supportive testimony on all the above-mentioned bills. 

Massachusetts

Massachusetts put forth legislation focused on long-term land preservation and property ownership equity. The most notable of these was S.11/H.71, a proposal to amend the state constitution to afford agricultural and horticultural lands of less than five acres the same tax protections as larger parcels. S.11, the Senate bill, is still active in the Massachusetts legislature; however, H.71, the House bill, was placed on file and will not be moving forward this session.  

Another Massachusetts bill, H.1964, tackled the longstanding issue of heirs’ property through the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act (UPHPA). By creating a uniform process for partitioning inherited land among multiple heirs, the bill aims to prevent forced land sales that often strip families, particularly in underserved communities, of their generational property. This aligns closely with broader regional efforts to address land equity and intergenerational ownership. This bill is still moving through the legislative process. AFT is an active member of the UPHPA Coalition through Boston College Law School’s Initiative on Land, Housing, and Property Rights. 

The fiscal year 2026 budget included $14 million in funding for the Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund, which supports farmers facing losses after climate disasters, municipalities, and other businesses. The budget also contains increased funding for the Healthy Incentives Program, to restore the monthly benefit levels to their $40/60/80 levels as of late August.  

Additionally, the MassReady Act, S.2542 was introduced to help build climate resilience in Massachusetts communities. The bond bill is being reviewed by the Environment and Natural Resources Committee as of early September and will be monitored as the Massachusetts session continues. Although not exclusively agricultural, this legislation positions farms as integral to environmental and economic stability in the face of ongoing climate change. The bill proposes funding authorizations for several priority agricultural programs like the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program, the Climate Smart Agriculture Program, and the implementation of the 2023 Farmland Action Plan.

Also, among the proposed programs in the MassReady Act is the Massachusetts Coordinated Soil Health Program (MACSHP), which was an AFT-led program in collaboration with numerous partner organizations and farmers in the state. The initiative has helped more than 2,000 Massachusetts farmers achieve their conservation goals through soil health training sessions, technical assistance, grants, and farmer roundtables.

AFT New England joined other agricultural advocates on a panel to provide oral testimony in support of the bill, in addition to submitting written testimony.

As the Massachusetts legislative session continues throughout the year, a historic bill was heard in September – H.112/S.55 – The FARM bill. The FARM bill makes several reforms to support farms and farmers and preserve valuable farmland, including strengthening the state’s food systems and helping farmers remain competitive and viable; allowing MDAR to protect whole farms in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program and granting MDAR additional authority as land is being sold; creating a $3 million Next Generation Farmers Fund; and promoting grants for new and used farm equipment by codifying the Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) program and allowing funds to be used for the purchase of used equipment.

AFT submitted written testimony in support of the FARM bill. All the above-mentioned Massachusetts bills are expected to move later in 2025 or in 2026 as the legislative process continues. 

Rhode Island

Rhode Island also joined the regional momentum, introducing legislation that would ease the financial burden on small-scale and urban farmers. AFT actively advocated for a bill ( H 5534/S 431) that would provide sweeping tax exemptions, including sales, property, and income taxes, for qualifying farmers. If enacted, this tax relief would be a significant boost to urban farms, a significant percentage of RI’s producers, given their relatively high overhead costs.

Mirroring similar efforts in Massachusetts to protect family-owned land from involuntary loss, AFT weighed in in support of An Act Relating to Property – Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act, (H 5937) which sought to establish a standardized approach to partitioning heirs’ property. AFT submitted testimony in support of the bills mentioned above, which were all held for further study and carried over into the upcoming legislative session.

Vermont

Vermont’s farmers and farmland advocates successfully pushed for $450,000 in state funding for local food access programs — Crop Cash, Crop Cash Plus, and Farm Share — representing a 50% increase over last year. These programs make it easier for low-income residents to access fresh, local food while supporting Vermont’s farmers and food producers. This win will help meet growing demand and reinstate Crop Cash Plus.

Additionally, through advocacy efforts of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association – Vermont (NOFA-VT), with which AFT is an active program collaborator, the Farm Security Fund (S.60), a groundbreaking bill designed to support farmers in the face of climate-related losses, was launched and made solid headway. Though there is still work to be done to secure vital funding in the next legislative session, the bill passed key committees in both the House and Senate and passed the full Senate with strong bipartisan support. The legislation will carry into next year’s session with strong momentum.

AFT New England has active program collaboration with NOFA-VT remains regularly engaged with their program and policy staff to support state initiatives. 

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we look ahead to 2026, several crucial bills await funding decisions, especially in Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Meanwhile, Connecticut and Massachusetts have set important legislative precedents that other states may follow through more accessible land access and protection programs, disaster relief bonding, and climate-smart agricultural initiatives.

For farmers, conservationists, and policymakers, the message from 2025 is clear: New England is not only protecting its farmland, but also actively investing in a future where agriculture thrives, communities are resilient, and food systems are secure. Although there’s more work to be done, the region has laid a strong legislative foundation for the 2026 session and beyond.

If you are interested in learning more about any of the bills mentioned in this wrap-up, AFT’s testimony on them, or staying up to date on our policy work, email: [email protected].

 

Special thanks to our partners for contributing to this wrap-up:

• Rebecca Miller, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative 

• Shelley Megquier, Maine Farmland Trust

• Nancy Smith, GrowSmart Maine