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Applications for 2024 New England Farmer Microgrants Program Open on October 1st 

Grants for Livestock Operations and Land Access and Transfer Projects

Northampton, MA—American Farmland Trust opens applications for the 2024 New England Farmer Microgrants Program (NEFMP) on October 1st. Now in its fifth year, the program continues to address key barriers faced by New England farmers: access to land, farm succession and land transfer planning, and adopting regenerative agriculture or soil health practices on livestock operations. Since its founding, NEFMP has awarded $1,310,000 to 234 farmers across New England and is 100% donor funded. 

In 2024, NEFMP will consist of two separate funding opportunities: the Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming grants (RLF) and the Farmland Access, Succession, and Transfer Support grants (FAST). Both grant opportunities will now be open to prior NEFMP awardees. Applications for both funding opportunities close on November 21st.  To apply or review the eligibility guidelines, visit our website: https://farmland.org/new-england-farmer-microgrants-program/ 

The Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming funding opportunity provides grants up to $10,000 to livestock producers in select counties in CT, MA, NH, and VT for projects that improve soil health through the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. These include the costs associated with fencing, cover crop seeds, reduced tillage equipment, irrigation, pasture establishment, pollinator habitat, and other conservation practices. 

“We know that most farmers in New England care deeply about the environment, but the cost of conservation practices doesn’t always fit into their budget,” said Alissa White, Senior Manager for Climate and Agriculture. “The regenerative agriculture focused funding opportunity of the NEFMP is designed to specifically help farmers cover the costs of improving soil health, protecting water quality and stewarding the environment.”  

The Farmland Access, Succession, and Transfer Support opportunity provides grants of up to $5,000 to farmers who are looking to purchase or lease land or pass their farms on to other farmers. To be eligible for this year’s FAST grants, farmer applicants must be located in Maine, Rhode Island, or any of the 9 counties of Eastern Massachusetts. 

“New England farmland is among the most expensive in the nation, and AFT’s Farms Under Threat data show that our farmland is being converted to non-farm uses at among the highest rates nationally. FAST grants have been instrumental in helping our region’s farmers get secure access to farmland and in supporting farm owners to pass farms on to the next generation of farmers,” said Jim Habana Hafner, New England Regional Director.   

“Working the land as a livelihood is not easy and leaves little extra time and finance for moving additional ideas forward. Having this support has given us the opportunity to make significant strides forward in our hopes and dreams for successful succession into a community-based farm.” – Prior awardee, Russell Comstock, Metta Earth Farm (Lincoln, VT) 

For more information on the 2024 NEFMP offerings, please contact Kristen Irvin, New England Program Coordinator, at kirvin@farmland.org.  For information about sponsoring a round of grants or making a gift that goes directly to a farmer in need email us at newengland@farmland.org. 

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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.  

Photo Above: Clover Nook Farm in Bethany, CT, awarded in 2022; funding supported fencing infrastructure to rotationally graze their beef herd.