Bari Zeiger-New York

In the fall of 2019, after years of farm work, Bari Zieger was preparing to buy 12 acres of land in Wyoming County, New York, to start her own farm. Soon after making her first offer, Bari received a microgrant from American Farmland Trust, which she used to help cover the property's closing costs.

According to Bari, the grant relieved financial pressure and gave her the flexibility to pay for other necessities and emergency expenses while she worked toward her goal of purchasing the farm property. Bari plans to grow organic produce to serve communities in and around Buffalo, New York, but she still has work to do to prepare the land. The land was previously cropped for hay, so there was no preexisting infrastructure, and the soil needed improvements to support vegetable production.

Bari is working to build infrastructure and improve soil health before she starts farming full-time. Bari works off-farm jobs to mitigate the risks of starting her own farm while she focuses on observation, design, and early land establishment. She has recently moved closer to the farm and taken a new position as Director of Development and Administration at Providence Farm Collective.

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, she made progress on the farm, even installing a road. Read more about Farmland for a New Generation New York.