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Many of the region’s farmers are reaching (or long past) retirement age; younger skilled and resourceful farmers are needed to keep those existing farms in production.  If the region is to increase the amount of acreage in agricultural production and the production of the local agricultural/food system economy, even more new farmers will be necessary.  At the same time, changing tastes, environmental factors, and market conditions will demand that farmers adopt best management practices and continuously improve operations in order to remain sustainable.  Access to fiscal and technical resources will help farmers increase their contribution to the local agricultural economy. 

12)    Increase training opportunities and internships for new farmers
The future of farming depends on the continued entry of new farmers.  Young farmers have emerged as part of a growing social movement.  In order to better guarantee their success, they must have access to all the training, tools, and knowledge available.  

There are already many such opportunities, including the “Exploring Your Small Farm Dream” workshops (operated by the Department of Agricultural Resources’ Agricultural Business Training Program) and internships at working farms such as Maggie’s Farm in Orange, Massachusetts.  So far, more than 300 farms have completed an MDAR sponsored business planning program tailored to their own particular versions of Massachusetts agriculture.

13)    Provide more training and technical assistance to immigrants and refugees who wish to begin farming
Immigrants are a growing segment of the state’s farmers.  Many immigrants come with extensive farming experience but need training to apply that experience to the New England environment and economy.  

Existing examples of extremely successful programs include the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, a project of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University; Nuestra Raites in Holyoke; Flatt’s Mentor Farm in Bolton.  Each of these programs serves a different population and each uses a distinctive approach.  

The Mutual Assistance Association Coalition (MAA) of Massachusetts is currently exploring ways to connect immigrants and refugees from agrarian backgrounds with urban agriculture and food-systems organizations. This effort may also identify strategies to connect immigrants and refugees with training opportunities. 

14)    Increase financing options for local farmers
Farmers need capital to secure land and equipment.  While agricultural lenders such as Farm Credit and the USDA Farm Services Agency do offer credit, neither adequately serves farm operators who are perceived as higher risk because they are start-ups, have innovative business models lacking industry benchmarks, or are poorly collateralized.  Meanwhile, community development finance institutions (CDFI) typically have little or no agricultural expertise.

In 2008 the Carrot Project conducted a survey of over 700 farmers in New England and New York State and came to the following conclusions: “It is not only start up farms that have difficulty securing the financing they need. It was also found that businesses operating more than 4 years are facing obstacles to financing as well.”  Cash flow management can also be a challenge for some enterprises that are well-capitalized, especially those with high debt loads.  This survey highlighted a few areas where further inquiry may be useful in assisting farmers facing obstacles to obtaining the financing they need.  

MassDevelopment has considerably experience with innovative financing tools and might be an appropriate entity to establish a new funding program to support agriculture and value-added producers.  Such a program exists in Pennsylvania, where farmers and organizations can get loans or loan guarantees for capital improvements, working capital, planning, or new initiatives.  

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is one strategy that some farmers use to increase cash flow.  In a CSA program, customers pay an up-front fee at the beginning of the season and receive a share of the farm’s production over the course of the growing season.  CSA programs provide farmers with more working capital at the beginning of the season.

The transition to higher-value or more environmentally sustainable products and methods (such as certified organic production, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), ethnic produce, etc.) can incur significant costs. The Department of Agricultural Resources has grant programs to support planning for such transitions, such as the Farm Viability Enhancement Program.  However, these grants are limited. DAR and the Commonwealth should expand financing programs (both training and capital costs) for farmers who want to transition to higher-value products and methods.

14.a    MassDevelopment should explore opportunities for a new agriculture-oriented funding program

14.b    Private investors should consider creating or investing in local agriculture financing programs  

15)    Provide greater security and longer lease lengths for farmers leasing publicly-owned farmland
The Commonwealth and municipalities own many acres of agricultural land which is leased to private farmers, usually for a duration of five years.  Longer lease durations will increase the ability of these lands to support development of new farm businesses.  Public agencies should consider prioritizing state- or municipal-owned farmland for young, new-entry, and immigrant producers, as well as organizations that engage in farm-based youth development and mentoring.