New Entry Food Hub provides market access to beginning farmers, market-based training, and produce aggregation and distribution services to a broad array of consumers.  We operate a Community Supported Agriculture program, food access programs for food insecure families and individuals, and donate produce to food banks and pantries, transitional living centers, and other social service agencies.  Learn more about our 2020 Food Hub operations and impact - COVID-19 had an outsized impact on access to quality food and our farmers stepped up and met the need!

In this Guide to Finding, Assessing, and Securing Farmland in Massachusetts, written in Plain Language, you will learn about:

•Determining the right kind of farmland for you
•Deciding what type of land tenure situation is right for you
•Starting the networking process
•Conducting farmland site visits
•Understanding your land by using the Web Soil Survey and other online information tools
•Negotiating with landowners and signing an agreement to use the land
•Beginning to farm your land!

In 2023, New Entry celebrated 25 years of supporting local, regional, and national programming that strengthens local food systems by supporting new farmers. We serve and collaborate with the people, communities, and organizations in Massachusetts, the Northeast, and beyond.

2023 was a year of growth and positive change. We brought on new farmer training staff to grow our capacity and we grew the food hub revenue by 161% thanks largely to new state and federal programs that provide food access organizations and schools with funds to prioritize local and regional food purchasing.  We supported over 467 farmers to engage in our courses, workshops, accessing federal programs, and to prepare for a challenging 2023 growing season. We faced an overabundance of rain (the 7th wettest year on record!) which impacted crops and yields, yet we accomplished much and made significant progress supporting new farmers, feeding our community, and bolstering our local, regional, and national food systems.  We engaged hundreds of volunteers and visitors to the farm in 2023 through tours, networking events, farm-to-table dinners and our famous Pumpkin Smash.  We hosted our national FIELD School in Kansas City, MO that built new connections and collaborations across the country.  These efforts and more helped inform many of the new relationships and future strategic directions we are approaching with our work as we move forward in the year ahead.  To dig into what we accomplished in 2023 and learn about our plans for 2024 - enjoy!

To a beginning farmer, the project of establishing a working farm at a new site can feel overwhelming. Depending on what resources already exist at the property, the task of identifying, prioritizing, and paying for needed improvements can be a difficult road to cultivate productive farmland.

This tool is designed to help a farmer who is considering establishing a farm at a new site to examine the scope of improvements the site may require, to prioritize which upgrades should be made, and to identify various organizations and funding sources that might offer advice and/or financing for farm-related improvements. Beginning with a section about selecting a farm enterprise, this resource then addresses Land Access, Utilities and Energy, Structures, and Equipment.

This tool is designed with farmers in Massachusetts specifically in mind, but many of the elements considered are applicable to farmers in other states, as many of the MA-based organizations and resources have parallels in other states as well. Each section below will include 1) Key Considerations and Questions, 2) Resources, and 3) Contacts related to that section, and some sections will also have 4) Financing information as well.

This is not an exhaustive list of key considerations and resources associated with starting or improving a farm on a new site. Hopefully the information provided will prove valuable to farmers as they undertake the important and demanding work of creating the conditions by which a property can generate value for the community and provide a sustainable income for the producer.

The Breakeven Analysis and Scenario Planning for Farming Operations fact sheet is part of the larning material produced with the Overcoming Risk During Climate Variability: The Importance of Recordkeeping in Small Scale Farming grant.

The slide deck include visuals, charts, and graphs to enhance understanding of the topic. 

To learn more please reach out: nesfp@tufts.edu