Resources for Farmers
Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
CISA is a non-profit organization working to sustain agriculture in Western Massachusetts through farm profitability, creating farmer/consumer relationships, buy local food campaigns, farmer's markets, and more...
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
MDAR offers a variety of technical assistance and grant programs for farmers and farmers markets including agricultural business trainings for startups and existing farms, farm energy grants, agricultural preservation restriction acquisitions, new farm start-up grants, 10% utility discounts for farms, farm viability grants for capital improvements on existing farms, and much more!
Food Processing Center
The Franklin County Community Development Corporation operates a commercial kitchen, walk-in cooler and freezer, dry storage space and a packaging area. The food processing center is open to farmers and food processing businesses in Western Massachusetts.
Organic Farming Research Foundation
The Organic Farming Research Foundation mission is to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming practices through:
* Grants for research related to organic farming;
* Advocate for policies that support organic farming;
* To sponsor research related to organic farming;
* To educate farmers and the public about organic farming.
FarmStart
The FarmStart mission is to facilitate, support and encourage a new generation of farmers to develop economically viable, locally based, and ecological agricultural enterprises.
The Carrot Project Micro Loan Program
The mission of the fund is to address the difficulty that some New England farmers have in obtaining credit for projects that improve their operations and increase their income, as well as for emergency needs. In Massachusetts The Carrot Project has teamed up with MassDevelopment to help small farmers finance projects that improve their operations and increase their income. The program will provide loans ranging from $3,000 to $35,000.
Eligible farmers will own or lease farms in Massachusetts with preference given to farms:
* With 250 or fewer acres under cultivation
* Having annual revenues of no more than $250,000
* That use or are moving toward organic methods
Contact Dorothy Suput at 617-666-9637(w), 617-910-8499(c), or dsuput@thecarrotproject.org
Applications are accepted quarterly. Check the website for current application deadlines.
PVGrows Loan Fund
“PV Grows Loan Fund” for Food and Agricultural Infrastructure Businesses
The PVGrows Loan Fund offers low-interest loans to businesses that fill key gaps in the infrastructure of the Pioneer Valley local food system. PVGrows is looking for committed entrepreneurs with well-researched plans to develop facilities or activities which expand the market for Pioneer Valley-grown agricultural products, such as post-harvest handling, processing, marketing or distribution.
* Are you handling, processing, marketing, or distributing local agricultural products? * Does your business activity improve sales for Pioneer Valley farms? * Are you looking for financing?*