A great place to start with many farmland-related questions is the Farmland Access Legal Toolkit from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems.
Seeking farmland?
Check out land availability at Northeast Ag Exchange, New England Farmland Finder, Land for Good, and National Young Farmers Coalition. Get tips on selecting the land tenure option that’s right for you at Farm Commons (1 and 2). Learn about cooperative or collaborative farmland ownership in this webinar by Land for Good.
Need financing for a land purchase?
Dirt Capital Partners may be able to assist with creative financing options and partnerships. FSA has a Down Payment Loan Program for land acquisition. Farm Credit East’s Country Living Loans can fund rural homes or farmland purchases.
Seeking farmers to tend your land?
Use the succession planning resources at Land for Good, American Farmland Trust, and Farm Commons. Post your land on Northeast Ag Exchange and New England Farmland Finder.
Have land you’d like to conserve or preserve as farmland?
These sources can help you out: Land Trust Alliance, American Farmland Trust, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust (NEFOC), Community Preservation Coalition, or Trustees of Reservations.
Need a land assessment, or tips on maintaining land and soil health?
Find everything you need at UMass Amherst Agricultural Extension, National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Massachusetts Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).
Experiencing land-related conflict?
UMass has an Agricultural Mediation Program, which covers a wide range of farm conflict, including land transfer and neighbor disputes. Request mediation services from Martha’s Vineyard Mediation Program, which is well-versed in ag conflicts. Rhode Island farmers can request mediation for conflict arising in lease crafting, land transfer, neighbor relations, and other agriculture-related issues through the Center for Mediation & Collaboration (CMCRI).
Curious about injustices in land ownership?
Check out the research and resources provided by Melissa Gordon, a Tufts graduate student, on racism in land ownership trends in Massachusetts.