SEMAP is pleased to offer the TIE (Tools, Innovation, and Equipment) Award Program: a micro-award program for farmers in Southeastern Massachusetts.
This program encourages local farmers to trial new equipment, implement farm systems they haven’t tried before, and solve problems faced on their farm. Awards range from $500 to $3,000. Traditionally, this program has funded only innovative and novel projects, intending to lower the barrier to on-farm innovation. Because of the intense challenges of recent years, we have modified the program and expanded our goals for 2024. While innovative projects will get a boost in the review process, tools and equipment with proven impact will also be considered.
2018: Winnow Wizard seed cleaner at Ivory Silo Farm in Westport
2018: Low tunnel crop trials at Skinny Dip Farm in Little Compton
2022: Bike-powered compost sifter at Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset
2024 Awardees:
- Common Acre Farm (Mansfield) – permanent fencing for wildlife exclusion and addition of sheep and chickens
- Freedom Food Farm (Raynham) – mower for maintaining fence lines in rotationally grazed fields
- Fruit Fair Farm (Chicopee) – closed loop irrigation system and greenhouse monitoring equipment
- Herb Hill Farm and Micro-Dairy (Pepperell) – construction of a gathering space for educational on-farm workshops
- Late Bloom Farm (Haverhill) – high tunnel trellising system for tomatoes and cucumbers, and insect netting
- Moonrose Farm (Rehoboth) – electric deer fencing to make a new piece of farmland viable
- Muck and Mystery Farm (Seekonk) – electric deer fencing to expand crop production
- The Neighborhood Farm (Westport) – low tunnel system for frost protection, insect exclusion, and summer shade
- Nilsa’s Herbal Teas and Botanicals (Dartmouth) – shade cloth, storage bins, and shelving for expansion of dried flowers and herbs
- Old Earth Orchards (Taunton) – compost tea brewer and sprayer for natural orchard fertility management
- Padanaram Oyster Farm (Dartmouth) – oyster tumbler for efficient sorting and cleaning of harvested oysters
- Sibling Organic Crops (Lakeville) – rotary tiller attachment for first tractor, to efficiently prepare and cultivate 10 acre field
- Zeigler’s Market Garden (Norfolk) – permanent wash station to improve food safety protocols
With TIE Award funding, SEMAP aims to enable our local farms to create solutions locally, and share the solutions with the region’s farming community to increase local knowledge, capacity, and resilience. Reporting requirements for successful applicants include sharing findings with fellow farmers, so as to increase our collective agricultural knowledge.
View complete details of this program, including project examples and eligibility guidelines from 2024’s program, HERE. Please direct any questions to smurray@semaponline.org. Answers to common questions are in this FAQ document.
Applications are intentionally low-lift and should take around 20 minutes to complete. We expect to slightly modify the application before the 2025 pool of funding, but you can refer to the 2024 application to get a sense of what to expect.