Producer Resources
Farm to Farmer Network to Serve Entire State of Washington
After hearing from farmers from more than 14 counties across Washington about the need for land access and transition support in their communities, Washington Farmland Trust is growing the Farm to Farmer program to serve the entire state of Washington through a collaborative partnership: the Farm to Farmer Network. Through the network, partners with place-based experience and knowledge will help deliver Farm to Farmer to their geographies across the state, tailoring the program to meet their communities’ unique challenges and needs.
Farm to Farmer aims to provide land access to a new generation of farmers. They help farmers find the land opportunities they need to grow their businesses, and help landowners sell or lease their land to keep it in farming. The program offers personalized technical assistance to current and aspiring farmers, farming and non-farming landowners, real estate agents, and organizations looking to expand their incubator or ag park programs. In addition to land matching services, Farm to Farmer helps program participants clarify goals, identify barriers, understand financing options, develop or navigate leasing agreements, complete due diligence, connect with service providers, and more. Learn more here.
Changing Hands Workshop Series
Rogue Farm Corps' (RFC) Changing Hands Program has hosted annual workshops across Oregon and the country to help farmers and ranchers access land and transition land and businesses to the next generation of land stewards.
From December to February, RFC will be facilitating Wednesday evening (6-7:30pm) workshops and conversation on business planning, leasing, cooperative business models, resources for military veterans, and land justice. Visit the Changing Hands Workshops page to learn more and register. Washington farmers are welcome to participate.
Food and Farming Center
After over a decade of visioning and planning, efforts to construct the Snohomish County Food and Farming center in Everett are underway. Phase one is fully funded and will be a processing center for fresh farm product, aggregation and distribution. Phase two will be a year-round indoor farmers market. As the design process begins, Snohomish County is seeking producer input on the types of equipment that would be useful as well as how producers might use the facility. There will also be a commercial/commissary kitchen available for rent. The Snohomish County Food and Farming Center will be available to all farmers within the Puget Sound Region.
If you are a producer interested in using these services, complete this three-minute survey to help ensure that the Snohomish County Food & Farming Center meets the needs of you and your farm. Copy and paste the survey link in your browser to submit your input: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUzfNP4iow7KORsLwsVjuG187CiMawEOCK-Qp9FIwf7U8JHA/viewform
Women Veterans for the Land
American Farmland Trust’s Women for the Land Initiative launched a new program, Women Veterans for the Land, funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture AgVets program, in October to offer resources for women veterans in agriculture over the next three years throughout the Pacific Northwest. The project aims to foster a community of practice among veteran women farmers in Washington and Oregon through a series of listening sessions, learning circles and regional convenings. The project will support non-formal education to provide veteran women the necessary skills, training and experience to be successful in agriculture. Women Veterans for the Land will further increase veteran women farmers’ and landowners’ connectivity to peers and technical service providers and improve their access to educational resources to better enable successful stewardship of their farms.
Brighter Future Fund Microgrants
Applications are now open for American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) Brighter Future Fund microgrants to farmers. AFT launched the Brighter Future Fund in 2020 in partnership with Tillamook Creamery to assist farmers in successfully launching, growing and sustaining farms in the face of forces impacting the food and agricultural system, including the COVID-19 pandemic, changing markets, severe weather, and climate change.
In 2021, funding will be allocated to help farmers 1) improve farm viability; 2) access, transfer, or permanently protect farmland; or 3) adopt regenerative agricultural practices. Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $5,000 per project. Guidelines can be found here. Applications will be reviewed and awarded in the order the applications are received based on eligibility. AFT will continue to receive applications and make awards until available funds are expended.
To apply for a grant, please fill out this application form. If you’d like to review the application questions in advance, they can be downloaded here. AFT is committed to making the Brighter Future Fund accessible to the widest population possible and is pleased to be able to offer limited translation services for applicants. If interested, please email brighterfuture@farmland.org.
Grants to Young Farmers
The National Young Farmers Coalition is partnering with Chipotle to offer $5,000 grants to 50 young farmers and ranchers to support them in building careers in agriculture. Forty-five awards will go to businesses already in operation, and five to projects starting in 2022. This fund can be used for anything that will further your goals as a farmer, even if that means just getting started. The goal of this fund is to provide financial assistance for any cost that currently limits your ability to start, run, or grow your operation in the way you’d like. The grant program is available to support farmers and ranchers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, in addition to the 50 states and Washington D.C. Applications will close in on January 28, 2022 at 3pm ET.
Drought Assistance for Farmers
A Producer’s Guide to Drought from the United States Department of Agriculture has information on resources available to farmers impacted by drought.
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