During the last year farmers and ranchers are beginning to see some promising trends in terms of affordability because: a. the Farm Bill has brought historically low interest rates coupled with increase loan limits; and b. land prices have begun to stabilize or decrease in many areas. Still, these factors may not be enough and those seeking to buy land will continue to seek out innovative options. Not long ago a farmer seeking to purchase land could look forward to a “fair fight” consisting of bidding against another farmer famous similar production goals and marketing constraints. More recently farmers' competition for land has morphed from other farmers to include residential developers, estate home buyers and others. While conservation easements are a key tool for addressing these challenges they do not resolve all of the challenges over time and may not allow a landowner to meet all of their goals. How can we ensure protected land remains affordable during an intergenerational farm transition? What if local zoning does not make a traditional conservation easement a viable option? We will discuss: strategies for leveraging funding including low-interest Farm Service Agency loans; conservation easements as a tool in financing farm purchases; and finally an innovative “Transfer of Farming Rights” concept. We'll consider how conservation easements can be used to ensure affordability of a farm for a beginning farmer. We'll look at a sweat-equity model that can be used, for example, to help a farmworker position themselves to buy a farm. Finally, we'll look at a landowner who sold a property while retaining the farming rights and discuss how this has promise as a tool for securing tenure and appreciating asset for farmers and ranchers of limited means. The Farmers’ Guide to Securing Land, available through California FarmLink at (707) 829-1691.
Over the past decades, land values in Vermont have increased dramatically, making it more difficult for farmers to gain access to productive and affordable farmland. In response the Vermont’s Farmland Conservation Partners revised the farm configuration guidelines and added 20 new restrictions in the standard farm easement which encourage the long-term affordability of conserved farm properties, most notably the Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value. In addition the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) has developed the Farmland Access Program. Changes made to the farm easement program furthering affordability goal:
VLT Farm Access Program:
After spending 6 years farming on 3 different farms throughout the Northeast, we started Brix Bounty Farm in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. We are currently in the 2nd season of an initial 3- year lease with the Dominican Sisters of Hope. The Dominican Sisters have taken an active role in ensuring the land on the farm is placed in permanent preservation and are committed to providing an affordable opportunity for a new farm to become established in the community. At the end of this initial lease we will have the option of either signing a longer-term lease or negotiate purchase of the farmhouse and farm land. We farm 5 acres of a 13-acre property situated among a semi-developed part of town. Our decision to move to Dartmouth, Ma (located on the South coast of Massachusetts 1 ¼ hours south of Boston) was based on a number of factors:
1) Proximity to family – while farmland in SE Massachusetts is much more expensive than land in western NY State or Columbia County, NY (other areas we were considering), ultimately being closer to “home” was a big reason for searching for land in our current area.
2) Proximity to markets – a result of my focus on small-scale production and community education, I was interested in finding an opportunity that would closely connect me with our customers, especially geographically. The issues we face on the farm are also issues experienced by our local community, and we have increased our capacity to engage community members on food issues by rooting ourselves in their community. Logistically, this also creates more time to spend on the farm and building relationships, instead of transporting produce.
3) Availability of the specific opportunity – simply put, if the opportunity didn’t exist we wouldn’t be here. In the northeast farmers have done a remarkable job creating new interest in agriculture among our younger generations (through apprenticeship programs), but the opportunity for young farmers to develop their own operations are restricted due to the limited local land base.