Farmer Resource Library

New Entry's farmer library has hundreds of resources on sustainable farming, marketing, and operating a successful small business. Our physical library at our office in Beverly, MA contains books, CD's, DVD's periodicals, pamphlets, and videos in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Khmer. You can also search the directory below for downloadable digital resources, helpful web sites, and online farming videos.

Please visit or email us at nesfp@tufts.edu if you can't find what you're looking for here. Sometimes we are out in the field, so it's best to let us know if you're planning on stopping by.

2021 Senior Farmers Market Program Evaluation

Media:

  • Digital Download

The Lahey-New Entry Farmer’s Market Program continues in its 7th year, dedicated to providing free shares of fresh fruits and vegetables to older adults in Middlesex County. A collaboration between the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, the program distributed 255 shares throughout the farming season. Pre- and post-surveys of 2021 participants identified risk factors facing the older adult population and identified the most vulnerable members. Survey data indicated that barriers to food access prevalent among participants include lower income, living alone, consuming under the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and having trouble accessing transportation. Food insecurity was directly measured within this population, indicating that 13% and 14% of participants within the pre- and post-survey respectively qualified as food insecure. The program met its goals this season as the majority of participants affirmed that they consumed more variety and quantity of fruits and vegetables. The FMP not only reduces barriers to food access but promotes social engagement through attendance in the market, as nearly half of participants indicated that participation in the FMP decreased their feelings of social isolation.

Committed to community-oriented health promotion, the FMP serves as an invaluable resource to local older adults by increasing access to nutritious produce, identifying and reaching those most vulnerable, and fostering
social connectedness within the greater community.

2022 Annual Report

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  • Digital Download

New Entry has worked for over 24 years to establish a model of local, regional, and national programming that strengthens local food systems by supporting new farmers. We serve and collaborate with the people, communities, and organizations in Massachusetts, the Northeast, and beyond.

2022 was a year of resourcefulness and resilience. We worked diligently to improve our capital assets on our incubator farm, support farmers with dozens of workshops on agricutlure technology, food safety, accessing federal programs, and to plan for the 2022 growing season. We faced a debilitating drought which impacted crops and yields, yet we accomplished much and made significant progress supporting new farmers, feeding our community, and bolstering our local, regional, and national food systems.  We were able to bring back on-farm community events and host hundreds of visitors to the farm in 2022 through tours, networking events, farm-to-table dinners and our famous Pumpkin Smash.  We hosted our national FIELD School in person after two years of virtual conferences with a successful event in Seattle, WA that built new connections and collaborations across the country.  These efforts and more helped inform many of the new relationships and future strategic directions we are approaching with our work as we move forward in the year ahead.  To dig into what we accomplished in 2022 and learn about our plans for 2023 - enjoy!

2022 Food Hub Annual Report

Media:

  • Digital Download

New Entry Food Hub provides market access to beginning farmers, market-based training, and produce aggregation and distribution services to a broad array of consumers.  We operate a Community Supported Agriculture program, food access programs for food insecure families and individuals, and donate produce to food banks and pantries, transitional living centers, and other social service agencies.  In 2022, we expanded our sales to local schools and institutions.  Learn more about our 2022 Food Hub operations, impact, and partnerships!

2023 Food Hub Annual Report

Media:

  • Digital Download

New Entry Food Hub provides market access to beginning farmers, market-based training, and produce aggregation and distribution services to a broad array of consumers.  We operate a Community Supported Agriculture program, food access programs for food insecure families and individuals, and donate produce to food banks and pantries, transitional living centers, and other social service agencies.  In 2023, we expanded our sales to local schools and institutions and grew our local produce deliveries to food security organizations.  Learn more about our 2023 Food Hub operations, impact, and partnerships!

2023 New Entry Annual Report

Media:

  • Digital Download

In 2023, New Entry celebrated 25 years of supporting local, regional, and national programming that strengthens local food systems by supporting new farmers. We serve and collaborate with the people, communities, and organizations in Massachusetts, the Northeast, and beyond.

2023 was a year of growth and positive change. We brought on new farmer training staff to grow our capacity and we grew the food hub revenue by 161% thanks largely to new state and federal programs that provide food access organizations and schools with funds to prioritize local and regional food purchasing.  We supported over 467 farmers to engage in our courses, workshops, accessing federal programs, and to prepare for a challenging 2023 growing season. We faced an overabundance of rain (the 7th wettest year on record!) which impacted crops and yields, yet we accomplished much and made significant progress supporting new farmers, feeding our community, and bolstering our local, regional, and national food systems.  We engaged hundreds of volunteers and visitors to the farm in 2023 through tours, networking events, farm-to-table dinners and our famous Pumpkin Smash.  We hosted our national FIELD School in Kansas City, MO that built new connections and collaborations across the country.  These efforts and more helped inform many of the new relationships and future strategic directions we are approaching with our work as we move forward in the year ahead.  To dig into what we accomplished in 2023 and learn about our plans for 2024 - enjoy!

A Curriculum at a Glance with Core Skills

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  • Digital Download

This document lists the newly developed and enhanced teaching resource created for projects working with New American farmers, and includes an overview of the core skills taught in that lesson. Core skills refer to concepts and skills that are central to farmer training programs. The teaching resources reference here were developed collaboratively by the Institute for Social and Economic Development (ISED Solutions) and 18 refugee farmer training programs across the country. 

A Guide for Scaling Up Food Hubs

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  • Digital Download

A Guide for Scaling Up Food Hubs is intended to provide food hub leadership and staff with knowledge and tools to develop a successful strategy for expanding operations and increasing sales growth. The broad USDA definition of food hub encompasses a great diversity of organizations, including non-profit organizations and for-profit enterprises, ranging in scale from single-producer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) models to regional distribution networks of producers and buyers, with a variety of missions. Including the many types of organizations under one umbrella is useful because it allows diverse organizations to participate in a greater movement to develop resilient regional food systems. This guide documents lessons learned from the food hub literature and experience gathered in key informant interviews with management staff at selected food hubs in New England. These lessons will help food hub leaders weigh their options and develop their own marketing strategies for scaling up.

A Guide to Community Food Projects

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  • Digital Download

This guide was written by Maya Tauber and Andy Fisher and give an overview of the Community Food Projects grant program.

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