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.  Learn more about our 2020 Food Hub operations and impact - COVID-19 had an outsized impact on access to quality food and our farmers stepped up and met the need!

In this Guide to Finding, Assessing, and Securing Farmland in Massachusetts, written in Plain Language, you will learn about:

•Determining the right kind of farmland for you
•Deciding what type of land tenure situation is right for you
•Starting the networking process
•Conducting farmland site visits
•Understanding your land by using the Web Soil Survey and other online information tools
•Negotiating with landowners and signing an agreement to use the land
•Beginning to farm your land!

The Locating Funds to Mitigate Risk on the Farm: Crop Insurance, SARE, USDA Beginning Farmer Initiative and Other Federal Programs Fact Sheet, is part of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this Fact Sheet (PDF) you can find information about the following topics: NorthEast SARE resources, Micro Farm Pilot Program and NRCS conservation assistance. 

For additional information please reach out: nesfp@tufts.edu

The Locating Funds to Mitigate Risk on the Farm: Crop Insurance, SARE, USDA Beginning Farmer Initiative and Other Federal Programs webinar, is part of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this webinar, instructors share knowledge/understanding of state/federal grant and loan programs. Topics covered in the workshop include:

• Micro Farm Pilot Policy 2023 (Farm Credit East).
• Resources for Beginning Farmers at Farmers.Gov including Get Started Guide, 
• Technical and financial assistance from Natural Resources Conservation Services. 
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program. 
• NorthEast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program grants.
• An interactive and informative Q&A session with farmers sharing experiences in working with crop insurance and SARE programs. 

For additional information please reach us out at: nesfp@tufts.edu

The Funding Next Level Enterprises in Rural Communities Fact Sheet, is product of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this Fact Sheet (PDF) you can find information about the following topics: Value Added Producer Grant, Rural Energy for America Program, U.S. Small Business Administration. 

For additional information please reach out: nesfp@tufts.edu

Funding Next Level Enterprises in Rural Communities: Rural Development and SBA/SBIR Business Development Programs webinar, is part of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this webinar, instructors share knowledge/understanding of SBA/SBIR grants and funding programs for agricultural projects. Topics covered in the workshop include:

• Elegible areas
• Programs for beginning farmers 
• Type of lending entities 
• Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG)
• Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
• U.S. Small Business Administration programs (SBA)
• SBIR/STTR funding topic areas: rural and commuity development & small and mid-sized farms
• Farmers' experiences with SBA/SBIR grants

For additional information please reach us out at: nesfp@tufts.edu

The Building from the Ground Up: USDA NRCS Conservation and FSA Loan Programs Fact Sheet, is product of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this Fact Sheet (PDF) you can find information about the following topics: different types of FSA loans, NRCS financial programs, where to look and how to get started with FSA as a beginning farmer.

For additional information please reach out: nesfp@tufts.edu

The Building from the Ground Up: USDA NRCS Conservation and FSA Loan Programs webinar, is part of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this webinar, instructors share knowledge/understanding of NRCS and FSA funding programs for beginning farmers. Topics covered in the workshop include:

• Mission and benefits of working with FSA.
• Getting started as beninning farmers.
• Non-insured crop disaster assistance program.
• Supervised credit and unique requirements.
• Farm ownership loans.
• Farm operating loans.
• Down payment loan program.
• Microloans.
• General eleigibility and application process.

For additional information please reach us out at: nesfp@tufts.edu

The MDAR Grants and Financial Assistance Programs Fact Sheet, is product of the Investing in Your Farm: Accessing Grants and Loans for Growing Your Business workshop series, hosted by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

In this Fact Sheet (PDF) you can find information about the following topics: APR Improvement Programs (AIP), Farm Viability Enhancement Program (FVEP), and Matching Enterprise Grants for Ag (MEGA) process and timelines, and other MDAR grants. 

For additional information please reach out: nesfp@tufts.edu