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Massachusetts Agriculture
Specialty License Plate
Support your local farmers by purchasing the Massachusetts Agriculture
specialty license plate.
Proceeds from these plates will go to the Massachusetts Agricultural Trust Fund.
The Trust will fund programs and services that help farmers remain on the cutting edge in today’s market, like innovative practices, research, improvements in managing resources, marketing, training and education. Proceeds will not be used to subsidize individual farmers or the state’s Department of Agriculture.
By purchasing this plate, you help preserve 520,000 acres of open space and the beauty of Massachusetts, our heritage, and local farming families. You protect 13,545 jobs and the value local agriculture has on our economy while reaping fresher and better tasting food. And you help shrink our carbon footprint by reducing the distance our food travels to market (normally 1,300 miles).
Total cost to transfer registration to an “ag tag” is $60 ($20 RMV fee to swap the plate plus $40 for a specialty plate). Renewals are $81 every two years ($41 RMV registration fee, and $40 for the specialty plate fee that continues to go to the Trust Fund).
A portion of this sale can be targeted to any agricultural organization below. All proceeds will go to the Agricultural Trust for distribution. To target $15 to a specific organization,* check one of the boxes in the downloadable form [PDF]. Otherwise, proceeds will stay with the Trust for future programs.
Reminders:
1) These plates cannot be used on commercial vehicles. If a car or van
is registered in a company name, the new plate would need an individual’s
name for registration.
2) If you would like a special plate number between 100 and 1500, there
is an additional $10 charge, and the $10 check
must be made out to the Agricultural Trust.
3) These specialty plates cannot replace Farm plates for equipment.
Make checks payable to Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles for $40. Complete this downloadable form [PDF] and mail with your check to: Massachusetts Agricultural Trust, c/o Anna Waclawiczek, MDAR, 251 Causeways
St., Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114-2151. $28 of this price is tax-deductible. Please note: we will send checks to RMV when we have sold 1,500 plates. That may take up to one year. Your check will be outstanding in your account for that time.
Thank you for supporting Agriculture by your purchase of a Massachusetts “Ag Tag.”
Your license plate purchase supports local Massachusetts farmers. |
 To Ag groups looking to "sell reservations" [PDF]
Sign up to receive the Department's Newsletter Farm & Market Report via e-mail (send blank email)
Events Listserv - sign up to receive listings of ag and food events throughout
the Commonwealth (send blank email)
Bet you didn’t know that…
- Massachusetts ranks 1st nationally in value of average direct market sales per farm at $24,873 per farm.
- Massachusetts is 1st in New England for direct sales of farm products to consumers. At $31.3 million in direct sales, Massachusetts farmers were responsible for 38% of New England’s total.
- Massachusetts ranks 7th nationally in total value of direct sales, following California, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Washington.
- More than 82.6% of Massachusetts farms are family-owned. Over 95% fit the category of “small farms” according to the USDA definition of sales below $250,000.
- Nearly $365 million is spent by farmers statewide on inputs such as feed, seed, livestock, fertilizer, electricity and fuel.
- Massachusetts ranks 3rd in the U.S. for farmland value at $10,500 per acre.
- Massachusetts agricultural exports totaled $166.7 million and supported 3,000 jobs.
- 21.5% of farm operators in Massachusetts are female farm operators, up from 18.7% in 1997.
- Massachusetts ranks 3rd in New England in honey production at 200,000 pounds of honey.
- Massachusetts ranks 13th nationwide in organic sales with 129 farms totaling $7.8 million in sales.
Sources: New England Agricultural Statistics, 2005 and 2006; 2005 Massachusetts State Agriculture Overview; and U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2002.
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