Farm Viability Enhancement Program
 The Farm Viability Program seeks to improve the economic viability and environmental integrity of participating farms through the development and implementation of farm viability plans. The Program offers farmers environmental, technical and business planning assistance to expand, upgrade and modernize their existing operations. Capital for the implementation of the improvements recommended in the viability plan is available in exchange for an agricultural covenant on the farm property for a fixed term of five or ten years.
Farm Viability Program Application Period Open
The application period for FVEP is now open for Fiscal Year 2013. The deadline for submitting applications is Tuesday June 26, 2012.
Farm Viability Enhancement Program Results as of June 30, 2011
During Fiscal Year 2011, the Farm Viability Enhancement Program provided technical assistance to 19 farms with 19 completing business plans. Of these, 18 farms received funding and were placed under Agricultural Covenants protecting 1949 acres. The Program impacted an additional 1300 acres of leased land and protected land under participant management. FY2011 spending was $984,500 in direct grants to farms and over $140,000 was spent on technical assistance costs to consultants and business plan writers.
Since the Farm Viability Program was initiated in 1996, 433 farms have been selected to participate in the program. A total of 362* farms have now been protected by Covenants and received grant awards.
The 362 farms that have participated in the Farm Viability Enhancement Program result in:
- 34,453 acres placed in protective covenants; 30,787 acres were impacted (additional acreage leased by farms or land already in the APR program for which business plans were developed).
- A total of 65,240 acres of Massachusetts farmland have been impacted by the Farm Viability Program.
- Total of grants paid to participant farms $14,856,272. Total spending on grants per acre placed in protective covenant: $431 per acre.
- 73% of farmers in the Program invest additional capital beyond the grant amount to implement business improvement strategies. The average additional investment is $31,791 per farm.
- For FY 2011, 12 of the 19 participants invested $343,000 in additional capital or an average of $28,583 per farm.
- Improvement projects for the year included: 6 farm stand construction or expansion projects, 3 new livestock/hay barns, 2 new packing sheds, 2 new sugarhouses and updated sugaring equipment, 2 barn repair efforts, 1 new sawmill, 8 projects with new or used equipment purchases (tractors, trucks, and field equipment), an outdoor wood burning furnace, and one project with a new well and irrigation system.
*There were 37 renewal farms with updated business plans and new covenants that were recorded twice in the totals reported.
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