Farm Viability Enhancement Program

Contact: Craig Richov at Craig.Richov@state.ma.us or 617-626-1725

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.

Applications
The Department of Agricultural Resources expects to announce an open application period for the Farm Viability Enhancement Program by early April 2010 and applications will be due by late June 2010.  RFRs (Request for Responses) and the policy information they contain do change from year to year.  If you would like to see a copy the last Farm Viability Program application, click on Request For Response #AGR-FVEP-10-17 [PDF].  This application is posted for informational purposes only and will not be accepted if submitted.

Farm Viability Enhancement Program Results as of June 30, 2009

During Fiscal Year 2009, the Farm Viability Enhancement Program provided technical assistance to 20 farms with 20 completing business plans. 19 farms received funding and were placed under Agricultural Covenants protecting 1607 acres. The Program impacted an additional 1522 acres of leased land and protected land under participant management. FY 2009 spending was $950,000.00 in direct grants to farms and over $160,000 was spent on technical assistance costs to consultants and business plan writers.

Since the Farm Viability Program was initiated in 1996, 391 farms have been selected to participate in the program. A total of 322* farms have now been protected by Covenants and received grant awards.

The 322 farms that have participated in the Farm Viability Enhancement Program result in:

• 30,618 acres placed in protective covenants
  
  
• 26,387 acres were impacted (additional acreage leased by farms or land already in the APR program for which business plans were developed).
  
  
• A total of 57,005 acres of Massachusetts farmland have been impacted by the Farm Viability Program
  
  
• Total of grants paid to participant farms $12,871,772.00
  
  
• Total spending on grants per acre placed in protective covenant $420/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.

*There were 28 renewal farms with updated business plans and new covenants that were recorded twice in the totals reported.