The primary purpose of the State-owned Farmland Licensing Program is to make publicly-owned agricultural land available to farmers and others through agricultural licenses.
State-owned farmland parcels which are under the Care and Control of MDAR, and which are licensed for 5-year periods include:
- Agawam Criminal Justice Training Center, Agawam (12.00 acres)
- Danvers Agricultural Reserve, Danvers (205.50 acres)
- Hersey Farm, Foxborough (16.2 acres)
- Former Grafton State Hospital 1, Westborough (16.10 acres)
- Taunton State Hospital, Lakeville (49.30 acres)
- Middleborough 1 Middleborough (8.40 acres)
- Northampton Agricultural Reserve, Northampton (283.75 acres)
- Templeton Agricultural Reserve, Templeton (194.66 acres)
- Westborough State Hospital, Westborough (69.56 acres)
The Department also licenses out farmland on other state properties under agreement with the appropriate state agency.
- Monson State Hospital, Monson (13.8 acres)
- State Police Academy, New Braintree (78.6 acres)
- Westfield State Hospital, Westfield (40 acres)
The department can license properties for agricultural use on the behalf of other state agencies as well as municipalities. Public officials interested in licensing property for this program can send inquiries to the contacts below.
Program Details:
MDAR licenses agricultural properties for a 5-year period with the potential to renew for an additional 5 years. Current licenses include farming operations growing vegetable, forage, and livestock with rotational grazing programs. Cannabis and hemp are not permitted within state-owned licenses. Tenants are required by the state to use best management practices when growing on state-owned land. Comprehensive insurance coverage must be held by all tenants.
As identified in the Massachusetts Farmland Action Plan, the licensing program gives preference to new and beginning farmers as well as historically underserved populations. Infrastructural improvements to the department’s state-owned agricultural land are currently underway. Tenants can seek improvements themselves with the approval and oversight of the department.
Land licenses are bid out through an RFR process. Related RFR and other program notices will be posted here and in MDAR's Farm and Market Report.
Additional Resources:
We encourage our tenant farmers to consult the department’s Beginner Farmers Resource Guide and consider the Massachusetts Enterprise Grants for Agriculture (MEGA) program.
For inquiries regarding public agricultural land in Western Massachusetts, contact Barbara Hopson. For Eastern Massachusetts, contact Ryan Burke.