The Farm Viability Enhancement Program (FVEP) provides business planning, technical assistance, and grants to commercial farms to improve farm viability and to preserve and support the stewardship of agricultural resources.
Donor Name: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/01/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $75,000 – $165,000
Details:
The Farm Viability Enhancement Program provides business planning and technical assistance to established, commercial farms to help improve the viability of the farm business operation. Application is by a competitive process and selected farmers participate in a process to work with a business plan writer with experience working with agricultural operations to develop or update a farm business plan. If the business plan is completed and identifies a need for a capital project on the farm that meets the goals of the program, the farmer may be eligible to receive a grant in return for signing a covenant to keep the land in agriculture use for a specified term (ten or fifteen years depending upon the size of the grant the farm is eligible for).
Funding Information
Participants selected to participate in the program may be offered grant funds of up to $75,000 – $165,000 for identified farm improvement projects in return for signing an agricultural covenant on the farm property to keep it in agricultural use for a 10 or 15-year term.
Uses of funds
Funds must be used for approved capital projects intended to increase farm viability. Examples of eligible uses of funds include, but are not limited to, new structures for agricultural use, improvements to existing farm structures, new or used farm equipment, agricultural resource improvements, food processing, and retail marketing improvements.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible Applicants:
- Applicants must own or co-apply with the owner of at least five (5) acres of land that is currently in active agricultural use.
- Applicants must have managed that land as a commercial agricultural enterprise for at least the three previous years and meet a minimum gross income amount, as stated in the current RFR.
- Applicants must be willing to have a short-term agricultural covenant placed on their property that requires the land to continue in active agricultural use for a fixed number of years.
- Farms must be privately family-owned farms, not owned by non-profit organizations or municipalities. Any land under an Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) or encumbered by any other restriction is ineligible.
For more information, visit MDAR.
