Seacoast Eat Local is co-sponsoring this Farmland Info Night and Farmer Mixer on March 28th at the new Smuttynose location in Hampton. Come for part or both, and plan to eat and drink well! Register (free!)
Farm Seekers and Advisors to Celebrate Mud Season at
Smuttynose Brewing Company’s New Location
Farmers and service providers gather to explore strategies to get onto farmland and tackle other top challenges facing beginning farmers in New Hampshire.
Hampton, NH, March 28, 2014: Over 70% of our farmland will change hands in the next 20 years. A new generation of farmers needs information and support to keep our farmland in farming.
At the March 28, 2014 Seacoast Farmland Access Information Night and Farmer Mixer in Hampton, NH, new farmers seeking to buy or lease land will gather with advisors. Members of the local agricultural community are welcome, too.
Where to start? Whom to ask? Professionals in the local farming community will answer questions about how to plan, evaluate, and buy or farm property, qualify for funding, and understand conservation easements, owner financing options, and much more.
“Access to farmland is a top obstacle for new and beginning farmers. They need to know where to turn for help and resources in their community, and to start building their networks and social capital. These events accelerate that process,” says Melissa Benedikt Blindow, owner and operator of Benedikt Dairy, a small-scale dairy in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Melissa is also the NH Field Agent for Land For Good, a non-profit organization that helps ensure the future of farming in New England by putting more farmers more securely on more land.
“This session is your chance to voice your unique challenges in looking for land, funding and other issues, listen to others voice theirs, talk solutions and share resources in order to build a more resilient beginning farmer community,” says Ray Conner, Beginning Farmer Coordinator for Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire.
Along with land access, topics will include sourcing capital, education and training, business planning, and marketing. Get answers from over a dozen advisors at the Seacoast Farmland Access Information Night on March 28, 2014 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. followed by a Farmer Mixer from 8:00 – 10:30 p.m. at the new home of Smuttynose Brewing Company at 105 Towle Farm Rd, Hampton, NH 03842. The mixer will feature locally catered food, live music, and, Smuttynose beer.
Hear from these professionals: Duane Hyde, Southeast Land Trust of NH; Melissa Blindow, Land For Good; Ray Conner, Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH; John Hamilton, NH Community Loan Fund; Michael and Ryan Hvizda, Keller Williams Realty; Rick Ellsmore and Dan Wright, Natural Resource Conservation Service; Jason Reimers, BCM Environmental & Land Law, PLLC; Michael McPhail, Farm Credit East; Emma Carcagno and Daimon Meeh, UNH Cooperative Extension, Carol Sargent, Farm Service Agency, Cara Cargill, NH Agricultural Mediation Service
Co-sponsored by Land For Good, Southeast Land Trust of NH, Seacoast Eat Local, Smuttynose Brewing Company, and Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH.
Food will be provided by Blue Moon Evolution and beer by Smuttynose Brewing Company. Reservations strongly suggested, and make sure to bring a photo I.D. if you plan to imbibe. For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Land For Good at 603-357-1600 or visit www.landforgood.org/rsvp.
Support for this event is provided in part by grants to NOFA-NH and Land For Good from the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.