Training Objective:

Farmland access is often cited as a major barrier to new and beginning farmers, and the multitude of components that make up farmland access can cause farmers to stop in their tracks. This session will break down several of these components in an attempt to make searching for farmland more exciting and less stressful. Topics covered will include conducting a land search, utilizing CT Farmlink, affording farmland, constructing a secure lease, and exploring different methods of farmland tenure. We will start with introductions and a quick survey of the audience in order to help direct our conversation.

We will explore several tools and guides from Land For Good that may be helpful in your land access journey. These include our Build-A-Lease tool, Farmland Access Methods Guide, Acquiring Your Farm, NYFC’s Finding Farmland Calculator and others. Attendees are welcome to bring their laptops to work and follow along, and some physical copies of the resources mentioned above will be available. Though this workshop is primarily geared towards farm seekers, landowners are welcome to attend in order to gain insights into crafting leases and understanding a farmer’s point of view.

 

Trainer:

Will O’Meara is the Connecticut Field Agent for Land For Good, a non profit whose mission is “to ensure the future of farming in New England by putting more farmers more securely on more land.”  Will is also a Farm Manager at Waldingfield Farm.